At the Mercy of Chance (Breadalbane Publishing, July 2024) is an autobiography that chronicles a young man’s journey from humble beginnings in small-town Illinois to combat duty in Vietnam. The author, Larry Crane of Southport, graduated from the United States Military Academy, completed Airborne and Ranger training at Fort Benning, served three years in the infantry in Germany, and commanded a basic training company at Fort Knox before becoming chief advisor to the 23rd Vietnamese Ranger Battalion fighting in the Central Highlands. Crane’s military service is an eye-opening look into the harsh reality of a young officer’s active duty experience overseas, and shows how the sacrifices involved changed his life and marriage.
Crane’s immersion in the culture of the United States Military Academy multiplied the expectations his father unwittingly placed on him and complicated his struggle to find his personal purpose in life. Through this account, the full meaning and relevance of West Point’s soaring motto, “Duty, Honor, Country,” is put to the test and tried. This lucid narrative depicts the selflessness a soldier must perform in service to the nation while exploring the often confusing ambiguity faced by those implementing a “ground war” foreign policy. Crane’s own true account answers the question of how much is really required of a soldier in war.
Larry Crane is available for interviews, questions and answers, and bylined articles and can speak/write on the following topics, among others:
- The author’s writing process, what inspires him and why he wrote the book
- How the author was inspired by his own training and active service in the Vietnam War
- How this story highlights the realistic challenges and struggles of life in America during and after the Vietnam War
- The enormous pressure a soldier feels to give everything for his country and the cause of the Vietnam War
Larry graduated from West Point in 1962 and served in the Army for six and a half years. He commuted to Wall Street from his home in New Jersey and retired from JP Morgan Chase in 1992. Much of his early writing was done by train, writing articles for outdoor magazines, plays, and short stories. His full-length play, Baghdad on the Wabash, was named the best play in Maine in the Portland Stage Company’s Clauder Competition in 2006. His other works include his debut thriller, A Bridge to Treachery: From Extortion to Terror, a mystery/true crime novel, Missing Girls, In Truth Is Justice, a coming-of-age memoir, Up From Adams Street, an anthology of short stories, Baghdad on the Wabash and Other Plays and Stories, and this memoir, At The Mercy of Chance: A Pensive Warrior’s Field Notes from West Point to Kon Tum.
Larry lives in splendid isolation on Southport Island.
For more information and to contact the author, visit www.mainelarrycrane.com.
