Doug “Doc” Neralich was 22 years old, married for four months, and teaching for three months when he got the call – a draft notice from the U.S. Army. It was 1968 and the Vietnam War was at its bloody zenith. By January 1969, Neralich was shipping out to Fort Dix, N.J. for training.
“The Army sent me to Fort Sam Houston in Texas for medical training,” said Neralich, who is the audiovisual coordinator at Memorial High School in West New York. Neralich lives in Wycoff, N.J. “Then [I went] to Fort Gordon, Georgia then back to Fort Dix, then to McGuire Air Force Base. Then I was in Vietnam.”
This was the beginning of a 363-day odyssey that left Neralich, who became an Army medic assigned to the 36th Engineer Battalion, with many memories, some good, most bad.
Neralich has put these memories to print in a new book of short stories, poems and vignettes called Dear Donna, It’s Only 45 Hours from Bien Hoa [1stbooks].
The book grew out of Neralich’s early attempts to convey his experiences through poetry. Said Neralich, “I started the book about 12 years ago. I started writing poetry and then decided that poetry wasn’t my thing. So, I started writing short stories.”
Neralich brought a few of the stories around to publishers but met with resistance. Said Neralich, “For the most part, I met with rejection slips from publishers, but I didn’t mind. Sure there is a certain sense of disappointment, but I didn’t really mind.”
Neralich then decided to make an attempt at self-publishing a collection of these stories and poems. “Years ago, I read an article in The Record about self-publishing and actually had a colleague that did it. I did some research and found 1stbooks and signed a contract with them.” The book was released in July of 2002.
Neralich’s family helped with the book as well. “It was a family project in that my wife, Donna [who is the ‘Donna’ in the title] and daughter Laura are great proofreaders. They are very talented creatively.” Neralich’s wife also sketched the drawings on the cover of his book, and his son Paul did some illustrations.
‘Muddy and full of rice’
As part of the 36th Engineer Battalion, Neralich’s outfit was in charge of building roads and bridges in Vinh Long, part of the Mekong River Delta, an area that, according to Neralich, was “flat and muddy and full of rice patties.” By 1969, it became apparent to Neralich that the Vietnam War was a war of attrition. “Once you’re ‘in country,’ it becomes clear,” he said. “It was my contention that there wasn’t much there to win. I wasn’t sure if the South Vietnamese liked us that much. ‘Survival’ was the name of the game. Finish your tour and go home.”
Said Neralich, “1968 was a really interesting year. I would describe myself as a ‘reluctant warrior.’ I wasn’t going to Canada — my dad was in World War II and my grandfather was in World War I. I wasn’t a ‘hawk,’ but I wasn’t going to burn my draft card. I just saw it as my duty.”
Neralich admits to a long period of adjustment after he returned home. “The early seventies were rough,” he said. Even now, when my wife and I go for walks, I walk ‘point.’ I am always looking for trip-wires in the bushes.”
According to the publisher’s web site (www.1stbooks.com), “What happens to Doc and the other young men serving with him while they experience the surreal random destruction wrought by war is sometimes deep and tragic, and, at times, heartwarming and funny.”
Anyone interested in purchasing the book can go to www.1stbooks.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.