Jerzy Zarzycki of Keansburg, N.J., trained as a U.S. Army Military Policeman, served from October 1968 through October 1969 as a security guard and as the bunker commander at U.S. Army [Ammunition] Depot Long Binh, not far from Saigon, South Vietnam. While commended for honorable service by his country’s government, when he returned “to the world” from his 13-month tour of duty in Vietnam he encountered a shockingly different opinion about his service by many of his country’s citizens. Thirteen Months, Thirteen Stories, One Tour is a collection of fictional short stories and actual memoirs from Zarzycki’s tour as a soldier in Vietnam. Many of his stories depict the classic human struggle to maintain dignity and honor in a world that increasingly rejects those qualities, and he wrestles with the question of manhood, not only on the battlefield, but in everyday life.

An adjunct lecturer in many colleges on history and anthropology, Zarzycki has had to balance his life between periods of life threatening illnesses and a relentless drive to obtain an education. He claims he has not truly realized that goal but credits this experience for providing a mountain of material to draw upon for his writings. In a style that mimics his war experience, he lulls the reader into periods of relaxation and reverie, then shocks them back into reality with raw language and catastrophic events.

Lecture attendees are asked to RSVP to (732) 335-0033. A donation of $5 per person is suggested. The Vietnam Era Educational Center is located adjacent to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial off the Garden State Parkway at exit 116. The Memorial and Educational Center are maintained through a partnership between the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation and the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The Educational Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Regular admission is free for veterans and active-duty military personnel. Regular adult admission is $4; student and senior citizen admission is $2; and children under 10 are admitted free.