Dr. O'Brien

I don’t even know what I should say about Dr. O’Brien and his lecture. This is the first time I have heard someone speak of their combat in Vietnam in person. His stories were interesting, challenging, disturbing, and inspiring all at the same time. I have never experienced someone speaking so candidly of their experience of war and it was eye-opening. In regards to the novel, Going After Cacciato, Dr. O’Brien helped by validating that O’Brien new what he was talking about. Dr. O’Brien then shared some personal stories that could have come right out of O’Brien’s work, further verifying it. What I found most inspiring was what Dr. O’Brien said about God. Often I am not a big fan of people saying things such as, “I don’t need drugs or alcohol, I’ve got something better,” in regards to their Christianity. Often times these statements come off as very cheesy and usually do not have any experience behind them, but when Dr. O’Brien said it he meant it and certainly put it to the test. He told us that he genuinely looked to God in his times of fear, and that it worked. The fact that Dr. O’Brien was not on a missionary trip, quite the contrary, he was in one of the most trying situations a person can be in and he was able to hold to his faith was very inspiring as well as affirming.