The Vietnam War- Forty Years Later
April 30th will mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam. Those who keep track of such things note U.S. involvement in that war lasted ten years, from 1965 to 1975. A generation later, how are Americans remembering and relating to this war that claimed nearly 60-thousand American soldiers and a countless number of Vietnamese? Vietnam seems easy to forget, with the Gulf war, Bosnia and the Afghanistan quagmire still in progress, not to mention the Iraq invasion which spawned the current crop of Muslim extremists known as ISIS. One new book addresses Vietnam in an interesting way: Through the eyes of an 18-year old, whose father was killed in the conflict. The novel, ‘When Saigon Surrendered’ is primarily set in 1975 Kentucky, when Americans were already anxious to forget Vietnam. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TNO3L5U The book also describes a Korean War veteran whose life has been affected by what was called ‘battle shock’ at the time, a malady currently known as PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is also a reminder of many changes that were unfolding in the ‘70’s: The rise of organic agriculture, recognition of pollution from the strip mining of coal and a shadowy crime which is just now getting political attention from congress: Human trafficking. The cynicism of Vietnam Vets is reflected in a local sheriff who has “learned not to take everything the government says too seriously,” as he heads up a plan to profit from the illicit distribution of moonshine.
The novel also takes us back to Tippi Hedren, of ‘The Birds’ fame; an actress who saw the plight of the Vietnamese ‘boat people’ and helped many of them get into the nail salon industry. Walk into any manicure shop today and odds are good it will be run by descendants of Vietnamese woman who found a new home in the United States.
http://www.npr.org/2012/06/14/154852394/with-polish-vietnamese-immigrant-community-thrives
The author of ‘When Saigon Surrendered’, James Aura says “Wars never end: They send shock waves down through the generations that follow.” In this year that marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War and 40 years since the end of the Vietnam War, those words resonate.
A little-known Vietnam War memorial: “The Moving Wall.”
http://www.tmwmuseum.com/
Coming to PBS on April 28th: American Experience- Last days in Vietnam
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/lastdays/
