WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM FROM HELL

Weight wasn’t an issue those first three months at the French fort. I held my stateside 180 pounds easy, helped along by frequent runs to the Tay Ninh Base Camp PX for junk food.

Then I got assigned to Nui Ba Den, and the weight came off fast. The boulders and the grade burned calories faster than I could replace them.

My projects never stopped. I walked the perimeter three times a day minimum, on three to five hours of sleep a night — not enough to recharge anything. I was always hungry. Even the junk food my family mailed monthly didn’t help. I just kept tightening my belt.

The top photo is me arriving in Vietnam, at my prime. Nine months later, on Nui Ba Den, I was down to 155 pounds.