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Books > Humanities > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945 > Vietnam War
In The War after the War, Johannes Kadura offers a fresh
interpretation of American strategy in the wake of the cease-fire
that began in Vietnam on January 28, 1973. The U.S. exit from
Vietnam continues to be important in discussions of present-day
U.S. foreign policy, so it is crucial that it be interpreted
correctly. In challenging the prevailing version of the history of
the events, Kadura provides interesting correctives to the
different accounts, including the ones of the key actors
themselves, President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry
Kissinger foremost among them. In so doing, Kadura aims to forge a
synthesis between orthodox and revisionist interpretations of this
important period.Kadura finds that the strategy employed by Nixon
and Kissinger centered on the concepts of "equilibrium strategy"
and "insurance policy." That approach allowed them to follow a
twofold strategy of making a major effort to uphold South Vietnam
while at the same time maintaining a fallback strategy of
downplaying the overall significance of Vietnam. Whether they won
or lost on their primary bet to secure South Vietnam, Nixon and
Kissinger expected to come through the crisis in a viable strategic
position.
The critically acclaimed author ofPatriotsoffers profound insight
into Vietnam s place in America s self-image How did the Vietnam
War change the way we think of ourselves as a people and a nation?
In American Reckoning, Christian G. Appy author of Patriots, the
widely praised oral history of the Vietnam War examines the war s
realities and myths and its lasting impact on our national
self-perception. Drawing on a vast variety of sources that range
from movies, songs, and novels to official documents, media
coverage, and contemporary commentary, Appy offers an original
interpretation of the war and its far-reaching consequences for
both our popular culture and our foreign policy. Authoritative,
insightful, and controversial, urgently speaking to our role in the
world today, American Reckoning invites us to grapple honestly with
the conflicting lessons and legacies of the Vietnam War."
"Joyful to heart-wrenching. Short non-fiction stories about moving
to Los Angeles from Vietnam, and a dream-like childhood that's
turned into a nightmare when the author's father returns to the
family after spending years in a "re-education" camp. It's a
well-written rollercoaster of beauty and terror." - Jason Koivu,
2003
First published in 1992. From the foreword: "Search and rescue has
always been important to the United States Air Force, whose
aircrews deserve nothing less than the fullest possible commitment
to save them and return them home. The motto of Air Force search
and rescue, "So Others May Live," is one of the most compelling of
all military mottoes. It embodies this spirit of altruism and, as
events have proven, also indicates the service's intention to
furnish life-saving SAR for civilian as well as military purposes.
Search and rescue flourished during World War II as lifeguard ships
and submarines joined patrolling aircraft in saving lives and
sustaining morale, especially in the Pacific Ocean Areas. The
rotary-wing, turbojet, and avionics revolutions made modern SAR a
reality. Foreshadowed by the Korean War, the helicopter became the
principal form of air rescue vehicle in Vietnam. In three major
conflicts, SAR forces gained a reputation for bravery, dedication,
and self-sacrifice, as they ventured repeatedly into hostile
territory to pluck fallen aircrews to safety. The USAF rightly
continues to place a top priority on search and rescue, seeking
better ways to perform this function through the use of advanced
equipment and aircraft (such as the multipurpose MH-53J Pave Low
helicopter) and improved training of personnel. This reprint of a
classic work offers the reader an exciting and exacting history of
the evolution of combat search and rescue in America's longest and
most grueling war: the conflict in Southeast Asia."
Hal's Navy is an insightful personal memoir that brings home not
only many technical aspects of naval service, but also the joys,
sorrows, separations and heady feelings of a job well done. Hal
Sacks tells his terrific and entertaining story beginning with
Officer Candidate School and Korea in 1953, going on to Vietnam in
1968, and beyond. Lovers of great storytelling will relish this
book, right alongside history buffs and military aficionados.
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