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¶ … Legacy of Discord: Voices of the Vietnam War by Gil Dorland, published by Brassey's Inc., Washington.
The book was written in 2001, twenty-five years after the end of the Vietnam War, by a former military man, Gil Dorland. Dorland graduated from the U.S. Military Academy, served in two Vietnam tours, and received the Distinguished Service Cross for his service to his country. He now works as a screenwriter and an independent film producer in Hollywood (Biographical information from (www.brasseys.com).
The book was intended to present some sort of understanding of the causes and motivations behind the Vietnam War through interviews with eighteen people representing a variety of - often contradictory - viewpoints: interviews were conducted (by Gil Dorland) with Peter Arnett, Le Ly Hayslip, John McCain, Tom Polgar, Norman Swarzkopf, and William C. Westmoreland, amongst others (www.brasseys.com) i.e., with people who were responsible for planning the war, people who fought in the war, people who fought against the war, and also people who reported the war (www.brasseys.com).
The publishers have described the book as of great historic importance, for those veterans, students and others who seek to understand the complex causes, and interpretations of the war (www.brasseys.com).
The book takes the form of a series of interviews with key figures in the Vietnam War, some of whom were mentioned above. The interviews were conducted by Gil Dorland, who also provided an objective, concise, very informative, introduction to each interviewee, setting them in context within the framework of the...
consider using tactical nuclear weapons?'. Dorland's determination to 'get to the bottom of' what happened in Vietnam, and also his objectivity throughout the book are both impressive, considering his background, which includes military training and combat for his country.
On the whole, Dorland's style throughout is very much to inform his readers, with as little bias as possible, and he brings a refreshing new approach to the study of this sensitive area of American history. The quality of his writing, though, is questionable, although this minor criticism does pale into insignificance, due to the quality of the material that is presented here. The material is mostly presented in a narrative form, divided into sections according to interviewee: a more serious criticism is that I found that Dorland tried to include autobiographical details within the text rather too often, which often distracted from the purpose of the book, which is to present an unbiased set of interviews with key players in the conflict, in…
Bibliography, but I would not say it is a thorough one, nor an authoritative one. This also exposes the author as not being a good writer, and coming from a more journalistic, rather than academic, background. This is another complaint I had about the book. In terms of the index, this is also not very good, and does not allow an inquisitive reader to follow leads (strands) throughout the book.
In summary, this book has a noble aim, and on the whole is carried out very well, in an objective, unbiased manner. The book is also organized in a logical way, which allows the reader to review the information presented and to form their own opinions about the information presented there. On the whole, the book is informative, and gives a more in-depth and wider perspective on the Vietnam War than other books published in this subject. I would certainly recommend it to other students of history, of international relations, or just people worried about current American foreign policy.
Foreign Policy of President Reagan Before the disastrous Vietnam War, the U.S. held an undisputed dominant position worldwide, recognized locally as well as by other nations. The nation's historic actions towards defending freedom, by restraining the fascist faction during the Second World War, followed by organizing a large free-state coalition for combating communism, were supported by profound and sweeping domestic consensus. This consensus was destroyed by America's decision to wage war
The subjects were 613 injured Army personnel Military Deployment Services TF Report 13 admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center from March 2003 to September 2004 who were capable of completing the screening battery. Soldiers were assessed at approximately one month after injury and were reassessed at four and seven months either by telephone interview or upon return to the hospital for outpatient treatment. Two hundred and forty-three soldiers
We must canonize our own saints, create our own martyrs, and elevate to positions of fame and honor black women and men who have made their distinct contributions to our history." (Garvey1, 1) Taken in itself and absent the implications to African repatriation that we will address hereafter, this is a statement which seems to project itself upon both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, mutually driven as they would