One fateful day, Lucia Viti stumbled upon an ancient Harry & David fruit box while cleaning the attic. The box was filled with Vietnam memorabilia—the remnants of her father’s tour of duty in 1967 as a Battalion Surgeon in An Hoa. Lucia became obsessed with a need to reconnect with the memories of her father and spent four years traveling across America, gathering stories from the Marines of the Second Battalion Fifth Marine Regiment, First Marine Division who served alongside her father.This quest to learn about a Dr. Tom she never knew turned into a unique journey of discovery through the eyes of a very special brotherhood of young men. A journey that weaves the Marine esprit de corps with the horrors and humor of war with a first-hand, no-holds-barred perspective on combat life in Vietnam in 1967.
Lucia Vitiwas born in Brooklyn and bred in the Bronx, NY and has a B.S. in Journalism from the University of West Virginia. She spent over twenty years in New York as both a copywriter and program director in marketing, advertising, and public relations in the health and wellness profession. In 1999, she moved to San Diego to pursue a career in publishing. Ms. Viti has worked as a certified fitness professional in group exercise and personal training for thirty years and continues to write for health and wellness trade journals and publications.