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Summary
Summary
The Vietnam War is largely recalled as a mistake, either in the decision to engage there or in the nature of the engagement. Or both. Veterans of the war remain largely anonymous figures, accomplices in the mistake. Critically recounting the steps that led to the war, this book does not excuse the mistakes, but it brings those who served out of the shadows.
Enduring Vietnam recounts the experiences of the young Americans who fought in Vietnam and of families who grieved those who did not return. By 1969 nearly half of the junior enlisted men who died in Vietnam were draftees. And their median age was 21--among the non-draftees it was only 20. The book describes the "baby boomers" growing up in the 1950s, why they went into the military, what they thought of the war, and what it was like to serve in "Nam." And to come home. With a rich narrative of theBattle for "Hamburger Hill," and through substantial interviews with those who served, the book depicts the cruelty of this war, and its quiet acts of courage.
James Wright's Enduring Vietnam provides an important dimension to the profile of an American generation--and a rich account of an American War.
Author Notes
JAMES WRIGHT is President Emeritus and Eleazar Wheelock Professor of History Emeritus at Dartmouth College and the author or editor of several books, including Those Who Have Borne the Battle . His efforts on behalf of veterans and education have been featured in the New York Times , Boston Globe , NPR, and more. He serves on the Boards of the Semper Fi Fund, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and the Campaign Leadership Committee for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Education Center. He lives in Hanover, NH.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this well-researched and readable work, Wright (Those Who Have Borne the Battle), president emeritus of Dartmouth College, takes a deep look at a particular segment of an American generation-men who took part in ground combat in the Vietnam War. These men, whom he calls "the war fighters," were from the Army and Marines and accounted for approximately a fourth of the troops who served in Vietnam during the war. To do so, Wright interviewed 160 veterans and family members of those who died in the war. He utilizes primary and secondary sources to examine the political, diplomatic, and cultural climate of the Vietnam War period. Wright includes an analysis of military strategy, and his descriptions of on-the-ground action concentrate on the decisive year of 1969, including an extended look at the May 1969 Battle of Ap Bia Mountain, commonly known as Hamburger Hill. He also devotes a chapter to Vietnam veterans' homecoming. Wright's worthy effort is a tribute to Americans who saw the worst that the Vietnam War offered, combined with a broad look at the domestic and geopolitical factors that led to the U.S. getting involved in the long, controversial conflict. Agent: Michael Carlisle, Inkwell. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Wright, historian and former president of Dartmouth College, focuses his history of the Vietnam War on those who served in Southeast Asia, rather than on the counterculture, which often garners so much attention. This is very much a work of history and deserves high praise in that context. Wright does what opponents of the war often have failed to do: honor those who served. In the Vietnam era, what Wright calls the national narrative had changed, certainly since WWII, as had the American view of its leaders and soldiers. As broadcaster Eric Severeid said, It is difficult to think of soldier heroes . . . in a war without glory. Though personally affected by young people's sacrifices, Wright strikes a careful balance, describing in vividly human terms the deaths of so many soldiers while simultaneously summarizing the social conditions at the time and the national and world background, using other journalism but also drawing on dozens of interviews he conducted himself. While explicitly covering the war's abuses My Lai, fragging, drugs the book redresses a badly misplaced emphasis by spotlighting the men who went to war and what they endured, both in battle and, later, upon returning to a conflicted America where they were reviled (and even spit at). There have been hundreds of books written about the Vietnam War, but this is among the most powerful and heartbreaking.--Levine, Mark Copyright 2017 Booklist
Library Journal Review
The Vietnam War remains the -all-encompassing event of the baby boomer generation, claims Wright (president emeritus & emeritus history, Dartmouth Coll.; Those Who Have Borne the Battle) in this poignant account of those who fought and died there. This excellent combination of historical scholarship is amplified by the often horrifying battlefield descriptions of the 160 Americans interviewed, who share stories of some of the bloodiest fighting, especially at Khe Sanh (1968) and Dong Ap Bai (1969). Although the war's impact on the home front is covered in depth, the author is at his best when describing how the soldiers, mostly in their late teens and 20s, lived under the daily threat of death, and how more than 40 years after the last American troops came home, many remain casualties of post-traumatic stress disorder, exposure to Agent Orange and other chemical defoliants, and are haunted by memories of fallen friends. VERDICT This important investigation of the Vietnam War and its effects on an entire generation will appeal to both Vietnam-era specialists and general readers. See also Nick Turse's Kill Anything That Moves and Christian Appy's Working Class War.-Karl Helicher, formerly -Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Maps | p. ix |
| Preface Visiting Vietnam | p. xiii |
| Introduction A Generation Goes to War | p. 1 |
| Chapter 1 Memorial Days | p. 19 |
| Chapter 2 Dong Ap Bia: Becoming Hamburger Hill | p. 40 |
| Chapter 3 Passing the Torch to a New Generation | p. 69 |
| Chapter 4 Receiving the Torch | p. 104 |
| Chapter 5 Not Their Fathers' Way of War | p. 144 |
| Transitions The Vietnam War in America | p. 187 |
| Chapter 6 The American War in Vietnam | p. 198 |
| Chapter 7 Getting Out of This Place | p. 244 |
| Chapter 8 Duck and Cover | p. 282 |
| Chapter 9 Enduring Vietnam: A Story That Has No End | p. 315 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 353 |
| Notes | p. 363 |
| Selected Bibliography | p. 407 |
| Index | p. 429 |