A Day in the Life: 7th Cavalry: A Memoir

A Day in the Life is a gripping coming-of-age memoir in the same realm as Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July. Told in snapshot scenes during his recovery, Madigan intersperses family funnies, Los Angeles surf culture, and Catholic school antics within his soul-baring tale of day-to-day survival. Ultimately, Madigan relies on his own grit and faith in God to guide him through his perilous journey and return to The World in one piece.

Nineteen-year-old Walt Madigan is plucked from his carefree surfing life, drafted into the Army, and dropped onto the front lines in Vietnam where he serves as a combat infantryman with the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile.) In gritty detail, he recounts his new life humping in the bush where he tries to avoid being shot or blown up. Despite his best efforts, Private Madigan is wounded twice. Yet through it all, he imparts hilarity and hope to his comrades.

About the Author

Walt Madigan was born in Los Angeles, California, in May 1947, the sixth of eight children brought into the world by Nellie Madigan. He attended Catholic schools through grade twelve and was drafted into the United States Army in 1966. He served as a combat infantryman in Vietnam, was wounded twice, and finished his second year in the Army as a Drill Sergeant at Fort Ord in Monterey, CA. He received an honorable discharge in August 1968.

After earning a degree in Behavioral Sciences from San Jose State University (1972) and moving to Alaska where he learned the flooring trade, he opened his own business, North Shore Flooring, first in North Lake Tahoe, and then in Kings Beach, CA. He specialized in antique, vintage, and reclaimed hardwoods; fine carpeting; and luxury vinyl plank until his retirement in 2019. He lives in Arroyo Grande on the Central California Coast. His days are now filled with writing exercises, pickleball, kayaking on the ocean, and day hikes in Big Sur.