Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories: Our Veterans Remember

Author:   Sarah Larsen ,  Jennifer M Miller ,  Kenneth B Black ,  Professor of History Jeremi Suri (University of Texas)
Publisher:   Wisconsin Historical Society Press
Edition:   First Edition, 1 ed.
ISBN:  

9780870204487


Pages:   376
Publication Date:   01 May 2010
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

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Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories: Our Veterans Remember


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Overview

"A companion book to the documentary produced by Wisconsin Public Television, Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories showcases 40 first-person stories from those who fought in America's longest war. From barely-legal sons of Wisconsin to seasoned soldiers, the men and women in these pages make up a diverse collection of voices: an army chaplain who led services at Khe Sanh but never picked up a weapon; identical twin brothers who discover they are stationed at the same South Vietnam base; a Hmong refugee who fought the Secret War at age 12 in the jungles of Laos and later moved to Milwaukee; two prisoners of war whose years in captivity total almost 14; a Medal of Honor recipient; and dozens more. The stories in these pages expand beyond the borders of the war to include personal accounts of the events leading up to it, as well as the experiences of veterans as they return home to civilian life at the height of antiwar protest. Supported by original maps, photographs from the veterans' own collections, historical chapter introductions, biographies, and a comprehensive ""honor roll"" of Wisconsin-born soldiers who died or remain missing, Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories is an unforgettable collection and lasting tribute to our veterans."

Full Product Details

Author:   Sarah Larsen ,  Jennifer M Miller ,  Kenneth B Black ,  Professor of History Jeremi Suri (University of Texas)
Publisher:   Wisconsin Historical Society Press
Imprint:   Wisconsin Historical Society Press
Edition:   First Edition, 1 ed.
Dimensions:   Width: 20.30cm , Height: 1.90cm , Length: 22.70cm
Weight:   0.894kg
ISBN:  

9780870204487


ISBN 10:   0870204483
Pages:   376
Publication Date:   01 May 2010
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

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Reviews

<p> A rich and powerful collection of voices that gives us a moving history of the Vietnam War. These stories take us back to that tumultuous time, but also make us think hard about today. Clearly one of the best oral histories of the war and its aftermath. (Robert K. Brigham, author of Iraq, Vietnam, and the Limits of American Power )<p> The experiences related in this volume span the Vietnam War from its real beginning in the 1950s to its disastrous end twenty years later. Its range goes beyond the usual collection of Vietnam War stories, including memories of Saigon in the early days of the Diem regime, prisoners of war in Hanoi, Hmong fighters on the Lao border. A sober warning against military intervention, it makes painful, if necessary reading in this time of ongoing wars of equal futility. (Marilyn B. Young, author of The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990 )<p> Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories is one of the very best oral histories of the Vietnam War. These veterans' heartfelt recollec


2011 Winner in the Military Category from Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2011 Finalist in the Military Non-fiction Category from National Indie Excellence Awards 2011 Finalist in the History: Military/Political Category from USA National Best Book Awards A rich and powerful collection of voices that gives us a moving history of the Vietnam War. These stories take us back to that tumultuous time, but also make us think hard about today. Clearly one of the best oral histories of the war and its aftermath. (Robert K. Brigham, author of Iraq, Vietnam, and the Limits of American Power ) The experiences related in this volume span the Vietnam War from its real beginning in the 1950s to its disastrous end twenty years later. Its range goes beyond the usual collection of Vietnam War stories, including memories of Saigon in the early days of the Diem regime, prisoners of war in Hanoi, Hmong fighters on the Lao border. A sober warning against military intervention, it makes painful, if necessary reading in this time of ongoing wars of equal futility. (Marilyn B. Young, author of The Vietnam Wars, 1945 1990 ) Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories is one of the very best oral histories of the Vietnam War. These veterans' heartfelt recollections make the reader feel, smell, and taste what life was like for ordinary young Americans sent to fight thousands of miles from home. (Robert D. Schulzinger, author of A Time for War: The United States and Vietnam, 1941-1975 ) The testimonies of these Wisconsin veterans confront us with the hard realities of our longest and most wrenching foreign war and may, if we listen, help us toward the full reckoning we've yet to achieve. (Christian G. Appy, author of Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered From All Sides ) A poignant and painful account of the nation's most divisive war as seen through the eyes of 40 Wisconsin Vietnam veterans. From the U.S. advisory role to the French in the 1950s, to the brutal combat at Khe Sanh and Hue in the late 1960s, to the arduous ordeal of POWs, this oral history touches a nerve that needs to be stirred. While we can't bring back the 1,239 Wisconsin fathers, brothers, sons, uncles, friends and neighbors who died during the war, we can open our hearts to the 140,000 who are still among us. And thank them, too, for their service and sacrifice. You will be deeply moved by their powerful stories. (Veteran Doug Bradley, Information Office, USARV Long Binh, 1970 1971) Thanks to this wonderful collection, we are able to discover previously untold stories of combat, camaraderie, and the challenges of dealing with wartime experiences. Strength, sorrow, triumph and tragedy: this powerful book has it all. It is a timeless testament to Wisconsin s fighting men and women. (Retired Brigadier General Andrew M. Schuster, Administrator, Division of Veterans Services, Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs) Each one of us Vietnam veterans was just a part of a multi-million piece puzzle. When you put all the pieces together you begin to understand that our own personal time, places and events were a rather minor event! Taken all together it was just one huge struggle that we all had to survive and come back to 'The World.' This book shows the enormity of that puzzle called 'Vietnam.'. . . To the Wisconsin Vietnam veterans interviewed I say thank you for your service and welcome home. I'm proud to have served with you all. (Veteran Donald Thies, B Company, 2/506th, 101st Airborne, 1970 1971) An old TV police drama began with 'here are eight million stories in the naked city.' As this book shows there were three million stories in Vietnam. Whether they were drafted or enlisted, came from the city or the farm, served on land or on water, were there in '65 or '69, every veteran has a different story to tell. This book covers the gamut. Vietnam veterans should read this book because it will help fill in their gaps in the history of the war. If there is a common theme throughout their stories, it is that these veterans were treated very poorly upon their return home and many still suffer today from this maltreatment. Hopefully, by illuminating this sad chapter in American history we can ensure that it will never happen again and that all future veterans will be welcomed home with open arms. (John Rowan, President and CEO, Vietnam Veterans of America)


Author Information

Sarah A. Larsen is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, works in the History Unit of Wisconsin Public Television, and in 2008 coauthored Wisconsin Korean War Stories with Jennifer M. Miller. For this volume Larsen transformed the raw transcripts of veteran interviews into a comprehensive, book-length format. Sarah lives with her family in Madison. Jennifer M. Miller has worked as a teacher and lecturer for the University of Wisconsin-Madison History Department from which she received her master's degree in 2005. An expert in U.S. foreign relations with East Asia during the Cold War, she is writing a Ph.D. dissertation on U.S.-Japanese relations during the 1950s, and has been published in Reviews in History. The recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship, Jennifer is currently living in Tokyo for research.

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