Strange Ground: Americans in Vietnam, 1945 -- 1975. An Oral History

by Harry Maurer

Here at last is the complete Vietnam story, an oral history tracing the evolution of American involvement from the last days of World War II, when Americans parachuted in to fight with Ho Chi Minh against the Japanese, to the fall of Saigon three decades later, after we had achieved "peace with horn". These are the vivid, spontaneous recollections of a vastly divergent group of Americans who lived and worked in Vietnam, in peace and in war - soldiers, secretaries, diplomats, clerks, medics, missionaries, reporters, doctors and nurses, generals, housewives, relief workers, spies. Their stories are raw, honest and eye-opening, giving us an unprecedented look at the most divisive issue of our time. Some of them are bitter about their country's aggression, others about their country's defeat. Some feel they are better people for the experience, or simply did a job that is now over. Some frankly had a good time. Taken all together, these unique voices and unique experiences illuminate the strange ground that was a country so seemingly adaptable to American hopes and schemes, yet so utterly foreign in language, culture, and custom that only a few could ever hope to bridge the gap. Strange Ground is a profoundly important fascinating, provocative, heartbreaking and unforgettable.

Genres: History, War, Oral History

634 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Velvetink · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful chronicle, history comes alive in the words of those who were there.
Includes some basic maps of Vietnam, and an excellent glossary of military terms.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I read this in the late 90s in my Vietnam class. But I mostly didn't remember it. It's really moving. [laughs] [she is crying] There was also a really interesting section on an army meteorologist talking about how they released weather balloons to get met info to guide the aircraft - filling them with HYDROGEN besides ammunition areas while getting fired upon. so bananas.
It was really interesting/terrible/emotional to read all the different perspectives of Americans there in different capacities, medics and grunts and prisoners and nurses. and about all the awful, awful things that people are capable of doing to each other. and the wastefulness of it. people. landscapes. it's exhausting.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange Ground covers the entire War phase by phase, from French occupation to US exit, letting the participants in the war tell their personal stories. It covers a ridiculously complex subject in as much detail as can possibly be imagined.

[Garth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well constructed anthology of first-hand accounts of life in Vietnam by Americans that lived it from 1940-1975. To this day it is a bit annoying that it says '45 on the book when there are account from '40.