Though Collin County resident Ronnie D. Foster has been a professional songwriter and novelist for years, it is his newest book “One Day as a Lion” that Foster is most proud of.
The book tells the stories of 21 Collin County soldiers who served in the Vietnam War and never came home. Foster writes not only about their time in the war, but also gives an idea of who they were before.
“My main reason for writing the book is because of my buddy Bill Bryan,” Foster said. “A few years ago, I ran across an old friend from high school and my friend told me he remembered Bill and me joining the Marines together. Then he asked me what happened to Bill, and I had to tell him that Bill died back in Vietnam.
“It’s very important to me that I tell these guys stories because I know they won’t be forgotten. Really there wasn’t a lot to tell because they died so young, though. They grew up, went to high school, joined the military and that was it. I didn’t want to just tell their war stories but a little bit about who they were before.”
Foster was an avid reader and took an interest in writing while growing up in the 1960s in Farmersville.
“When I was in grade school is when I really started reading. I’ve always been a reader,” Foster said. “In my mind, when I was a kid, I thought ‘I could do that.’ One of the reasons why I joined the Marine Corps was for the experience of history. It would give me something to write about for my kids. How could I pass that up?”
Foster started thinking about joining the U.S. Marine Corps after reading “Guadalcanal Diary” by Richard Tregaskis while he was in junior high school.
The book tells the stories of 21 Collin County soldiers who served in the Vietnam War and never came home. Foster writes not only about their time in the war, but also gives an idea of who they were before.
“My main reason for writing the book is because of my buddy Bill Bryan,” Foster said. “A few years ago, I ran across an old friend from high school and my friend told me he remembered Bill and me joining the Marines together. Then he asked me what happened to Bill, and I had to tell him that Bill died back in Vietnam.
“It’s very important to me that I tell these guys stories because I know they won’t be forgotten. Really there wasn’t a lot to tell because they died so young, though. They grew up, went to high school, joined the military and that was it. I didn’t want to just tell their war stories but a little bit about who they were before.”
Foster was an avid reader and took an interest in writing while growing up in the 1960s in Farmersville.
“When I was in grade school is when I really started reading. I’ve always been a reader,” Foster said. “In my mind, when I was a kid, I thought ‘I could do that.’ One of the reasons why I joined the Marine Corps was for the experience of history. It would give me something to write about for my kids. How could I pass that up?”
Foster started thinking about joining the U.S. Marine Corps after reading “Guadalcanal Diary” by Richard Tregaskis while he was in junior high school.
