Veteran Narratives and the Collective Memory of the Vietnam War
WAR AND SOCIETY IN NORTH AMERICA
Series Editors: Ingo Trauschweizer and David J. Ulbrich
Editorial Board
Janet Bednarek
Andrew Cayton
Michael W. Doyle
Nicole Etcheson
Joseph Fitzharris
John Grenier
John Hall
Paul Herbert
James Westheider
Lee Windsor
Hero of the Angry Sky: The World War I Diary and Letters of David S. Ingalls, America’s First Naval Ace, edited by Geoffrey L. Rossano
Protecting the Empire’s Frontier: Officers of the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot during Its North American Service, 1767–1776, by Steven M. Baule
Citizen-General: Jacob Dolson Cox and the Civil War Era, by Eugene D. Schmiel
Veteran Narratives and the Collective Memory of the Vietnam War, by John A. Wood
VETERAN NARRATIVES
and the Collective Memory of the Vietnam War
John A. Wood
OHIO UNIVERSITY PRESS
ATHENS
Ohio University Press, Athens, Ohio 45701
© 2016 by Ohio University Press
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Wood, John A., 1980– author.
Title: Veteran narratives and the collective memory of the Vietnam War / John A. Wood.
Description: Athens, OH : Ohio University Press, [2016] | Series: War and society in North America | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015044413| ISBN 9780821422229 (hc : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780821422236 (pb : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780821445624 (pdf)
Subjects: LCSH: Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Veterans—United States—Biography, | Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Personal narratives. | Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Literature and the war. | Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Social aspects—United States. | Vietnam War, 1961–1975—United States—Psychological aspects. | Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Influence. | Memory—Social aspects—United States. | Collective memory—United States.
Classification: LCC DS559.73.U6 W67 2016 | DDC 959.704/30922—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015044413
Contents
1. Who Were the Vietnam Veteran Memoirists?
2. Combat Conditions and the Vietnamese People
5. The Return Home and Life after Vietnam
6. The Political Content of Veteran Narratives
7. Those Who Came Before and After
Conclusion: The Vietnam Memoir Legacy
Acknowledgments
Many people have made this book possible. Kenneth L. Kusmer of Temple University provided invaluable guidance from the very beginning. He worked tirelessly as a reviewer and editor of chapter drafts, pushing me to improve my writing and hone my arguments. I also benefited from the considerable knowledge and experience of Gregory J. W. Urwin, James Hilty, and Stanley Katz. More recently, David Ulbrich, Ingo Trauschweizer, members of the Ohio University Press staff, and two anonymous readers helped turn the manuscript into a publishable book. Finally, I am lucky to have friends and family who kept me sane while working on this project. No one, however, has helped me more through this process than my parents, James and Joan Wood. This book is dedicated to you.
Introduction
