SITUATION NORMAL

An irreverent military memoir set primarily in Germany during the mid-to-late 1960s.

Nordstrom, a former radio show host, is a gifted storyteller. In this remembrance, he touches on his early life as one of nine children raised in the Bronx, and how he followed in the footsteps of his older brothers who enlisted during the Vietnam War. The Army didn’t send Nordstrom to Southeast Asia, but instead stationed him in Munich, where he spent the duration of his service from 1965 to ’68. As indicated by the title, which is based on the sardonic military acronym SNAFU, this memoir is a “humorous account” of the author’s ’60s experiences. It begins with a discussion of various absurdities that he encountered during basic training, during which sergeants constantly shouted and “decided that one of the best ways to get soldiers ready for combat…was to harass the shit out of them.” However, Nordstrom’s training primarily taught him how to endure standing for hours on flat feet on guard duty. The bulk of the book centers on his experiences in Germany, which he compares to the movie Animal Housein stories that include sex workers, Oktoberfest, motor races, and his own poor attempts at speaking German. The book also includes a humorous interlude relating to his mother’s fierce opposition to his marriage during his service, and his early months of matrimony living off base. Nordstrom is at his best when discussing the idiosyncrasies of military rationale; for instance, while working in the motor pool, he observed how stocking too many spare parts was treated “the same as stealing from another unit.” Overall, it’s a charming collection of anecdotes; however, there’s little discussion of the turmoil of the war or its aftermath. Nordstrom’s wit is comparable to that of the TV series M*A*S*Hor even Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. However, it lacks those works’ most enduring feature—biting social critique.

A lighthearted, cheeky remembrance that largely avoids war’s dark realities.