Teacher Feature: Dr. James Kirschke
Kerry Lester
Issue date: 2/7/03 Section: Features
Some prefer to put the Vietnam War in the back of their minds, to view it as an event in a faraway place and time. The Villanova community, however, has a constant reminder that Vietnam was a life-changing occurrence.
A beloved English professor since 1977, Dr. James Kirschke was injured in that controversial war when a blast left him in a wheelchair for the past 35 years.
Kirschke not only lived to tell about his experiences, but also published them in an autobiography entitled "Not Going Home Alone," which hit bookstores in August 2001 and is now selling tens of thousands of copies.
Written more than 20 years ago, Kirschke first thought the book could be accepted and published immediately. However, he soon learned otherwise: "A lot of the world is timing," Kirschke said. "When I finished the first draft, people were saying Vietnam books didn't sell -- part of the reason was because many of them were not well-written.
In the end I needed contacts, which my company commander provided. He told me I should write a book about my experiences. After I did, I sent him a copy and he got the ball rolling."
"Not Going Home Alone" follows Kirschke's experience as a lieutenant of the Third Platoon Hotel Company, Second Battalion, Fifth Marines. He was in charge of about 30 men stationed in the An Hoa region of Vietnam.
Medic Gerry Holub was injured on the same day as Kirschke. "[Kirschke] is a great guy," Holub said. "While stationed in Vietnam, he was always very clear and to the point. He believed in and was very committed to what we were doing."
Kirschke explained that he's had a lot of contact with other Marines since the book was published. "Most of sales have come from word of mouth and people going into bookstores and seeing it," he said. "I have some amazing stories of some of the Marines from my platoon just going into an airport and seeing the book on display in a kiosk. I hear of something new every day."
A beloved English professor since 1977, Dr. James Kirschke was injured in that controversial war when a blast left him in a wheelchair for the past 35 years.
Kirschke not only lived to tell about his experiences, but also published them in an autobiography entitled "Not Going Home Alone," which hit bookstores in August 2001 and is now selling tens of thousands of copies.
Written more than 20 years ago, Kirschke first thought the book could be accepted and published immediately. However, he soon learned otherwise: "A lot of the world is timing," Kirschke said. "When I finished the first draft, people were saying Vietnam books didn't sell -- part of the reason was because many of them were not well-written.
In the end I needed contacts, which my company commander provided. He told me I should write a book about my experiences. After I did, I sent him a copy and he got the ball rolling."
"Not Going Home Alone" follows Kirschke's experience as a lieutenant of the Third Platoon Hotel Company, Second Battalion, Fifth Marines. He was in charge of about 30 men stationed in the An Hoa region of Vietnam.
Medic Gerry Holub was injured on the same day as Kirschke. "[Kirschke] is a great guy," Holub said. "While stationed in Vietnam, he was always very clear and to the point. He believed in and was very committed to what we were doing."
Kirschke explained that he's had a lot of contact with other Marines since the book was published. "Most of sales have come from word of mouth and people going into bookstores and seeing it," he said. "I have some amazing stories of some of the Marines from my platoon just going into an airport and seeing the book on display in a kiosk. I hear of something new every day."
