The Funny Thing About War

Publisher: Hellgate Press

Meet Chris Columbo. Twenty-two years old, intelligent, well spoken—once a promising U.S. naval officer candidate. But at college, his plans and dreams are shattered by the woman he deeply loves. Disillusioned about life in general, he falls into an abyss of self-pity, resigns his ROTC scholarship, abandons his studies, drops out and embarks on a downward spiral, eventually hitting rock bottom.

But all is not lost as he receives orders to report for active duty with the U.S. Navy, an organization to which he is contractually bound.  In spite of his recent opposition to the war, desperation forces him to honor the terms of his contract and he soon finds himself aboard the the USS Lawrence, a guided missile destroyer, deployed as an active participant in the Lam Son and Linebacker operations off the coasts of South and North Vietnam.

THE FUNNY THING ABOUT WAR, an historical fiction, provides a sailor’s perspective of the Vietnam War through the exploits of Chris and his shipmates. Sometimes challenging, often humorous, Chris’s experiences will change him forever, leading him to embrace his life and future. Now, if he can just survive his final mission.

Al Campo is a retired mortgage-banking executive of thirty years and Vietnam War Veteran having served aboard the USS Lawrence from 1972 to 1974 as a boatswain mate and operations specialist. Before entering the Navy and starting his career in business he attended the Universities of Missouri and Hofstra. Nowadays when he isn’t tending to his gardens or riding his Harley, he is plying his acquired boatswain mate’s skills tying fishing knots on his boat the Moody Blues along the southern shores of Long Island. THE FUNNY THING ABOUT WAR is his first novel.