|
|
|
| Current Issue |
|
|
| Resources |
|
|
|
Marching Home Again
| Article
# : |
15222 |
|
|
Section : |
BOOK WORLD
|
| Issue
Date : |
8 / 1989 |
4,217 Words |
| Author
: |
Charles Wheeler
Charles Wheeler is assistant Commentary editor at the
Washington Times and a Vietnam veteran. |
THE WAGES OF WAR
When America's Soldiers Came Home--
From Valley Forge to Vietnam
Richard Severo and Lewis Milford
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989
437 pp., $21.95
It is generally acknowledged that Vietnam veterans received shameful treatment upon returning to these shores. Ambivalence if not outright hostility was the norm, a far cry from the delirious reception awaiting World War II veterans who fought this nation's last "good war."
In the two hundred years from the American Revolution to Vietnam, this nation's sons have fought ten wars, including the fratricidal conflict over slavery. Richard Severo and Lewis Milford make the case that the civilian cold shoulder after Vietnam was the rule for all of America's wars, World War II being the exception.
A large part of this book focuses on Vietnam and, specifically, on the controversy surrounding Agent Orange. The authors acknowledge that the impetus for this book was a determination to unveil their "special knowledge about the shameful role of the government" in the Agent Orange matter. But more about that later.
A fledgling nation
The book's most engaging chapters describe the period just after the American Revolution when a fledgling nation struggled to come to terms with its citizen soldiers who had prevailed over the British. When the war began, Congress offered food, clothing, and land to its fighting men. The promise of one hundred acres to enlisted men and five hundred acres to officers "did not seem extreme to those who were determined to get the British out." However, by war's end few official welcomes were lavished on the men, and congressional promises turned to parsimony.
With the British defeat at Yorktown more than a year old, Gen. George Washington in 1783 still commanded a force of 9,000 men and 550 officers. He was concerned because the revolution had reached an awkward stage: "not lost but not quite won, not threatening but not quite over, and certainly not paid for."
The issue of war debt hung heavy, with large sums owed both to veterans
...
Read Full Article
Look for this article in Ask.com
|
|
