Vietnam veteran and author speaks at library

A Vietnam veteran, businessman and civic leader, and author Odon Bacque, Jr., of Lafayette, was a library guest Thursday evening. Bacque recently published an e-book “A Walk in the Park: A Vietnam Comedy.”
Bacque told the small group of his war, which included comic experiences and situations he encountered in the military as a Special Forces soldier during the Vietnam War.
Bacque said, “So for me, my experience in Vietnam was not a horror story; it was a great development experience. What I did, what I experienced, and what I learned was very important in helping me become who I was.” Bacque claims his poor eyesight spared him from combat.
Bacque wrote his book after 43 years of his return, recollecting each “comedic” experience by numerous letters written to his wife Carola “Cookie. “I chose only to write good and funny things to Cookie.”
Bacque added, “Every veteran has his or her own story; this is mine. I was lucky, and it is now, through my thoughts, self-reflection, that I can see how truly lucky I was. And even though I was not a hero, I knew many, and hold them in the deepest respect. My story is not meant to diminish what they did, only to tell what I experienced.”
Bacque’s e-book can be purchased through Amazon, $2.99
Bacque graduated from LSU in 1968 with a degree in history. Upon graduation, he entered the Army where he attended Infantry Officer Candidate School, Airborne, and Special Forces Officer courses and served in Vietnam with the 5th Special Forces Group, the Green Berets.
In 1970, he returned to Lafayette, his home, and started a life insurance career. He has been active in civic affairs, heading up numerous organizations.
In 1982, he served as President of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce.
In 1983, he received the Distinguished Service Award given annually by the Lafayette Jaycees, and he organized a Vietnam Veterans group in Lafayette.
Bacque served as State Representative for District 43 from 1987 through 1991, and considers himself to be a “recovering” politician.