He was only 19 with Permission to Kill

Stealing a flag from behind enemy lines was a great point scorer in psychological warfare during the Vietnam conflict and Brian Wizard stole many of the red, blue, and yellow Viet Cong flags.

Brian - who lives at Cullen Bullen near Lithgow - has written, typeset, bound published and distributed his book "Permission to Kill" which is a personal account of the war he fought when he was 19 and fresh out of high school.

As a door-gunner he hunted the enemy from a helicopter with the blasting sound of Jimmy Hendrix and Janis Joplin in his ears.

It was exciting. It was an extension of the cowboy and Indians games he played as a child at his home in Massachusetts where he pulled the trigger and his buddies fell down. The Viet Cong did the same.

Permission To Kill is the first in a two part series about the character Willie Maykett and his thrills and traumas in Vietnam. The second part, yet to be written, will describe Willie's rehabilitation.

The book is completely handmade and costs $14 - a percentage of which goes to the Vietnam Veterans' Association. If interested, Brian can be contacted c/- the Cullen Bullen Post Office, 2790.