Vietnam: A Look Back
The war in Vietnam ended 50 years ago, in April 1975, as iconic Huey helicopters shuttled between the rooftop of America’s embassy in Saigon to aircraft carriers in the sea, already overcrowded with Vietnamese citizens who had served us there. It was a chaotic close to an embarrassing and deeply-divisive time in this Nation’s history.
As many as 2.7 million of America’s sons and daughters served in the war; more than 58,000 died. Ironically, the generation that grew up in the care of celebrated World War II heroes met a much different homecoming. Instead of parades and thanks, Vietnam veterans were met with protestors and scorn as victims of wrong-headed, callous national policy brutal and relentless television images of war never before seen in American homes.
- Publication date : May 6, 2025
- Language : English
- Print length : 240 pages
- ISBN-13 : 979-8281744041
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Introduction
It’s a natural question: How did a guy who never served in Vietnam decide to compile this book?
Note: I use the word “compile,” because, unlike most authors, I didn’t “write” much of it. In every possible case, the authors of this book are the men and women who lived that war. They were gracious enough to share, sometimes for the very first time, their experiences and memories.
To them, I am forever grateful. And to those who chose not to share, I am just as grateful for their service and their sacrifices.
I’ve been into military history since I was six. My father had joined the North-South Skirmish Association where members competed in timed events using original and reproduction Civil War weapons. And of course, they did it in period dress uniforms. Each team was expected to host a “skirmish” within their region and our summers were spent camping in various places these “soldiers” competed. As a young lad, I was totally captivated by the whole scene.
I vividly remember those Memorial Day weekends. With us kids in tow, my dad and his friends traveled to various cemeteries throughout the county to pay their respects. With the conclusion of speeches and a crack of the muskets, the first solemn note of Taps floated through the air; stirring the soul and sending a chill down the spine. Hats were quickly removed and hands instinctively covered hearts while veterans offered their final salute. The ceremonies inevitably ended with the promise ‘we will never forget’.
Open discussion of Vietnam was off-limits to children growing up in the 70s. We heard rumors of flashbacks. We were clueless about the overwhelmed VA system or the increasing health issues caused as exposure to the deadly herbicide Agent Orange. The Deer Hunter released in 1978 only fueled the rumors.
I entered the Army in November of 1983. It was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, that I began my training as a cannoneer in the field artillery. Our cadre was made up almost entirely of Vietnam veterans. I really didn’t know what to expect, but I soon discovered these men were professional and I stood in awe of them. We never asked about their Vietnam experience and they never shared. But it was evident that they were a proud bunch and they wore that combat patch on their right sleeve like a badge of honor. After my four-year enlistment was up, I returned to New York and a career in the construction trade.
Like my father, I was an avid reader of Civil War accounts. A large part of my life was dedicated to studying and writing about it.
