The Vietnam War is largely recalled as a mistake, either in the decision to engage there or in the nature of the engagement. Or both. Veterans of the war remain largely anonymous figures, accomplices in the mistake. Critically recounting the steps that led to the war, this book does not excuse the mistakes, but it brings those who served out of the shadows.
Enduring Vietnam recounts the experiences of the young Americans who fought in Vietnam and of families who grieved those who did not return. By 1969 nearly half of the junior enlisted men who died in Vietnam were draftees. And their median age was 21-among the non-draftees it was only 20. The book describes the "baby boomers" growing up in the 1950s, why they went into the military, what they thought of the war, and what it was like to serve in "Nam." And to come home. With a rich narrative of the Battle for "Hamburger Hill," and through substantial interviews with those who served, the book depicts the cruelty of this war, and its quiet acts of courage.
James Wright's Enduring Vietnam provides an important dimension to the profile of an American generation-and a rich account of an American War.
Author Biography
James Wright is President Emeritus and Eleazar Wheelock Professor of History Emeritus at Dartmouth College. He served in the Marine Corps for three years before entering Wisconsin State University-Platteville for his bachelor's degree, and a masters and doctoral degree in American history from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He joined the Dartmouth History Department in 1969, and from 1998 to 2009, served as the college's 16th president. He was involved in the planning for the Yellow Ribbon Program that provided for private institutions to be included in the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, and he worked with the American Council on Education (ACE) to create a new educational counseling program for wounded U.S. veterans. This program still continues at Walter Reed Hospital. An American historian, Wright is the author or editor of six books. His most recent book is Those Who Have Borne the Battle: A History of America's Wars and Those Who Fought Them. He was an on-screen contributor to the Ric Burns film "Debt of Honor" broadcast on public television in November 2015. His efforts on behalf of veterans and education have been featured in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, ABC World News, and VFW Magazine, and he has been recognized by educational, veteran, and service organizations. On Veterans Day 2009 he spoke at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall. He serves on the Boards of the Semper Fi Fund, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and on the Campaign Leadership Committee for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Education Center. He and Susan Wright live in Hanover, New Hampshire.
