The Turning: A History of Vietnam Veterans Against the War

272 Pages·1999·1.34 MB·English

by  Andrew E. Hunt

The Turning

The Turning
A History of Vietnam Veterans
Against the War
Andrew E. Hunt
a
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
© 1999 by New York University
All rights reserved
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hunt,Andrew E.,1968–
The turning :a history ofVietnam Veterans Against the War /
byAndrew Hunt.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8147-3581-9 (cloth :alk.paper)
1.Vietnam Veterans Against the War—History. 2.Vietnamese
Conflict,1961–1975—Protest movements—United States.
3.Veterans—United States—Political activity—History—20th century.
I.Title.
DS559.62.U6 H86 1999
959.704'31—dc21 99-6137
CIP
New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,
and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.
Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Lori

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1 The Highest Form ofPatriotism 5
2 To Redeem the Promise Lost 33
3 The War ItselfIs a War Crime 55
4 Prelude to an Incursion 77
5 The Turning 94
6 The Spirit of’71 120
7 The Last Patrol 143
8 Making Peace 167
9 Reflections 191
Notes 203
Bibliography 243
Index 251
About the Author 259
vii

Acknowledgments
A book is seldom a solitary endeavor. Numerous people as-
sisted me in my effort to conceive and write this history. First, I would
like to thank Robert Goldberg,of the University of Utah.I am proud to
count him as my Ph.D. chair, longtime mentor, and close friend. Those
who know and respect Goldberg’s writings will instantly detect his influ-
ence in these pages.Without his constant encouragement, criticism, in-
sight, and guidance, this work would have been much poorer.“Bob,”as
his students call him,made my graduate school years exciting.He steered
me to the sixties,and I thank him for that.
Other people deserve thanks for reading the manuscript in its entirety
and for giving me constructive feedback. Eric Hinderaker, Edward J.
Davies III, Mike Davis, Marvin Gettleman, Rebecca Horn, and Peter
Philips read the manuscript and offered invaluable suggestions and in-
sights.
Throughout the research,I benefited from the cooperation ofthe State
Historical Society ofWisconsin.The staffat the SHSW were always cour-
teous and helpful,and they made the job ofsifting through the archives a
pleasant one.The Hoover Institution at Stanford University and the Ban-
croft Library at Berkeley yielded additional material. Grants from the
Marriner S. Eccles Foundation and the Steffensen-Cannon Humanities
Fellowship program sustained me through those difficult years of gradu-
ate school.
A number of individuals helped me initiate the research by offering
suggestions and advice. The Internet proved a useful starting point. For
helping me launch the project,I would like to thank Linda Alband,Paul
Buhle, Ben Chitty, Jack Mallory, Barry Romo, Mike Davis, Dave Kohr,
John O’Connor, Don Mabry, Vince Gotera, Jonathan Shay, Joe Urgo,
Maurice Isserman,and the ubiquitous Jan Barry.Stacks ofmaterial at the
Vietnam Veterans Against the War national office in Chicago became ac-
cessible thanks to Barry Romo.Barry also allowed me to stay at his house
ix