[Here’s a little known fact about me … I am an honorary member of the Mount Saint Joseph Class of 1964. That’s why I happened to be in Rutland, Vermont recently when the class celebrated their collective 80th birthday (although, truth be told, I am WAY-Y-Y-Y younger). One of my “classmates” is Mark Treanor. Here’s a little about him:
A Naval Academy graduate, Mark was a Marine rifle platoon leader in Vietnam, an artillery battery commander, and leadership instructor who later served on the boards of the National Defense University and the Naval Academy. A lawyer, corporate executive, and leadership coach, he has participated in national security fact-finding missions in Iraq, Yemen, Africa, and the Caucasus.
Here’s what he looks like, although in person, he’s much friendlier looking:
Mark is also a writer, and his first novel opened quite a few eyes, including mine:
Mark Treanor’s first novel, A Quiet Cadence, the story of a young Marine in combat and dealing with its aftermath over the years since his war, won the 2021 William E. Colby Award as best solo work of fiction or nonfiction to make a major contribution to military history, intelligence operations or international affairs, and the American Library Association’s W. Y. Boyd award for the best military fiction of 2020, and has been enthusiastically endorsed by former Secretary of Defense Gen. Jim Mattis, USMC (Ret.), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, USN (Ret.), CENTCOM Commander Gen. David Petraeus, USA (Ret.), NATO Supreme Allied Commander Adm. James Stavridis, USN (Ret), Commandant of Marines Gen. Mike Hagee, USMC (Ret.), and author Karl Marlantes, among others.
Whew! Quite a roster of endorsements!
What I didn’t know, until last Saturday, is that Mark is also a gung-ho Silverback, operating out of Jungle outposts in Quechee, Vermont and Maryland! Welcome to The Jungle, Mark!
The Vietnam War is a subject most of us want to forget. Today, war seems like an advanced video games with missiles blasting drones, not head-to-head, flesh and blood combat. A Quiet Cadence makes theworld of real war all too vivid. Moreover, in the second half of the book he explores the other part of our national shame, our national failure to deal with the human aftermath of the political fiasco. It’s still a subject that we do our best to avoid.
Both Silverbelle Sandy and I read this book. It is a tough slog, because the world that author Treanor creates is so vivid and terrifying. Equally impressive, however depressing, is the world the narrator returns home to. You won’t be uplifted by the experience, but your understanding of the world and the human condition will be enriched. Listen to what some readers have to say:
Exquisite: A Quiet Cadence
This story engages the reader from the first sentence. It feels like you are there with the characters. It is so true to history and the emotions it elicits are real. I felt like my high school boyfriend, who was killed there in 1968, was sitting and reading along with me. The most exquisitely written piece was the visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in DC. Enjoy!
— reader review
I will never know firsthand what my uncle experienced in Vietnam and afterwards. But thanks to Mark Treanor, I and the American public have a realistic account that can give us clues as to the horrors my uncle, Mark, and so many other American service members in Vietnam experienced. And why they still deserve our respect, understanding, and gratitude so many years later.
— reader review
Well done, Captain. It was worth the 40-year wait.
The author makes you feel as though you are with the soldiers as they enter possibly hostile villages, ford rice paddies in the field and courageously pick their way through minefields, sharing a battle perspective that only war veterans have experienced. We follow the main character as he adjusts to life after his tour of duty and faces the trauma that Vietnam vets endured at home. What the author manages to do is to make the anguish personal, believable and heartbreakingly sad.
— reader review
Mark Treanor does an excellent job of building his characters so that the reader truly feels the depth of each individual. A Quiet Cadence provides a great insight into the Viet Nam experience.
— reader review
It is a book that is difficult to put down and will move you to tears as you turn the pages. You will feel the emotional and spiritual struggles that Marty McClure has to contend with as he endures the horrific struggles of losing his buddies. You will feel his slide from his happy carefree teenage years to his too early and heavily weighted adulthood.
Welcome to The Jungle, Silverback Mark. I trust you will find this a more hospitable place than the jungle you were sent to those many years ago.
Just ordered a copy from Amazon which only had 4 in stock, so now 3, and probably none in a few hours due to your blog. Makes me wonder how often your blogs can cause one of the largest companies in the world to sell out of product? Your calls from the jungle might be more powerful than you realized
I’ll be surprised if you don’t like this book. It’s vvery powerful.
Another powerful testament and addition to “when will they/we ever learn?”
Looks like the answer is “Not in our lifetimes.” Unfortunately.