A noble cause america and the vietnam war books

Winner of the coveted john esten cooke award for southern fiction, noble cause chronicles the clash of a confederate cavalry officer with a union spy as they defend their beliefs, their country, and their honor. The tally of men and women lost has been carved into black marble on our national mall. Sexual integration in the military, longman harlow, england, 2000. By 1972, the idea that vietnam posed a threat to cold war america was so discredited, it sometimes sounded as if americas only remaining war aim was to.

America and the vietnam war modern wars in perspective 01 by degroot, gerard j. America and the vietnam war is part of a series published by longman called modern wars in. A life, harvard university press cambridge, ma, 2004. There are many books which claim to be definitive histories of the vietnam war. Republican presidential candidate ronald reagan has been drawing fire from certain quarters for his recent affirmation that america fought for noble motives in vietnam specifically, reagan told the veterans of foreign wars in chicago the vietnam syndromehad made americans timid and apologetic for their opposition. It brought to the front the noble cause and the selfless courage of those who gave sacrifice, some the ultimate. As a vietnam era vet who missed going to the rvn by an eyelash and had a brother who made it back from his tour, i feel it was a noble cause, at least at first, and was necessary to keep south vn from going communist. This book was originally published back in 2000, but the author has now made it freely available online. Hello, my name is jerry degroot and im a historian who teaches at the university of st andrews in scotland. Apr 20, 2010 as a vietnam era vet who missed going to the rvn by an eyelash and had a brother who made it back from his tour, i feel it was a noble cause, at least at first, and was necessary to keep south vn from going communist. Books ordered may be returned for a full refund if they are not as described. The first world war, palgrave macmillan london, england, 2001. The gulf of tonkin incident, used by lyndon johnson to escalate u.

It hardly exaggerates to point out that vietnam has assumed, within american culture, the antithetical status of the bad war, much as world war ii has long maintained pride of place as the good war. Honor and conviction clash with loyalty and love in this epic civil war novel that pits brother against brother. Mar 26, 2018 by 1972, the idea that vietnam posed a threat to cold war america was so discredited, it sometimes sounded as if americas only remaining war aim was to get back its p. It has a great bibliography and good academic discussion on the war. Few wars have had such a deep impact on the american people than the vietnam war. Noble cause america and the vietnam war 00 edition. Now that ken burns pbs documentary has concluded, were rereading the classics of the vietnam wars literary canon.

A bright shining lie john paul vann and america in vietnam. But the whole time this is happening, you can imagine, johnson and the american military leaders in vietnam are telling the american people, oh, were fighting communism. He creditably shows that american fighting forces by and large did well on the battlefields of south vietnam, winning every important engagement against the viet cong. A noble cause america and the vietnam war 1st edition by gerard j. A noble cause presents an unbiased view of why the vietnam war was fought, how it was lost, and what effect it has had through analytical work and strong narrative, which offers a clear treatment of themes which have frequently been masked by sentiment or myth the military events, the political and strategic contexts, and the social. Niles macarthurs war, a novelist and fantasy game designer, unconvincingly attempts to argue that the american war in vietnam was, in ronald reagans words, a noble cause. I wanted to write a book that was not just about the fighting, but one which would also cover the political, social and cultural consequences of the war. The vietnam war and the father of lies, war, human. The united states fought the first one from 1959 to 1975 in. Apr 28, 2000 twentyfive years after the fall of saigon, most americans still feel that their countrys involvement in the vietnam war was a bad idea, according to a cbs news new york times poll. Was the vietnam war a tragic blunder, a noble cause, or a. Reviewed by john mcnay published on h war december, 2000 gerard j. His connecting thread is north vietnamese general vo nguyen giap, a remarkable figure who, with no formal military training, fashioned a ragtag militia into one of the.

We dishonor the memory of 50,000 young americans who died in that cause when we give way to feelings of guilt as if we were doing something shameful. For instance, in the 2004 presidential election, the vietnamera military service of both major candidates turned into a serious campaign issue. I wanted to write a book that was not just about the fighting, but one which would also cover the political, social and cultural consequences of. Davidson follows the entire course of the vietnam war, from the initial french skirmishes in 1946 to the dramatic fall of saigon nearly thirty years later. When we were growing up, the common definition was that a hero is someone who puts his or her life on the line for a noble cause. From his encounters with exvietnamese soldiers to interviews with victims of his own violence, broyles memoir is a reminder of how the brotherhood of man can.

Republican presidential candidate ronald reagan has been drawing fire from certain quarters for his recent affirmation that america fought for noble motives in vietnam. The lives of the wars survivors, in many cases, were scarred deeply. Was the vietnam war a tragic blunder, a noble cause or a. Phillip davidsons vietnam at war, for instance, is in truth a study of the big unit confrontations of the johnson and nixon years. More than a decade later, he returned to his former battlegrounds and recorded his journey in goodbye vietnam. The vietnam war mentions lost opportunities and hints at contradictions between stated and unstated aims, but on the whole it internalizes the cold war idiom of fighting for democracy and containing communism. Mar 19, 2015 when we were growing up, the common definition was that a hero is someone who puts his or her life on the line for a noble cause. The truth about the vietnam war, however, is that we fought it for a noble cause, and, in the end, sadly, by ceasing to believe in that cause and in ourselves, we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Buy cheap vietnam war textbooks online vietnam war.

There are two vietnam wars, and the second is still going 40 years after the first ended. Get an answer for was the vietnam war a tragic blunder, a noble cause or a disguised form of antidemocratic imperialism. An epic tragedy and geoffrey c wards the vietnam war, join the constantly growing list of titles on the conflict. In the decades after vietnam, we modified that and came up with an. Even today, many americans still ask whether the american effort in vietnam was a sin, a blunder, a necessary war, or a noble cause, or an idealistic, if failed, effort to protect the south vietnamese from totalitarian government. May 16, 2016 we dishonor the memory of 50,000 young americans who died in that cause when we give way to feelings of guilt as if we were doing something shameful. Winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, this debut novel could fit into half a dozen genres of vietnam war books from war narrative to immigrant story, from mystery to political, from metafiction to historical and even dark comedy. The lives of the war s survivors, in many cases, were scarred deeply. Winner of the coveted john esten cooke award for southern fiction, noble cause chronicles the clash of a confederate cavalry officer with a union spy as.

Civil rights and vietnam in the african american press by eldridge, lawerence allen isbn. Featuring newly available material, this brief collection of primarysource documents includes several neverbefore published and. It was designed to be a textbook for students studying the war, but also an enjoyable read. Back in 2000, i published a noble cause america and the vietnam war. Two new overviews of the war, max hastingss vietnam. The vietnam war would cost lyndon johnson his optimism, his presidency, and most of his legacy. Buy cheap vietnam war textbooks online vietnam war textbook. In the 21st century, americans still bitterly argue about the war. Like everyone else, historians continue to debate the. Twentyfive years after the fall of saigon, most americans still feel that their countrys involvement in the vietnam war was a bad idea, according to a cbs news new york times poll. A noble cause america and the vietnam war 9780582287174. But a glance at the table of contents quickly reveals the real interests of the author and the limitations of the subject matter. For instance, in the 2004 presidential election, the vietnam era military service of both major candidates turned into a serious campaign issue. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.

I served as chief of security for air america in thailand and vietnam from 19671975. Winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, this debut novel could fit into half a dozen genres of vietnam war books from war narrative to immigrant story, from mystery to political, from metafiction to. In the tradition of we were soldiers onceand young, a noble cause is a stirring tribute to the valor and courage of the allied forces in the vietnam war and a vivid recreation of hardwon battles from ia drang valley to khe sanh and hamburger hill. The soldier charged that people were dying because of americas pride won. Mar 21, 2018 the truth about the vietnam war, however, is that we fought it for a noble cause, and, in the end, sadly, by ceasing to believe in that cause and in ourselves, we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. America and the vietnam war, longman harlow, england, 2000. Waddy is an associate professor of history in the state university of new york and blogs at.

Before he penned the screenplays for jarhead and castaway, a young william broyles enlisted to serve in the vietnam war. Weaving together the histories of three distinct conflicts, phillip b. A history of americas involvement in and extrication from the vietnam war henry a. Aug 20, 2015 there are many books which claim to be definitive histories of the vietnam war. In 1971, a us navy veteran of the vietnam war testified before congress, telling senators why he turned against the war.

Buy a noble cause america and the vietnam war modern wars in perspective 01 by gerard j. America and the vietnam war is part of a series published by longman called modern wars in perspective. Buy a noble cause america and the vietnam war modern wars in perspective 01 by degroot, gerard j. In order to have a respectable understanding of the vietnam. Reviewed by john mcnay published on hwar december, 2000 gerard j. This is a free online textbook about the vietnam war by jerry degroot, a historian at the university of st andrews in scotland. The vietnam war is one of the most controversial and traumatic events in american history. In the tradition of we were soldiers onceand young, a noble cause is a stirring tribute to the valor and courage of the allied forces in the vietnam war and a vivid recreation of hardwon battles from ia drang valley to khe sanh and hamburger hill celebrating the skill and bravery of the united states armed forces and their south vietnamese allies, a noble cause presents a. Marciano sets out to debunk this noble cause myth which serves not only as the justification for the american war in vietnam, and the crimes committed in the course of that conflict, but also for.

Marciano reveals the grandiose flagwaving that stems from the noble cause principle, the notion that america is. And so his administration is really the heart of the vietnam war, when the war was really escalated. Its a powerful study which offers fresh insights into the communist revolution and military tactics, the flaws in us strategy and the legacy of the war. This intervention would become one of the most divisive decisions in u. Both are huge, doorstopping books covering the full arc of american involvement, from its very initial stages during the second world war to the ignominious evacuation of. An international history in documents places americas most controversial conflict in a broad, international context that reflects the experiences of north and south vietnam, china, and european nations, as well as the united states.