Dennis Pregent

“When I think about Vietnam, I vividly remember watching the evacuation of our Embassy in 1975 and thinking what a tragedy. The tremendous loss of life, sacrifices and suffering and South Vietnam was still lost to Communism.

“A lot of these emotions resurfaced when I was writing my book, The Boys of St. Joe’s ’65 in the Vietnam War. The book features eleven classmates from two small towns who joined the Army, Navy and Marines and fought in Vietnam during the wars most ferocious years. One dead, another paralyzed, others wounded, and most suffer from debilitating wounds fifty years later”.

Senator Bob Dole said: “if you haven’t thanked a Vietnam Veteran for his or her service, you’ll want to do so after reading this book…”

The Boys of St. Joe’s ’65 in the Vietnam War
Eleven high school friends in idyllic North Adams, Massachusetts, enlisted to serve in Vietnam, and one stayed behind to protest the war. All were from patriotic, working-class families, all members of the class of 1965 at Saint Joseph’s School. Dennis Pregent was one of them. He and his classmates joined up–most right out of school, some before graduating–and endured the war’s most vicious years. Seven served in the Army, three in the Marine Corps, and one in the Navy. After fighting in a faraway place, they saw the trajectories of their lives dramatically altered. One died in combat, another became paralyzed, and several still suffer from debilitating conditions five decades later. Inspired by his 50th high school reunion, Pregent located his classmates, rekindled friendships, and–together, over hours of interviews–they remembered the war years.