Corbin native, former KPA President pens new book on Vietnam War

As a member of the Corbin High School Class of 1966, Edmund Shelby and his friends were profoundly impacted by the Vietnam War. In his new book, Graduating Present: The Vietnam War and the Class of ’66 he recounts how those events shaped his life, and the lives of his fellow classmates.

“Everybody’s experience was unique,” Shelby said of life during this complicated moment in history. “I started thinking that somebody should say something about what it was like. I thought that I should put all of these stories together, and put it into historical context.”

So started a three-year process of reading, researching and interviewing. The end result is a book that chronicles, from year to year, the events that the Class of ’66 saw transpire, and how those events shaped them into the men and women that they eventually became.

Shelby, who played football during his time at CHS, says the book is somewhat biographical, but his main goal in writing it was to take more of a holistic view at life during this period of time.

“I wanted to present a picture of history,” Shelby explained. “I wanted to explore what was going on in the world, how Vietnam played a part in it, and how it affected our generation.”

After Shelby graduated from Corbin High School, he spent one semester in college. After looking into becoming a Marine and enrolling in the Army, he ultimately ended up serving as a member of the United States Air Force.

Shelby currently lives in Clay County with his wife, Anne. He worked for many years in journalism with the Beattyville Enterprise, and served as President of the Kentucky Press Association in 2009.

Shelby’s new book is available for purchase now on Amazon.com.