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Boxing and War with Thom Jones.

Writer Thom Jones was a boxer in the Marines in the mid-1960s. He was supposed to ship out to Vietnam, but he suffered an epileptic seizure, which he believes was caused by too many punches to the head. So instead of shipping out, he was thrown out. The rest of his unit did go to Vietnam, where they were ambushed and killed. Jones turned to writing, but couldn't get anything published, so he became a high school janitor. He is finally experiencing literary success this year with the publication of his collection of short stories "The Pugilist At Rest" (Little, Brown). His stories revisit worlds Jones has known: that of the boxer, the Vietnam-era soldier, and the alcoholic.

17:03

Other segments from the episode on July 8, 1993

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, July 8, 1993: Interview with Ron Levy; Interview with Thom Jones; Review of the film "In the Line of Fire."

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