May 10: I am coming down the home stretch of my book tour, with eight talks scheduled between today and Memorial Day. The tour has been exciting and memorable for me. I’m offering a glimpse of a period of American history not much written about. Most memoirs on Vietnam focus on the period immediately before and immediately after the 1968 Tet Offensive, when American troop strength was at its peak of more than 500,000.

My book “Heroes to the End” focuses on the end of American involvement during the North Vietnamese Army’s 1972 Easter Offensive. Among my almost 40 speaking engagements at libraries, VFWs and American Legion posts, I’ve only met a handful of men who were in-country when I was. When I left on Aug. 1, 1972, there were only 49,000 troops in South Vietnam. When the Paris Peace Accords were signed five months later, Vietnamization was complete. We had turned the war over to our allies.

Beginning today with my 1:30 p.m. talk to a Molloy College group at the Malverne American Legion post at 240 Franklin Ave., I am dropping the price of my book from $24 to $20. I will continue to donate proceeds to United Veterans Beacon House, a Bay Shore nonprofit that runs 34 homeless shelters for veterans and others. But listen up. This is history. Vietnam stories need to be told and my story is different. And you can’t get it anywhere else. My book is special. You’re getting a deal here and you’ll be benefiting a great organization, doing a good deed for veterans and their families. Two 10s will get you the whole story.

Why did I choose Beacon House? Well, I have been on its Board for five years and now am its chairman. I believe in its mission. Beacon House gives homeless veterans a chance to catch their breath and take advantage of free housing, helps them get the benefits that are due to them and connects them to counseling, medication, schooling and jobs. The ultimate goal is to return these veterans to independent living. Our success rate is 78 percent.

Here’s where I’ll be telling my story next: May 17, 2 p.m., Northport Library, 151 Laurel Ave.; May 17, 7 p.m., Mineola Chamber of Commerce, Piccolo Bussolla restaurant, 159 Jericho Tpke., Mineola; May 19, 2 p.m., Manhasset Library, 30 Onderdonk Ave.; May 20, 11:15 a.m., Temple B’Nai Shalom, 100 Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre; May 21, 11 a.m., Glen Cove Library, 4 Glen Cove Ave.; May 23, 2 p.m., Bethpage Library, 47 Powell Ave.; May 25, 1 p.m., Bryant Library, 2 Papermill Rd., Roslyn.