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At the age of 19, Jim Stewart joined the United
States Army. He served in Vietnam from October of 1966 to October of 1968. He
then worked as a civilian in Vietnam for the next two years. He served with the
552nd, 300th, 560th, 527th , and"C"CO of the 716th MP BN. In 1992, Jim Stewart
joined the Brawley Police Department. He retired in 2002 at the rank of corporal.
He is the author of The Angel from Vietnam.
According to the book description of “The Angel from Vietnam, “In 1970, after four years in Vietnam,
Jim Stewart left behind his daughter, Phuong. It is estimated that fifty thousand Amerasians were left behind when America
pulled out of the country for good in 1973. Jim carried this with him for years after the war. Join him on his journey through
personal tragedy as a young boy in Maryland, his often humorous adventures in the Army, and the serious events that took place
during his years in Vietnam and afterwards. Often humorous, with a wide array of memorable characters in his life, this is
a story that will bring a smile to your face, a tear to your eye, and leave you with a sense of spiritual healing.”
According to one reader of The Angel from Vietnam: A memoir of growing
up, the Vietnam War, a daughter, and healing, “First-time author Jim Stewart has written a raw and powerful
memoir of his years in Vietnam and his life. Unlike many of the current Vietnam-era memoirs, Stewart's uncommonly poignant
and well-written story details his four years in the `Nam without the blood, gore, or trauma so popular today. This is the
story of a young man's coming of age and maturing as a human being while simultaneously dealing with a war, a callous
family `back in the world', and his first real love and long-term relationship.
Stewart takes us back to his childhood, where he grew up in a poor, yet loving
household, and how he tried re-create it with his young Vietnamese girlfriend, Mai. In the midst of the Tet Offensive and
the later collapse of the country, Stewart and his girlfriend Mai attempt to find normalcy in the insanity of Vietnam towards
the end of the war. His relaxed yet detailed writing style allows the reader to begin to understand what it was like to live
and work in Saigon, both for a Vietnamese and an American; where even such insignificant events as shopping and taking a taxi
turn must be pre-planned. Stewart takes the reader directly into traffic with him, and lets him experience the sights, smells,
and fear of life in Saigon
While the author was an MP instead
of an infantryman and therefore believes himself possibly fortunate not seen any actual combat, his book is not really about
the fighting in Vietnam; it's a story of the author, his dad, Mai, and their daughter Phuong - and it's a story well
worth reading. Highly recommended.”
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