The African American Experience in Vietnam
Brothers in Arms
By (author) James E. Westheider Series edited by Jacqueline M. Moore, Nina Mjagkij
Publication date:
20 July 2007Length of book:
200 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9780742545328
In this book James E. Westheider explores the social and professional paradoxes facing African-American soldiers in Vietnam. Service in the military started as a demonstration of the merits of integration as blacks competed with whites on a near equal basis for the first time. Military service, especially service in Vietnam, helped shape modern black culture and fostered a sense of black solidarity in the Armed Forces. But as the war progressed, racial violence became a major problem for the Armed Forces as they failed to keep pace with the sweeping changes in civilian society. Despite the boasts of the Department of Defense, personal and institutional racism remained endemic to the system. Westheider tells this story expertly and accessibly by providing the history and background of African American participation in the U.S. Armed Forces then following all the way through to the experience of African Americans returning home from the Vietnam war.
Westheider analyzes the intersection of racial politics at home and in Vietnam, Civil Rights and the antiwar movement, the promise of equality with the reality of continued discrimination, and ultimately, the attempts to remedy those problems. This is both an excellent introduction to the topic, and a great addition to anyone who has begun studying Blacks in the military. Again, Westheider has provided us with an outstanding resource.