More than forty years have passed since the official end of the Vietnam War, yet the war’s legacies endure. Its history and iconography still provide fodder for film and fiction, communities of war refugees have spawned a wide Vietnamese diaspora, and the United States military remains embroiled in unwinnable wars with eerie echoes of Vietnam. Looking Back on the Vietnam War brings together scholars from a broad variety of disciplines, who offer fresh insights on the war’s psychological, economic, artistic, political, and environmental impacts. Each essay examines a different facet of the war, from its representation in Marvel comic books to the experiences of Vietnamese soldiers exposed to Agent Orange. By putting these pieces together, the contributors assemble an expansive yet nuanced composite portrait of the war and its global legacies. Though they come from diverse scholarly backgrounds, ranging from anthropology to film studies, the contributors are united in their commitment to original research. Whether exploring rare archives or engaging in extensive interviews, they voice perspectives that have been excluded from standard historical accounts. Looking Back on the Vietnam War thus embarks on an interdisciplinary and international investigation to discover what we remember about the war, how we remember it, and why.

"For the first time, the physical and emotional problems that returning Veterans of WWII, Vietnam, Korea, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq are suffering are discussed openly and with heart-wrenching candor."--Cover p. [4].

Back From War: True Accounts told by American Soldiers and their Families is the harrowing narrative of 1st Lt. Lee Alley and his year in the horrors of combat in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam from 1967-1968 and his reflections on the years since. Additionally, it is the true accounts of twelve other contributors, their time at war and stories of their return home. All of them discuss feelings of maladjustment, loneliness, depression, bouts of PTSD and negative family repercussions that are similarly felt by many of our nations veterans of foreign wars. Lee Alley made a life for himself, but never spoke of his war experiences. Thirty-two years later, he and his brothers-in-arms began to reconnect and have recently begun to heal some of their suffering by gathering at veteran reunions. Lee Alleys message is clear: Americas soldiers are forever changed, but they are never alone. Back From War is dedicated to all veterans and their families as a guide for the readjustment to civilian life.

Masters, a member of 3 Troop, 10 Commando--a small British Army Commando unit comprised almost entirely of Jewish refugees--discusses how the unit formed, how members had to change their names and conceal their identities, the elaborate and grueling training sessions which prepared them for their part in the D-day invasion, and numerous battles and reconnaissance missions, offering glimpses into battlefronts in France, Italy and Holland. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

In a bloody gang initiation gone wrong, Former Marine Staff Sergeant Cal Stokes simultaneously loses his fiancé and is thrust into America's unforgiving criminal underbelly. Never one to back down, the Navy Cross winner is forced to use the skills honed in the Marines along with the assets of his deceased father's company, Stokes Security International (SSI), to track down his enemy and penetrate the world of his enemy.He must seek his own brand of justice...Corps Justice.

Charles Callan Tansill, America's diplomatic historian, convincingly argues that Franklin Roosevelt wished to involve the United States in World War II. When his efforts appeared to come to naught, Roosevelt provoked Japan into an attack on American territory, and so doing enter the war through the "back door".

From 1960 to 1973, the United States and the communist powers waged a hidden war in Laos, which led ultimately to the catastrophe of the Vietnam War. Warner's groundbreaking book offers the first full account of this secret war, based on his access to previously closed files and to interviews with intelligence players, military officers and government officials who have not spoken out before.