“This book, which is a love story, recognizes that a military deployment is not only about the soldier. It gives a good insight of Jack’s second deployment to Vietnam as his wife Jean was the sole caregiver to 4 very young children while managing a household and remaining involved in her own career as a nurse.” – Janice Kunkle, OR Nurse (Ret.) “As a participant in some of the events so movingly described by Jack and Jean Heslin in “LIGHTNING” I can clearly realize the sacrifices made by the families at home as they waited for their loved ones to return. The accomplishments of Jack and Jean serve as a clear example of what was accomplished fifty plus years ago and hopefully can still be accomplished by today’s warriors and their families.” – John R. “Jack” Finch, G-3 Air Advisor 23d ARVN Div. 1972 “The military wives are the real heroes of any war, the VN war was no exception. In addition to separation anxiety and uncertainty, they had no respite, no support in dealing with the daily and multiple chores involving the family during their long husband absence. I could relate to the few and short long distance telephone calls to my first time pregnant wife from the battlefield at night, sometimes during the intense enemy shelling. I was in Kontum from April 1972 until after the “ceasefire” in January and Tet 1973.” – Giap Phuc Hai, MD (230th Medical Company, 23rd Medical Battalion, 23rd ARVN Infantry Division)

This book is a true story about love and duty during a time of war when two people fought through the daily struggles of living through intense storms to do their duty. This book tells the story of Jack’s second tour in Vietnam and his wife Jean’s life at home with their four little children. Many people recognize the heroism of the combat soldiers but few recognize the heroism of the wives left behind to raise the children and deal with the sometimes-overwhelming challenges of carrying the burden alone every day. The fear of having a husband at war for a year and at the same time, every day, trying to meet all the needs of four young children was excruciating. Jean’s personal letters to Jack, shared in this book, reflect her struggle of pain and her triumph to endure. Jean remembers the fear and pain like it was yesterday. One of her sisters once asked, “how do you stand it?” and her reply was “what choice do I have.” Jack remembers the white-hot intensity of battle every day. Jean and Jack relied on a strong sense of Faith to get them through the storms.

Jack is a two-tour Vietnam veteran who flew helicopters in the Highlands of Vietnam. He completed a 20-plus year military career as an Army Lt. Col. Jack had a variety of command and staff assignments and is a graduate of the Naval War College Command and Staff Course. He has had a number of articles published in military journals. Jack has been awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with V device and 24 oak leaf clusters and many other medals and awards. Jack’s civilian career included 19 years with John Tyler Community College in Virginia where Jack served as a sociology professor, campus administrator, apprenticeship coordinator, and Workforce Development Program coordinator. Jack was a founding member of the Chester Rotary Club and is a life member of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association VHPA, the VFW and the Distinguished Flying Cross Society. He is the author of the award-winning website “The Battle of Kontum,” the book “Reflections From the Web,” and the book “THUNDER: Stories From the First Tour.” Jean has been married to John G. (Jack) Heslin for more than 60 years. They have four children, all grown and married, with children of their own. After graduation from high school, Jean embraced a career as a Professional Nurse and practiced in the clinical area until she decided to return to school to earn her Bachelor of Science degree and then her Master of Science degree. For the next several years, she practiced nursing in clinical units. Then she started teaching nursing to women and men aspiring to be professional nurses and continued this effort for a period of more than 20 years. She is a published author of several professional nursing articles published in nursing journals. Jean finished her working career as a Workforce Development professional, training adults to achieve the skills needed for employment. www.thebattleofkontum.com