On the day the rest of the world
watched the astronauts land on the moon (July 20, 1969) Sandy Strait watched as her
husband boarded a plane with a totally different destination, the war
in Vietnam. Jerry was to spend 368 days as an infantryman with the 101st
Airborne Division in Northern I Corps. When Jerry came home, the war was finally over for
both of them, and for nine years the word "Vietnam" was never
spoken.
Then in 1979, the Straits, along
with the rest of the world, found out about something known as Agent Orange. And
another war started for both of them. At last they had an answer to the questions
they had about why their younger daughter, Lori, had been born with
a severe birth defect. They soon learned that Lori was one of thousands of such
children, born to Vietnam veterans who had been exposed to the chemical defoliant known as
Agent Orange, used extensively throughout Vietnam during the war. They also learned of the
myriad of health problems experienced by the veterans themselves. Since that time, they
have served in various capacities, on their own and with such organizations as
Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program and Vietnam Vets Reunited, as advocates for Agent
Orange victims and Vietnam veterans in general. The Strait family story is told in chapter
four of the book Waiting for an Army to Die: The Tragedy of Agent Orange by Fred
Wilcox.
In 1983
(after visiting The Wall in Washington, D.C.) they started writing their first book, Vietnam
War Memorials, to honor all who had felt the pain of the war, and to try to help
heal the wounds it had left. In 1988, this book was published, listing nearly 400
memorials in each state in the country, with over 140 photos. This had been a family
project with their daughters, Heather and Lori.
Soon after this book
came out, Sandy began work on a book with another teacher, Linda Calvin, titled What
Was It Like In Vietnam? This book was released in 1995, and gave the answers
several veterans had to over 100 questions high school students asked about the war. Sandy
is now continuing on her own with a series of similar books, ranging from World War II
through the Gulf War.
What Was It Like In Desert Storm? (Released in 1998)
What Was It Like In Vietnam? (Released in 1995)
What Was It Like In Korea? (Due out Winter, 1998)
What Happened to American POWs in Korea? (Released May, 1997)
What Was It Like In World War II, The Pacific Theater? (Due
Summer, 1999)
What Was It Like In World War II, The European Theater? (Due
Spring, 1999)
What Was It Like In World War II, The Home Front? (Due Fall,
1999)
VETWRITER
On the day the rest of the world
watched the astronauts land on the moon (July 20, 1969) Sandy Strait watched as her
husband boarded a plane with a totally different destination, the war
in Vietnam. Jerry was to spend 368 days as an infantryman with the 101st
Airborne Division in Northern I Corps. When Jerry came home, the war was finally over for
both of them, and for nine years the word "Vietnam" was never
spoken. 
Then in 1979, the Straits, along
with the rest of the world, found out about something known as Agent Orange. And
another war started for both of them. At last they had an answer to the questions
they had about why their younger daughter, Lori, had been born with
a severe birth defect. They soon learned that Lori was one of thousands of such
children, born to Vietnam veterans who had been exposed to the chemical defoliant known as
Agent Orange, used extensively throughout Vietnam during the war. They also learned of the
myriad of health problems experienced by the veterans themselves. Since that time, they
have served in various capacities, on their own and with such organizations as
Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program and Vietnam Vets Reunited, as advocates for Agent
Orange victims and Vietnam veterans in general. The Strait family story is told in chapter
four of the book Waiting for an Army to Die: The Tragedy of Agent Orange by Fred
Wilcox. 
In 1983
(after visiting The Wall in Washington, D.C.) they started writing their first book, Vietnam
War Memorials, to honor all who had felt the pain of the war, and to try to help
heal the wounds it had left. In 1988, this book was published, listing nearly 400
memorials in each state in the country, with over 140 photos. This had been a family
project with their daughters, Heather and Lori. 
Soon after this book
came out, Sandy began work on a book with another teacher, Linda Calvin, titled What
Was It Like In Vietnam? This book was released in 1995, and gave the answers
several veterans had to over 100 questions high school students asked about the war. Sandy
is now continuing on her own with a series of similar books, ranging from World War II
through the Gulf War.