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MILITARY
BOOKS
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Jon Hovde
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Jon Hovde, USA “lost his
life twice in Vietnam in 1968. When the armored personnel carrier he was driving hit an antitank mine, the first medic to
reach him couldn’t detect a pulse in his left wrist and told the squad leader Hovde was dead. But Hovde’s arm--which
was still in his sleeve--had been severed in the blast along with his left leg. When the squad leader saw him move moments
later, Hovde was rushed to a field hospital by helicopter. No one expected him to survive. A few days later, doctors operated
to try to stop an infection that had raised Hovde’s body temperature to 108. During the surgery his heart stopped and
he was declared dead a second time. Then suddenly, his heart started beating again.” Jon Hovde is
the co-author of Left for Dead: A Second Life after Vietnam.
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According to the book description of
Left for Dead: A Second Life after Vietnam, “Jon Hovde's journey begins with despair and the struggle
to stay alive and ends with hope and the inspiration to live. As a twenty-year-old soldier in Vietnam, Hovde lost an arm and
a leg when the armored personnel carrier he was driving hit an antitank mine. He was nearly left for dead when the medic at
the scene accidentally took his pulse in the arm that had been severed. For weeks, doctors gave Hovde very little chance of
survival. When Hovde finally returned home, the transition was not easy. He used alcohol and fast cars to cope with both the
physical pain of his injuries and the emotional pain caused by uneasy stares from his friends and neighbors. The straightforward
words of a highway patrolman finally opened his eyes to his reckless behavior: "Why would a guy like you, who's survived
all you survived, want to come back and kill yourself on our highway?" Hovde went on to marry his high school sweetheart,
realize a successful business career, and become a leader of city and state school boards. In 1998, Hovde's war story found
some closure when he successfully tracked down and was reunited with the nurse who had helped save his life. He was finally
able to thank her. Left for Dead is a gripping memoir that not only recounts Hovde's remarkable recovery from his injuries,
but recognizes the efforts of the people who aided him - including the courageous medic who rescued him, a caring army nurse,
and army chaplains. Far more than just another tale of combat, Left for Dead will stir emotions in veterans, the families
of veterans, and civilians alike. Hovde's lack of bitterness and abundance of hope is a source of inspiration to anyone overcoming
obstacles.”
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