One More Wake-up

About the Book

This material was written by a former Shake'n'Bake, instant NCO who survived a year in the jungles of central Vietnam on search and destroy missions with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. It pays tribute to the soldiers he served with and expresses his feelings of responsibility for his men. It also lays bare his realization of the fine line between rational leadership, irrational killing, and young men conquering their daily fears in the elements knowing if they are exposed long enough to the enemy they are challenging the odds of survival. Through a potpourri of combat yarns, he gives extraordinary glimpses of the chancy and hard life of the airborne grunt that actually did the fighting. Included in One More Wake-Up, are stories about life after Vietnam where as a veteran remembering the past he copes with the present.

About the Author

Born in 1944, Charlie Sharps grew up in Belmont, New Hampshire, one of seven children. Dropping out of Brigham Young University in the spring of 1967, Charlie lost his student deferment and enlisted into the Army in April of 1967. He attended basic infantry training at Ft. Bliss, Texas where he was awarded the American Spirit of Honor Medal as the outstanding graduate of his brigade. His next assignments were to Ft. Gordon, Georgia for Advanced Infantry Training, Airborne Training at Ft. Benning and to the newly organized Non-Commissioned Officers course where he earned the rank of Staff Sergeant. (E6).

Having learned the skills to survive in Vietnam, he was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade and served with them from April 1968 to April 1969 as a squad leader, platoon sergeant and acting platoon leader. As a military leader he earned the respect of his men and received an Air Medal for many helicopter assaults as well as the Bronze Star for valor and became a hardened combat veteran.

Upon termination from the Army in June of 1970, Charlie returned to Brigham Young University and received his under graduate degree in the summer of 1970. He later received his Masters and Ph.D. from the University of Oregon. One More Wake-Up takes you through some of his experiences, thoughts and emotions as he searched for the elusive enemy in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

Today, as a retired school administrator he still resides on the south coast of Oregon with his wife Susan of thirty-eight years. They have two sons John and Joe to whom his book is dedicated.