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Books > Humanities > History > American history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945 > Vietnam War
SOS and then stopped the ship. Seven Khmer Rouge soldiers boarded the Mayaguez and their leader, Battalion Commander Sa Mean, pointed at a map indicating that the ship should proceed to the east of Poulo Wai. One of the crew members broadcast a Mayday which was picked up by an Australian vessel. The Mayaguez arrived off Poulo Wai at approximately 4pm and a further 20 Khmer Rouge boarded the vessel. At 12:05 EST (21:05 Cambodia), a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) was convened to discuss the situation. The members of the NSC were determined to end the crisis decisively, believing that the fall of South Vietnam less than two weeks before and the forced withdrawal of the United States from Cambodia, (Operation Eagle Pull) and South Vietnam (Operation Frequent Wind) had severely damaged the U.S.'s reputation. They also wished to avoid comparisons to the Pueblo incident of 1968, where the failure to promptly use military force to halt the hijacking of a US intelligence ship by North Korea led to an eleven-month hostage situation.
When John Burdick received his orders to ship to Vietnam in 1967, he was certain his life was over. His goal was to return to the United States alive and on his feet no matter what it took. He had been recruited by the military to become an intelligence agent, and for a college graduate student from California, it sounded intriguing. But serving in Vietnam would require all of his skills to stay alive. Dressed as a civilian and with little formal training, Burdick learned quickly and executed missions effectively. He fulfilled several purposes in Vietnam-from infiltrating the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army command infrastructure to searching for American prisoners of war. The war hit hard. The deaths of all the young men haunted him. He could trust no one, including the military establishment who tried to squash each success the intelligence personnel achieved. In A Sphinx, author John Burdick recounts a powerful and emotional narrative following his duty in the Vietnam War in the 1960s. It uncovers behind-the-scenes footage of a military intelligence agent and his quest to help more American soldiers come home alive.
By 1969, the Sikorski H-34 was an older helicopter with severe limitations for combat duty in Vietnam. For pilots like U.S. Marine Lieutenant Rick Gehweiler, the good news was it could still take significant damage and keep flying. His vivid memoir narrates his harrowing, at times deadly flight missions under fire, as experienced in the cockpit, along with anecdotes of tragedy and humor from his 13-month tour through Da Nang and Phu Bai.
I sat in the tall elephant grass waiting. I knew the gooks were out there, I could smell them. For once I wished it was raining, because anything would be better than this thick fog that was engulfing everything in the jungle. It was now 0500 hrs and I was waiting for the word to move out and kill this band of gooks.
Pham Xuan An was a Communist agent whose espionage adventures - under the cover story of a celebrated war correspondent in the Western Media -- were as brilliant for Hanoi as they were shattering for Washington during the tumultuous days of the Vietnam War. He has been dubbed "the perfect spy" and affectionately referred to by some as "the spy who loved us". Not quite. Journalist and Southeast Asian specialist Luke Hunt prises this story open. He knew and interviewed An for many years, along with many friends and colleagues in journalism who knew him best in war, on the journalistic beat and amid the collapse of South Vietnam.
The Vietnam War ended over thirty years ago. Yet, it continues as a cultural reference point, shaping contemporary American society and culture, its impact felt in many different contexts. Vietnam precipitated a crisis in national self-confidence and a breakdown in political consensus out of which new ideological perspectives, including neo-conservatism, emerged. This book offers fresh perspectives on a defining event in "the American Century," examining its historical and political significance as well as its continuing cultural relevance.
Hope and Healing For All Who Have Been Touched by War "Made in America, Sold in the Nam" brings together the writings of more than two dozen Vietnam-era veterans who have never before had the chance to speak their peace. Through diaries, essays, and poems, each contributor brings a unique first-person perspective that will be appreciated by veterans, their families, and historians. Taken together, this book represents the conscience of a nation: patriotic, duty-bound, and mired in a swamp of confusion and pain. New Second Edition includes material by the spouses, adult children, and other survivors of the war. "Made in America, Sold in the Nam" is Book #2 in the Reflections of History Series from Modern History Press.
"That there is conflict and confusion over how we are to view
the Viet Nam War and how we are to feel about those who sacrificed
for this effort, makes this book all the more important. These
pieces give the average person insight into what really happened to
those that served and what they thought that they were trying to
accomplish. There is some personal truth, buried emotion, and a few
heroes in their own right." -Tami Brady, TCM Reviews Modern History Press is an imprint of Loving Healing Press (www.LovingHealing.com)
Offering the widest scope of any study of one of popular music's most important eras, "Songs of the Vietnam Conflict" treats both anti-war and pro-government songs of the 1960s and early 1970s, from widely known selections such as Give Peace a Chance and Blowin' in the Wind to a variety of more obscure works. These are songs that permeated the culture, through both recordings and performances at political gatherings and concerts alike, and James Perone explores the complex relationship between music and the society in which it is written. This music is not merely an indicator of the development of the American popular song; it both reflected and shaped the attitudes of all who were exposed to it. Whereas in previous wars, musicians rallied behind the government in the way of Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber, the Vietnam conflict provoked anger, frustration, and rage, all of which comes through in the songs of the time. This reference work provides indispensable coverage of this phenomenon, in chapters devoted to Anti-War Songs, Pro-Government Songs, and what might be called Plight-of-the-Soldier (or Veteran) songs. A selected discography guides the reader to the most notable recordings, all of which, together, provide a unique and important perspective on perhaps the 20th century's most contentious time.
Between 1965 and 1973, hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans participated in one of the most remarkable and significant people's movements in American history. Through marches, rallies, draft resistance, teach-ins, civil disobedience, and non-violent demonstrations at both the national and local levels, Americans vehemently protested the country's involvement in the Vietnam War. Rethinking the American Anti-War Movement provides a short, accessible overview of this important social and political movement, highlighting key events and key figures, the movement's strengths and weaknesses, how it intersected with other social and political movements of the time, and its lasting effect on the country. The book is perfect for anyone wanting to obtain an introduction to the Anti-War movement of the twentieth century.
View the Table of Contents. "An exceptionally well written, well documented, fast-moving account."--"Washington Times" "This is a book written on multiple levels, and well worth reading."--"M.S. Naval Institute Proceedings" "This book is a welcome addition to the history of naval aviation and fills a much-needed void by detailing the later years of the Vietnam naval air campaign."--"Sea Power" "Makes for lively, vivid, and informative reading. I would
include it...on my list of the top ten books on the air war in
Vietnam." "John Sherwood has done a fine job in giving us a first-rate account of a confusing but critically important period in Naval Aviation history."--"The Hook" "As a collection of individual studies and 'war stories, ' "Afterburner" should find an interested readership." --"Military History" "With a 45-degree dive angle set, 450 knots of airspeed building, and my altimeter unwinding like crazy, my scan went rapidly between the bombsight and flight instruments. . . . When I looked over my shoulder at the target, I could see where the bombs had hit and exploded." Through stories like this diary entry of a fighter pilot, John Darrell Sherwood brings forth the personal accounts of 21 naval and marine aviators in this chronicle of the second half of the Navy's air war over Vietnam. Despite spending over 200 billion dollars and dropping almost 8 million tons of bombs on Southeast Asia, the U.S. was unable to score a definitive victory in the air war. Afterburner takes us inside the day-to-day operations of the air war, particularly during the most intense year of the campaign: 1972. During that year, North Vietnam launched the first large-scale conventional attacks on strongholds in South Vietnam. Sherwood shows how the U.S. fought back with some of the most innovative air campaigns in its history, including Nixon's Linebacker bombings and the Navy's mining operation in Haiphong Harbor. From duels with enemy MiGs to the experiences of Commander C. Ronald Polfer, who became the voice of reason among American POWs in the Hanoi Hilton's Room 5, the detailed stories in Afterburner make these historical events come to life. Sherwood compiles and analyzes an incredible breadth of information about the details of each of the Navy's operations during the air war and then relates the key parts of the narrative through the eyes of an pilot or flight officer involved in each action. Through tales of courage and fear, triumph and horror, Sherwood reveals the lives of common aircrews who performed extraordinary service. Their experiences illustrate the personal nature of war--even from the air--and show that the air war in Vietnam may have begun as a slow burn, but by 1972, it was more intense than an F-4 afterburner.
Imagine growing up in a land where your government proudly tricks and imprisons its own citizens ... where city officers rob and confiscate their citizens' houses out of greed-legally ... where the local authorities monitor not only how much food each family can eat, but what they will eat. After four years of living under the brutal Vietnamese Communist government, one brave young girl has had enough. At fifteen, she sets out for the most unforgettable journey of her life, all alone and with only three sets of clothes to her name. Her faith, optimism, and humor give her the strength to fight for her freedom. Generous strangers step up to help her through the many dangers she faces, both from the elements and other people who do not want to see her escape. For one courageous young Vietnamese woman, hers is the adventure of a "new" lifetime.
David W. Powell enlisted for a tour of duty in April 1966 with the
US Marines after receiving an imminent draft notice. Believing he
would be able to leverage his existing skills as a computer
programmer, he never thought all they would see on his resume was
his Karate expertise. Even less that he would wind up serving as a
Rocket man in the jungles of Da Nang and Chu Lai for a 13 month
tour in hell. David's journey from naive civilian to battle-hardened combat
veteran shows us all how fragile our humanity really is. In
addition to killing the enemy on the field of battle, he was
witness to countless cruelties including murder both cold-blooded
and casual, cowardice under fire, and a callous disregard for life
beyond most people's imagination. With each new insult, he lost a
little bit of his soul, clinging to his Bible as his only solace
while equally certain of his own imminent demise. Upon returning to
civilian life after a two year enlistment, he found himself with
nightmares during sleep, intrusive thoughts while awake, a
hypervigilant stance combined with an exaggerated startle reaction,
and a seeming inability to control basic emotions like anger and
sadness. The price he paid for what would only be diagnosed decades later
as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was broken marriages and
relationships, inability to hold down jobs leading to bankruptcy,
alcohol abuse, and having to hide the service he willingly gave to
his own country. In 1989, David eventually recovered through a simple but
powerful technique known as Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) and
is now symptom-free. Not just for veterans, TIR has since been
successfully applied to crime and motor vehicle accident victims,
domestic violence survivors, and even children. His story shows
what is possible for anyone who has suffered traumatic stress and
that hope, healing, and recovery can be theirs too. ""His autobiographical work is a must read for veterans who
remain stuck between two worlds. Healing is not forgetting; healing
is making sense of the past in order to live life in the present
with a restored hope for the future. Powell articulates this
process very well and has given a tremendous gift to the combat
veteran community of any generation." "The connection of David's problems in his current life and his
Viet Nam experiences is one of the clearest descriptions of how
trauma affects our lives I have ever read. My Tour in Hell is a
tribute to David's unwillingness to give up on himself in the face
of great unhappiness." "Years in combat zones, group psychotherapy with combat vets
diagnosed with PTSD and TIR training qualifies me to recommend this
book. My Tour in Hell attests to David's journey from the boundary
of a Marine grunt's PTSD despair to the horizon of integration,
risk, and new meaning. Those in the helping professions will learn
how the negative emotional 'charge' of trauma can be partially or
totally eliminated through the adept facilitation of Traumatic
Incident Reduction." "Powell presents a brutally honest and riveting account of one
man's descent into the dehumanizing realities of war. However, the
journey is worth it to relive his dramatic ascension and redemption
from the abyss through the life changing, powerful, and therapeutic
techniques of Traumatic Incident Reduction."
The Vietnam War was one of the most heavily documented conflicts of the twentieth century. Although the events themselves recede further into history every year, the political and cultural changes the war brought about continue to resonate, even as a new generation of Americans grapples with its own divisive conflict. America and the Vietnam War: Re-examining the Culture and History of a Generation reconsiders the social and cultural aspects of the conflict that helped to fundamentally change the nation. With chapters written by subject area specialists, America and the Vietnam War takes on subjects such as women's role in the war, the music and the films of the time, the Vietnamese perspective, race and the war, and veterans and post-traumatic stress disorder. Features include:
Heavily illustrated and welcoming to students and scholars of this infamous and pivotal time, America and the Vietnam War is a perfect companion to any course on the Vietnam War Era.
From the streets of America, youths were drafted and sent to war in Vietnam. Inner city youths and farm boys were thrown into a master plan only the American Military could have created. Never having driven a car, John Montgomery became a mechanic. Greg Foster became a Combat Medic. They trained and lived during interesting times. They witnessed the American response to poverty and civil rights, assassins, corrupt politicians, and other maladies of the American condition. Youth In Asia follows the personal growth of its characters through illusions and disillusionment, through love and hate, and shows how the experience of Vietnam left its mark, often hidden just below the surface in many fine Americans who will never forget how it happened.
Henry Kissinger dominated American foreign relations like no other
figure in recent history. He negotiated an end to American
involvement in the Vietnam War, opened relations with Communist
China, and orchestrated detente with the Soviet Union. Yet he is
also the man behind the secret bombing of Cambodia and policies
leading to the overthrow of Chile's President Salvador Allende.
Which is more accurate, the picture of Kissinger the skilled
diplomat or Kissinger the war criminal? |
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