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The Wounded Generation: America After Vietnam
Provides a detailed assessment of the scars of the Vietnam war in a collection of writings by members of the Vietnam generation that examines the effects of that war on American society
- GenresHistory
226 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1981
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November 1, 2019
This book was a look at the generation of Americans who came of age during the Vietnam War era. It is taken from a composite of sources from book excerpts, a symposium, and essays on the subject. Originally published in 1981 this was a relatively fresh look at the war being less than ten years after the war.
Part 1: The Way It Was
This section is a series of book excerpts that are both fictitious and real accounts. These are given to give the reader an idea of what close combat in Vietnam. All are written by those that have been to Vietnam. Some are well known like Tim O’Brien (Things They Carried), Philip Caputo (A Rumor of War), Michael Herr (Dispatches) and more.
Part 2: Voices of a Wounded Generation
This section was a symposium with a variety of speakers. They are Philip Caputo who was a Marine platoon leader in Vietnam and author of “A Rumor of War”. James Fallows who was a Rhodes Scholar and Harvard graduate. He was speech writer for President Carter. He was also an editor of The Atlantic Monthly and author of the book “National Defense”. Robert O. Muller who was a Marine platoon leader he was paralyzed from a wound he received in Vietnam. He would go on to found the group Vietnam Veterans of America. Dean K. Phillips was awarded the Silver Star and two Bronze Stars as a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne in Vietnam. Lucian K. Trescott is a 1969 West Point Graduate, son of Colonel and grandson of a four-star general. James Webb is a 1968 Annapolis graduate, twice wounded in Vietnam, awarded a Navy Cross and Silver Star as a Marine platoon leader and commander. John P. Wheeler is a 1966 West Pointer and was a Captain in the Army’s general staff in Vietnam. He later was staff with the secretary of defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff. It was moderated by Richard Harwood who the Washington Post deputy managing editor who was a Marine combat veteran of World War II and Washington Post correspondent during the Vietnam War.
Part 3: Many Legacies
The final section is a series of essays looking back at the war from unique aspects. The writers are: Sam Brown who looks at choices made. Susan Jacoby looks at women and the war. William Jayne who looks at the immigrant’s experience. Nicholas Lehman being the youngest of contributors gives the viewpoint of the generation just following Vietnam. Tim O’Brien says that stereotypes of troubled veterans are over-hyped that most have adjusted well to life after service. Wallace and Janice Terry tell of the racial aspects of the war.
Although the book was informative it had uneven feel to it which had to with all the different writing styles pushed together. The first part with a lot of first hand combat was brutal and up close. One thing I took note of is the difference between accounts of Vietnam and that of previous wars like Korea and World War 2. In those wars the primary goal was to not only to defeat the enemy but to take and hold the ground they held. In Vietnam the war was almost everywhere. The primary goal became just to defeat the enemy but holding ground was rarely done.
In the symposium there seemed to be a lot of focus on the aftermath of the war and how veterans were treated and thoughts on those that either protested the war or didn’t participate. Much of the dialogue seemed to turn into a lot of venting out. I don’t think the transcription of this meeting translated well to written form. It may have been better on video or even audio.
The final essay section was perhaps more of what I was looking for as far as deep thought into different aspects of the war. I wish this part had been longer. I ironically perhaps the most thought provoking essay was from esteemed writer Tim O’Brien (The Things They Carried) was perhaps the shortest. His thought that “The National memory, like the memory of soldiers, is fickle and too damn short. “ sums up it up a lot.
Despite having a bumpy flow as far as reading it does have some interesting insights and information regarding those who lived through the Vietnam War era.
Part 1: The Way It Was
This section is a series of book excerpts that are both fictitious and real accounts. These are given to give the reader an idea of what close combat in Vietnam. All are written by those that have been to Vietnam. Some are well known like Tim O’Brien (Things They Carried), Philip Caputo (A Rumor of War), Michael Herr (Dispatches) and more.
Part 2: Voices of a Wounded Generation
This section was a symposium with a variety of speakers. They are Philip Caputo who was a Marine platoon leader in Vietnam and author of “A Rumor of War”. James Fallows who was a Rhodes Scholar and Harvard graduate. He was speech writer for President Carter. He was also an editor of The Atlantic Monthly and author of the book “National Defense”. Robert O. Muller who was a Marine platoon leader he was paralyzed from a wound he received in Vietnam. He would go on to found the group Vietnam Veterans of America. Dean K. Phillips was awarded the Silver Star and two Bronze Stars as a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne in Vietnam. Lucian K. Trescott is a 1969 West Point Graduate, son of Colonel and grandson of a four-star general. James Webb is a 1968 Annapolis graduate, twice wounded in Vietnam, awarded a Navy Cross and Silver Star as a Marine platoon leader and commander. John P. Wheeler is a 1966 West Pointer and was a Captain in the Army’s general staff in Vietnam. He later was staff with the secretary of defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff. It was moderated by Richard Harwood who the Washington Post deputy managing editor who was a Marine combat veteran of World War II and Washington Post correspondent during the Vietnam War.
Part 3: Many Legacies
The final section is a series of essays looking back at the war from unique aspects. The writers are: Sam Brown who looks at choices made. Susan Jacoby looks at women and the war. William Jayne who looks at the immigrant’s experience. Nicholas Lehman being the youngest of contributors gives the viewpoint of the generation just following Vietnam. Tim O’Brien says that stereotypes of troubled veterans are over-hyped that most have adjusted well to life after service. Wallace and Janice Terry tell of the racial aspects of the war.
Although the book was informative it had uneven feel to it which had to with all the different writing styles pushed together. The first part with a lot of first hand combat was brutal and up close. One thing I took note of is the difference between accounts of Vietnam and that of previous wars like Korea and World War 2. In those wars the primary goal was to not only to defeat the enemy but to take and hold the ground they held. In Vietnam the war was almost everywhere. The primary goal became just to defeat the enemy but holding ground was rarely done.
In the symposium there seemed to be a lot of focus on the aftermath of the war and how veterans were treated and thoughts on those that either protested the war or didn’t participate. Much of the dialogue seemed to turn into a lot of venting out. I don’t think the transcription of this meeting translated well to written form. It may have been better on video or even audio.
The final essay section was perhaps more of what I was looking for as far as deep thought into different aspects of the war. I wish this part had been longer. I ironically perhaps the most thought provoking essay was from esteemed writer Tim O’Brien (The Things They Carried) was perhaps the shortest. His thought that “The National memory, like the memory of soldiers, is fickle and too damn short. “ sums up it up a lot.
Despite having a bumpy flow as far as reading it does have some interesting insights and information regarding those who lived through the Vietnam War era.
Displaying 1 of 1 review