“For No Good Reason,” a novel from decorated combat veteran Steve Banko, is the latest release from No Frills Buffalo publishing.
Banko served 16 months in combat in Vietnam where he was wounded six times. His awards for heroism included the Silver Star, the nation’s third highest decoration for valor, and four Purple Hearts. He has spent more than two decades as a speechwriter and professional communicator and has also spoken to audiences across the country on the issues of war and peace. His nonfiction work has been included in several anthologies and periodicals. “For No Good Reason” is his first novel.
Banko’s speech focusing on post-traumatic stress among combat veterans received the Grand Prize Award from the Cicero Foundation for the best speech of 2010. He currently resides with his wife, Shirley, in South Buffalo and North Ft. Myers, Fla.
“For No Good Reason” is set in the 1960s, a time when simple mistakes could have grave consequences. Josh Duffy makes one such mistake and pays an incredible price. One unfortunate encounter with the nuances of the higher education realities of that time and he finds himself thrust into an alien world of blood, death and fire. It is an upside down world where the usual mores don’t function. It is a world where killing is celebrated and compassion scorned. It is a world that Duffy must adapt to if he wishes to survive. Follow him as he struggles with the enemy, with his leaders, and with conscience as he evolves from reluctant soldier to efficient killer to a committed leader.
If you ever wonder why soldiers come back from combat forever changed and irreversibly damaged … if you wonder what causes this post-traumatic disorder we hear so much about … if you lived in the sixties and walked the razor’s edge of conscription, you will want to read this book. It is the journey from sanity to the depths of madness and on to a path toward redemption. It is a soldier’s story told by an award-winning writer who has spoken on issues of war and peace across this country.
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