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Carey Spearman joined the
U.S. Army in 1965. He served in Vietnam in 1967, assigned to the 44th
Medical Group, 616th Medical Company. After his discharge, he would
join the New York Police Department in 1973. He was promoted to detective, and
to the rank of Sergeant in the police department and distinguished himself in undercover narcotics work and as supervisor
of NYPD's Staten Island Community Affairs Division. Carey Spearman retired from the New York Police Department in 1995 with
twenty-five years of service. In 1997 he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from St. John's University, New York. Carey
Spearman is the co-author of Vietnam Veteran's
Homecoming: Crossing the Line and 36
Years and a Wake-up: An American Returns to Vietnam.
According to the book description
of Vietnam Veterans' Homecoming: Crossing the
Line “is a thoughful and moving account of the impact that the Vietnam War had on one veteran's life. Medic
Carey Spearman's emotional message will resonate in the hearts and souls of each and every veteran that picks up this book,
and enlighten anyone that did not live through the war. Carey Spearman has come
home, and his journey will quickly become the journey of those who read his book. In a sequence of profound meditations, rich
in poetry and deep in spirituality, Spearman draws insights from his experiences as a medic in Vietnam, and as a veteran returning
home. Insights which emphasize not so much the uniqueness of his own encounters and feelings but the mighty common bonds which
unite the courageous men and women who served this country during its longest war.
Crossing the Line, without
pretense or political agenda, reveals page after page that those who fought in Vietnam had to be heroes twice; first in war,
and then again as veterans returning home to a society that all too often failed to appreciate or understand the enormity
of their sacrifices on so many different levels.
Crossing the Line is not
just the story of one man, it sets down in meaningful terms the experience of an entire generation. It is a powerful testimony
to the far-reaching effects of the Vietnam War on virtually all aspects of American life.”
One reader of Vietnam Veterans'
Homecoming: Crossing the Line said, “Carey Spearman reaches right for the heart with his poignant vignettes
on life in Vietnam and at home. The very cover of his book reveals much about his message: Vietnam's wounds are not just
carried by Americans, but by many more; nor are all jungles lush and tropical. The soldier depicted on the cover wears a mix
of western and oriental gear. The soldier's shadow is simply a man's--without the trappings of war. The palms trees
of Vietnam on the skyline give way to the concrete skyscrapers of urban America. Spearman's year in Vietnam amounted to
a lifetime of tending the wounded and maimed of every sort of humanity: man, woman or child carried into the medic's ward.
There he began to realize how war wounds not only the soldier, but the family back home, the villager in the jungle, the lover
awaiting the letter that never arrives. Like good wine, Spearman's words come from years of reflection and hard work.
They reveal a man who has come to terms with his own post traumatic stress and has accepted healing. He sees the world as
filled with individuals. War takes it toll one by one. Families of those lost or wounded in Vietnam or other conflicts, and
anyone who has suffered a significant loss in his or her life will benefit from Spearman's vignettes. If you want to read
something charged with deep emotion, yet minus the gore of "war stories," and one that helps to heal inner wounds,
Spearman's book: Vietnam Veterans' Homecoming: Crossing the Line will be a wonderful read. For anyone teaching American
history, or history buffs, Spearman's book casts a piercing light on the reality of war--its horror and far reaching effects.
In language anyone can understand, this book is one I recommend for people who look for wisdom and a sense of peace. They
will find both in Carey Spearman's”
From the History of the New York City Police Department Another characteristic sentence was imposed in 1712 by "a court held for the tryal
of Negro and Indian slaves, at the Citty Hall of the City of New York, on Tuesday the 15th of April." "Tom, the
slave of Nicholas Rosevelt, was the culprit in this case. He was sentenced to be "carryed from hence to the place whence
he came, and from thence to the place of execution; and there to be burned with a slow fire, that he may continue in torment
for Eight or ten hours, and continue burning in the said fire until he be dead, and Consumed to ashes."
Our Police Protectors Holice and Debbie
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