Art Grau

We Gotta Get Out of This Place Art Grau

Working for $1.50 an hour in the design department of an embroidered emblem manufacturing company didn't hold much allure for nineteen-year-old Art Grau, so the letter from the US government caught his eye. He, the letter announced, could enjoy an exciting career in the military.



Enlisting to serve in the Army Security Agency, Art studied intelligence gathering and was assigned to Germany. Two years and one impulsive decision later, he was in Vietnam.



Landing in 'Nam at the start of the Tet Offensive, Art flew recon missions with the First Air Cav. He watched friends die, struggled to survive, and found that his penchant to get into ridiculous situations didn't diminish because he was in a war zone. Then he came home.



Home wasn't the same place he left. Vietnam veterans were treated with suspicion and contempt. Like many veterans, Art chose to hide his service from the world, along with the nightmares and panic attacks he brought back from the war.



We Gotta Get Outta This Place is Art's tale-a tale not just of war but also of the challenges of returning home. It's taken him fifty years to tell his story. He deserves to be heard.