When Paula Peacock discovered a manuscript from her late father, Clayton Peacock III, it was like a gift she received from him. Now having self-published his historical fictitious account of a solider’s journey in Vietnam, the process has ignited a passion in her to work with veterans.

The youngest of five children, Paula had never heard of her father’s book until she was 13. He was a special forces officer in Vietnam and he wrote the book in the mid-1980s after he had retired from the military. Clayton served two consecutive tours in Vietnam as a captain and also served in Germany and in numerous assignments in the U.S., before retiring as a major from Fort Lewis, Washington.

Clayton passed away in 1994 from what would later be ruled health complications due to exposure to agent orange and injuries sustained during Vietnam.

“I was so excited when I heard about (the book) because I was so young when he wrote it that everybody didn’t think to bring it up again,” said Paula.

The book wasn’t a secret, she said, but it was something that was tucked away for a long time because her father lacked the funds to publish it. Her dad always thought if it was published it would be something that the family could benefit from the proceeds.

The book, “Di-Wee: A story of Vietnam,” is historical fiction based on a lot of events that lead up to the Tet Offensive, a wave of communist attacks on allied forces and the battles that followed during the Vietnam War. It is the story of a young soldier’s journey of struggling with what’s going on back in the U.S., politically with the support of the nation and the war itself.

“Our dad, he was a natural teacher,” said Paula. “He has a way of saying things and explaining things that help a lot of people understand on a bigger level.”

The book is rich with details, which is what Clayton was all about according to his daughters. According to two of his daughters, Paula and Anne Marie, he called himself not a historian, but a “hysterian,” he was so obsessed with details.

“I have learned so much about the Vietnam era and recognize the importance that there is still a lot of understanding and healing to be done from that time in our history,” said Paula. “It’s my passion to create opportunities for other Vietnam veterans, like my father, to have a platform to tell the stories of their personal experiences.”

Paula hopes to create a foundation with the proceeds of the book to help other veterans tell and publish their stories. Just as society has learned a lot of details about the Civil War, World Wars I and II through letters, there is still much to be learned from present day soldiers’ letters and writings said Anne Marie.

“I was in the Iraq War in 2004 to 2005 and we all journaled,” she said. “So even up to current day, it’s like we know. We’re a part of history here and we just journal; it’s a good release.”

Their father kept numerous journals in addition to the manuscript he wrote and chronicled everything from movies he watched to books he’d read.

In 2012, the family received a settlement from the Department of Veterans Affairs as a result of proving Clayton’s death was directly related to agent orange exposure and injuries sustained while serving in Vietnam. The family can now add his name to the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. and plans to do the same in Renton.

“The biggest thing for me was just to get it done for my dad,” said Paula of editing and publishing the book, which took her seven years. “But the feeling that I have coming full circle with it has been priceless.”

“Di-Wee: A story of Vietnam,” by Clayton W. Peacock III is available for $14.95, in paperback and soon in e-book form, at www.third-bird.com.