About the Book:
Semper Cool is the wrenching, sometimes hilarious and always thought-provoking true story of well-off Long Island teenager who enlists in the U.S. Marine Corps seeking adventure and his father’s approval and finds both, plus more danger than he ever could have imagined.
Barry Fixler gets molded into a Marine at Parris Island and sent to Vietnam, where he is assigned to a company that would soon etch its place in Marine Corps lore. Fixler’s Echo Company defends a hill at Khe Sanh against overwhelming enemy numbers in a 77-day battle that is considered one of the greatest military victories in the history of modern warfare.
With its vivid imagery, Semper Cool thrusts the reader into a “grunt’s-eye view” of the blood, guts, tears and laughter of war, as told by a Marine who returned home a man and a patriot. Be prepared to laugh and cry for the men and women willing to risk their lives for the freedoms that so many Americans enjoy.
Barry Fixler is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968 and fought on Hill 861-A during the legendary Siege of Khe Sanh.
After receiving an honorable discharge from the Marine Corps in 1973, Fixler used the G.I. Bill to finance his undergraduate degree from theGemological Institute of America and joined his father in the jewelry business. Today he lives with his wife Linda in Bardonia, N.Y., where he ownsBarry’s Estate Jewelry.
On Valentine’s Day 2005, Fixler fatally shot one of two gunmen who attempted to rob his jewelry store. The shootout was captured by a surveillance camera and made into a mini-documentary for Most Shocking Videos, and it continues to run on TruTV. A clip of the surveillance video with narration by Barry is also popular on YouTube.
Barry has long been aware of his good fortune and has made a quiet point of sharing it. Barry has aided numerous wounded Marines and soldiers, to whom his loyalties are obvious, but also has helped people who have had no connections to the military.
In 2009, in recognition of his good citizenship and humanitarian efforts, Rockland County legislators officially proclaimed November 8, 2009 as Barry Fixler Day. Barry also was named 2009 Veteran of the Year by the Rockland County Veterans Coordinating Council.
Barry is donating all of his proceeds from Semper Cool to physically wounded combat veterans and the families of our fallen troops.
To find out more about Barry, please visit his blog here.
