Bill Sheehan has led a fascinating career, working in film and television in New York and Hollywood since 1978. He worked on the film crews for movies like Steven Seagal’s 1990 action hit, “Hard to Kill” and 1984’s “Romancing the Stone.” Sheehan is most proud of his years working for actor-director Michael Landon, in which he not only served on the crew for television staples like “Highway to Heaven” but also often as the first aid medic.
Sheehan’s Vietnam Memories in Together We Served
First aid might be an unusual skill for your average cinematographer, but not for Bill Sheehan. Before his turn on movie and TV sets, he was a Navy hospital Corpsman, and he had Marines to take care of. Between 1968 and 1969, he was a combat Corpsman with 1st Battalion, 1st Marines.
After leaving the Republic of Vietnam, Sheehan has said he tried to forget his experiences there. He eventually re-examined his reasoning, deciding not only to revisit his time in the jungles, but also asking other Corpsmen to revisit their own. The result is “Together We Served,” and it’s a book worth taking a look at.
His 2022 book, “Together We Served: Stories from Combat Navy Hospital Corpsmen Serving in the Vietnam Jungles,” is a “gut-wrenching” collection of stories from Navy Corpsmen who served with Marines on the ground in Vietnam, according to the Military Writers Society of America. It’s not hard to imagine why. The bonds that form between men in combat can only be strengthened where their “Doc” is concerned.
Why Brotherhood Matters in Together We Served
Sheehan thanked Together We Served (the website you’re currently reading) for allowing him to use the title for his book, but more importantly he testified to the importance of revisiting his old friends, colleagues, and memories.
“Thanks to this website, I have been fortunate to reunite with several comrades from my time in the service,” he wrote. “I believe we are all more alike than you can imagine, and through this website, you will discover that. It has served me well, and I will continue to support it in the future.
According to the book’s synopsis, these true stories are a reminder of the consequences of “a war that has initiated PTS, various cancers and emotional trauma that they still battle.” But that quick description doesn’t really feel like it’s doing justice to the deeply personal revelations contained within. Some of the personal tales are difficult to forget for the reader. It’s hard to imagine what the years in between held for the Corpsmen who lived these stories. That realness, that rawness, is part of what makes the book so unforgettable.
How Healing Emerges Through Together We Served
Retelling potentially traumatic events allows for healing by reframing the experience, integrating fragmented memories, and processing the emotional and physical pain in a safe and supported way. Just ask anyone who’s ever shared their story, wrote a book about their experiences, or even just revisited the past in a thought exercise.
For Bill Sheehan and the other Corpsmen who wrote down their stories, we hope it was a healing experience, because the stories are riveting and connect even those who weren’t yet born with the people who lived those experiences.
Readers can download a copy on Amazon Kindle Unlimited for free, or they can (and should) order it in paperback for $20. It currently enjoys a 4.5 star rating.
Read About Other Book Reviews
If you enjoyed reading the review of ‘Together We Served by Bill Sheehan’, we invite you to read about other military book reviews on our blog. You will also find profiles in courage, veterans’ service reflections, famous military units and more on the TogetherWeServed.com blog. If you are a veteran, find your military buddies, view historic boot camp photos, build a printable military service plaque, and more on TogetherWeServed.com today.
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