Roger Nicholas “Nick” Warr

    My name is Roger Nicholas “Nick” Warr. It’s all my mother’s fault. Dorothy named me Roger, but then 
called me Nick(y) from the very beginning. No one knew my name was Roger. I was Nick, period! Until 
my 3rd Grade Teacher, Miss Brokaw, called the roll on the first day of school at Coos River Elementary 
School in 1953. When no one answered after she called “Roger Warr,” there followed a long, very 
pregnant pause. Miss Brokaw called my name again, louder. Nothing, It finally registered that she was 
calling MY name on her third try, so I raised my hand, stood up, and acknowledged my name, and I also 
told her that my name is Nick. “No,” she said, “It’s right here on the roster. Your name is Roger!” 
Needless to say, I was Roger Warr for the rest of 1953.

    So, perhaps you will understand why I decided to join the United States Marine Corps in 1966 at age 
20. I got confused in the third grade, and I was still a little confused. I was a college dropout working 
graveyard shift at Jones Veneer and Plywood in Junction City, Oregon. So, I joined the Marines.

		All the stories of Marine Corps boot Camp are true. Let’s just say that I was no longer confused 
about much of anything. I kept my mouth shut, paid close attention to the Drill Instructors, and made it 
through. My memoir of my time in the Marine Corps and my tour in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) is 
entitled Phase Line Green; The Battle for Hue City, 1968. I’m very proud of that book as well as my 
second, Charlie One Five; A Marine Company’s Vietnam War. Both books can be purchased on Amazon.com or on 
my website at:  PhaseLine Green and Charlie One Five  It is a very exciting experience to write 
a book and see it published, and I’m very proud of that. But even more important to me are the hundreds 
of letters and emails I have received from active-duty Marines, including privates and generals, who were 
deployed in the Middle East in the middle of combat, praising my books and thanking me for saving lives 
on their battlefields. For this old Jarhead and author, it does not get any better than that.

    Fifty-plus years after serving “in the bush,” and after having read and watched virtually every book 
and film about “my” war, I have come to understand that much about the Vietnam War was “screwed up” and 
often American lives were lost unnecessarily primarily due to poor leadership and bad decisions that were 
made by our civilian leaders. Making matters more complicated, the “Anti-War, Anti-American” movements of 
the Sixty’s gained momentum across our nation. However, despite all that the vast majority of those of us 
who chose service over selfishness came out the other end of the cauldron better people, ones who 
appreciated our Nation more than ever.

    Publication of my books have led to many invitations to speak to audiences large and small, of 
veterans and civilians, allowing me to tell my story. All of this has led to my firm resolve to tell the 
stories of those I served with in combat; way-too-many of them are true heroes, those who died for our 
country. Here’s a link to one of those speaking engagements for your viewing pleasure.  This video is a 
little over an hour long. It records one of my speeches that took place a couple of years ago in Atlanta, 
GA, at the monthly meeting of the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association:  Just click on the links 
and enjoy!

Speech