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Until the Last Gun Is Silent: A Story of Patriotism, the Vietnam War, and the Fight to Save America's Soul
The untold story of the Black patriots—from soldiers in combat to activists leading peace protests—who ended the Vietnam War and defended the soul of American democracy
As the civil rights movement blazed through America, more than 300,000 Black troops were drafted and sent to fight in the Vietnam War. These soldiers, often from disadvantaged backgrounds and subjected to the brutalities of racism back home, found themselves thrust onto the frontlines of a war many saw as unjust. On the homefront, Black antiwar activists faced another Opposition to the Vietnam War, vilified by key allies in the media and government as anti-American, jeopardized the fight for civil rights. For Black Americans, the Vietnam War forced a generation to question what it truly meant to fight for justice.
Award-winning civil rights historian Matthew F. Delmont weaves together the stories of two Black heroes of the Vietnam War Coretta Scott King, who bravely championed the antiwar cause—and eventually persuaded her husband to do the same—and Dwight “Skip” Johnson, a Medal of Honor recipient whose life ended tragically after returning from battle to his native Detroit. Together, these extraordinary accounts expose the contradictions of Black activism and military service during the Vietnam War. Through rich storytelling, Delmont offers a portrait of this period unlike any other, shedding light on a fractured civil rights movement, a generation of veterans failed by the country they served, and the valor of Black servicemen and peace advocates in the midst of it all.
Vivid, revelatory, and meticulously researched, Until the Last Gun Is How a Civil Rights Icon and Vietnam War Hero Changed America is essential listening for anyone looking to understand the enduring legacy of Black military service, protest, and patriotism in the United States.
As the civil rights movement blazed through America, more than 300,000 Black troops were drafted and sent to fight in the Vietnam War. These soldiers, often from disadvantaged backgrounds and subjected to the brutalities of racism back home, found themselves thrust onto the frontlines of a war many saw as unjust. On the homefront, Black antiwar activists faced another Opposition to the Vietnam War, vilified by key allies in the media and government as anti-American, jeopardized the fight for civil rights. For Black Americans, the Vietnam War forced a generation to question what it truly meant to fight for justice.
Award-winning civil rights historian Matthew F. Delmont weaves together the stories of two Black heroes of the Vietnam War Coretta Scott King, who bravely championed the antiwar cause—and eventually persuaded her husband to do the same—and Dwight “Skip” Johnson, a Medal of Honor recipient whose life ended tragically after returning from battle to his native Detroit. Together, these extraordinary accounts expose the contradictions of Black activism and military service during the Vietnam War. Through rich storytelling, Delmont offers a portrait of this period unlike any other, shedding light on a fractured civil rights movement, a generation of veterans failed by the country they served, and the valor of Black servicemen and peace advocates in the midst of it all.
Vivid, revelatory, and meticulously researched, Until the Last Gun Is How a Civil Rights Icon and Vietnam War Hero Changed America is essential listening for anyone looking to understand the enduring legacy of Black military service, protest, and patriotism in the United States.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published January 27, 2026
11 people are currently reading
2642 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 30, 2025
Protesting can be complicated. It can also be complicated to take on a bunch of Vietcong with only your sidearm. These two sides of a coin come together in Matthew Delmont's Until the Last Gun is Silent. The book follows Coretta Scott King as she leads protests against the Vietnam War. Dwight "Skip" Johnson, on the other hand, goes to Vietnam where he wins the Medal of Honor like a damn boss. Unfortunately, the highest of military awards would prove to be an albatross around his neck.
Delmont goes between each of these lives while tracing the eventual commingling of the peace movement with the civil rights movement. I learned a tremendous amount about each in this book and Delmont writes an easy to read book from a prose perspective. I did feel, however, that both Skip and Coretta get short shrift at times. Coretta's story takes a big of a backseat to her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Additionally, MLK does not come off looking good in a few anecdotes. It humanizes him a bit more to see situations where he doesn't necessarily live up to the paragon of virtue history focuses on. Coretta, however, comes off positively saintly in Delmont's retelling. I think this has less to do with Delmont's unwillingness to dive into all sides of Coretta and more to do with keeping the narrative moving. As it stands, Coretta's chapters will often be about a lot of people other than her until later chapters where she shines completely.
Ultimately, I wanted more time with Skip. I will fully admit my bias here. Skip was an Army tanker like me and I am also the son of a Vietnam veteran. Skip's story was so inspiring, visceral, and tragic that I could have devoured a whole book just on him. The complete fumbling of his PTSD diagnosis (another similarity I have with him) is the ultimate tragedy that continues to happen to this day. I think there was much more to be mined here, but I will defer to Delmont because he is clearly a talented writer that maybe he got as much as he could from the records that existed. Either way, there is a lot to like about, and learn from, this book.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by NetGalley and Viking Books.)
Delmont goes between each of these lives while tracing the eventual commingling of the peace movement with the civil rights movement. I learned a tremendous amount about each in this book and Delmont writes an easy to read book from a prose perspective. I did feel, however, that both Skip and Coretta get short shrift at times. Coretta's story takes a big of a backseat to her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Additionally, MLK does not come off looking good in a few anecdotes. It humanizes him a bit more to see situations where he doesn't necessarily live up to the paragon of virtue history focuses on. Coretta, however, comes off positively saintly in Delmont's retelling. I think this has less to do with Delmont's unwillingness to dive into all sides of Coretta and more to do with keeping the narrative moving. As it stands, Coretta's chapters will often be about a lot of people other than her until later chapters where she shines completely.
Ultimately, I wanted more time with Skip. I will fully admit my bias here. Skip was an Army tanker like me and I am also the son of a Vietnam veteran. Skip's story was so inspiring, visceral, and tragic that I could have devoured a whole book just on him. The complete fumbling of his PTSD diagnosis (another similarity I have with him) is the ultimate tragedy that continues to happen to this day. I think there was much more to be mined here, but I will defer to Delmont because he is clearly a talented writer that maybe he got as much as he could from the records that existed. Either way, there is a lot to like about, and learn from, this book.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by NetGalley and Viking Books.)
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January 25, 2026Super excited to have been gifted a hard copy of this book by the author and the Gilder Lerhman Institute of American History!
February 2, 2026
This is really good and you should read it. Protesting is complicated and this books covers that but not in a complicated way. This book is accessible and well-written, as well as heart-wrenching. I learned a lot. Highly recommend. 4.3 stars
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews