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About

John Podlaski (1951 - ) was raised in Detroit, Michigan and attended St. Charles and St. Thomas Apostle catholic schools until graduating in 1969. Immediately afterwards, John started to work for one of the automotive parts suppliers in the area and attended junior college full-time in the fall. During the next four months, John found himself overwhelmed by trying to jumble both work and school. At the end of the semester, John chose income over education and dropped out of school. This turned out to be a huge error as he had a school deferment which protected him from the military draft. Uncle Sam wasted no time and Mr. Podlaski soon found himself in the Army before the end of February, 1970. After a few months of training, John was sent to Vietnam in August and was assigned to the infantry; spending time with both the Wolfhounds of the 25th Division and the 1/501st of the 101st Airborne Division. During his tour of duty, John was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star, two Air Medals, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and a few other campaign medals for serving in the theatre. Back in the states, Mr. Podlaski spent four months in Fort Hood, Texas before until his discharge in December, 1971.

The author returned to his former position with the automotive supplier and was promoted to supervisor shortly afterwards. A few months later, he met Janice Jo and they were married in 1973. They purchased a home in Sterling Heights, MI and still live there to this day. A daughter, Nicole Ann was born in 1979. During this same period of time, John used funds from the GI Bill and returned to college on a part time basis; graduating four years later with an Associate Degree in Applied Science.

In 1980, John started to work on a memoir about his experiences in Vietnam. While there, he had carried a diary, and his mother saved all the letters that he had written to her from the war zone - these were used to build an outline. He toiled on a manual typewriter for four years before finally completing his work. Meanwhile, Mr. Podlaski had joined the newly formed Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 154 and helped to launch their inaugural Color Guard, which marched in parades and posted colors for many local events. The members of the chapter were a very closely knit group and felt left out in many of the of the discussions about Vietnam. When they learned that John had authored a book, the wives had asked to read it to better understand what their husbands had endured during their time in Vietnam. It was very well received and all the wives said they felt closer to their spouse after reading the manuscript. The group was very supportive and urged him to find a publisher. After many rejections, a publisher was located in Atlanta, who offered to consider the book if it were re-written in a third-person.

Atari had just come out with a new computer console and word processor that made the re-write and editing much easier; his work could now be saved on floppy diskettes. The re-write continued until 1989. John had completed half of the manuscript and lost interest in working on it any longer - it had been a long ten years already. So everything was boxed up and stored in the garage.

Mr. Podlaski continued to work in the automotive sector, primarily in Plant Management positions and claims that he will retire in three more years. John had returned to college eight years ago, and received a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration four years later.

Last year, at his 40th high school reunion, many of his former classmates had asked him about his Vietnam book. John had forgotten that he had offered a copy of his manuscript for others to read and comment on twenty years earlier. Unbeknown to him, many of them had already read the book and urged him to pull it out of storage and continue his work.

Converting the diskettes to Microsoft Word was cost prohibitive; John's daughter offered to retype the entire manuscript and then saved the document on a memory stick. Fourteen months later, the book is finally finished and published. It took almost thirty years to finish, but seeing it now in print makes it all worth it.

The author and his wife own a 1997 Harley Davidson Heritage motorcycle and enjoy riding when possible; both are members of the Great Lakes Chapter of the Harley Owner Group.

Description

Do angels, ghosts and demons really exist, or are they a figment of our over active imagination? Can ghosts, demons and spirits harm you? If you don't believe in them they can't bother you right? How can you protect yourself against the paranormal? Do we live once and it's all over or do we come back time and again to live new lives? In this book, you will gain information about the paranormal from a psychic-mediums perspective. As a psychic medium I have gathered a lot of information about the other side. The book covers over more than 40 years of paranormal related information interspersed with my own personal paranormal encounters. Anyone who is interested in the paranormal including ghosts, demons, orbs and hauntings will enjoy the many topics covered in this book. Those interested in spiritualism, new age topics and metaphysics will find many of the chapters such as past lives, possession and death and the soul connection. People who are experiencing their own paranormal occurrences such as hauntings and spirit attachments will find help and information to help them. People of all ages, walks of life and many religions will find something of interest in the book. Even those who do not believe in the paranormal will enjoy many of the thought provoking topics covered in this book.

Story Behind The Book

Witnessing the rite of passage that all soldiers make when introduced to war for the first time. These 18 year old soldiers were not ready to absorb the harsh physical, emotional and mental trauma that the conflict eventually take upon these young men. Although the setting for this story is Vietnam, these experiences have occurred to many in other wars. It is an opportunity for the reader to understand why these returning heroes are so much different from how they were before leaving for war.

Reviews

What others are saying about Cherries: “With striking detail and brutal honesty, Cherries is nothing if not compelling. Every bit as gritty and shocking as can be imagined, Cherries: A Vietnam War Novel is a refreshingly honest account of a life few of us would ever choose to live - and, thus, should feel fortunate that we don't have to. A highly recommended read.” - Karynda Lewis, Apex Review “As an avid reader of many historical memoirs, both fiction and autobiographical, rarely have I found one as in depth and revealing as Mr. Podlaski's work...undoubtedly this scene is occurring today with veterans returning from the Middle East. By reading Cherries, you will get the knowledge and feel of what it was like in Vietnam, stories that many memoirs of this war collectively failed to mention! Cherries is a highly recommended read!” -Bernie Weisz, Vietnam War historian “The author is a terrific storyteller. This book flows so well, you will not be able to go to sleep without reading the next chapter. Podlaski has you in the palm of his hand.” -William E. Peterson, Missions of Fire and Mercy “Once I started reading John's Cherries, I could not put it down - intense, provocative, mesmerizing, emotional, and heartfelt. You will feel as if you are right there in the platoon with the grunts as they live through the terrors, the dangers, the trials and tribulations, and sometimes the joys and humor of being at and in war. One `read' will not be enough. You will want to pass through the pages of `Cherries' more than once just to savor the up close and personal story again.” -Jerry Kunnath, author “I could never have written this amazing book. When I told my story, I had to fill it full of the emotion I felt but never expressed in Vietnam. Podlaski, on the other hand, managed to stay true to the original experience by telling his story with little or no emotion. The effect is that Cherries is an excellent primer for students of the Vietnam War that are interested in the grunt experience. The last chapter alone is well worth the price of this book.” -Terry P. Rizzoli, The Second Tour “Podlaski takes readers on a gritty, visceral tour of 'Nam through the eyes and lives of the men who fought the war and who, at any given moment could be thrust into harm’s way. We are right there with his characters on patrol, setting up claymores, walking point, and above all trying to stay alive. This is the day-to-day life story of the men who started out as "cherries" and tried to stay alive.” -Jeffrey Miller, War Remains “I am not a person who generally reads war novels, but I really could not put this book down. I read it twice! The author takes you along on the journey where you get to watch the main character grow from a scared young kid just out of high school into a savvy, skilled leader in the span of a year, and he helps you to understand how it happens.” -Janet Shupe “I just finished reading Cherries. I could so relate to many things in this well written novel. I know what it is like to see so many lose their life. I helped carry them out onto the choppers. My 3rd week over in the "Nam" we were choppered in on helicopters to be a blocking force. Four hours later, we went from 250 or so to only 79. The rest were killed or wounded. It was hard for me to get through this book due to the tears that brought back so many similar episodes.” -Joel Lee Russell, Escaping Death’s Sting

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A Mediums Guide to the Paranormal

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