The Vietnam War was one of the most controversial wars in American history, as many Americans opposed the United States' involvement in the war. The draft, which forced certain young men to fight in the war, even if they didn't want to, was particularly controversial. At the time, women were not allowed to fight in the military, but many worked directly in the conflict as nurses and administrators. Through fascinating and poignant interviews, this book tells the stories of six courageous women who served in the Vietnam War as they narrate their fascinating and sometimes difficult memories of the conflict.

Beyond Combat investigates how the Vietnam War both reinforced and challenged the gender roles that were key components of American Cold War ideology. Refocusing attention onto women and gender paints a more complex and accurate picture of the war's far-reaching impact beyond the battlefields. Encounters between Americans and Vietnamese were shaped by a cluster of intertwined images used to make sense of and justify American intervention and use of force in Vietnam. These images included the girl next door, a wholesome reminder of why the United States was committed to defeating Communism, and the treacherous and mysterious 'dragon lady', who served as a metaphor for Vietnamese women and South Vietnam. Heather Stur also examines the ways in which ideas about masculinity shaped the American GI experience in Vietnam and, ultimately, how some American men and women returned from Vietnam to challenge homefront gender norms.

Why did American women go to Vietnam? What were their lives like in the war zone, and after they came home?" A Time Remembered" provides answers to these questions and more, and pays tribute to these patriots. Photos.

Cry, laugh, and share women’s Vietnam war experiences in their own words in this collection of stories, poems, and pictures of the Women Who Served. Over 11,000 women from America, New Zealand, and Australia went to Vietnam as nurses, American Red Cross workers, physical therapists, entertainers, librarians, and more.Ride along in a helicopter on a Christmas Day mission of the heart with Army pilots and American Red Cross Donut Dollies, in Vietnam, 1969. Meet Gary’s angel, a physical therapist who a wounded soldier found over three decades later to tell her, “thank you.” Take a trip back to the war with a woman when she finds her true love, a soldier fighting in Nam. Experience the war through a nurse’s eyes. Learn where the veterans are today. Read about the Australians and New Zealanders who served in Vietnam. Find out why male Vietnam veterans think the women who nursed, comforted, entertained, or just talked with them were Angels in Vietnam.Forward by David Hackworth, author of About Face and Steel My Soldiers’ Hearts.Jan Hornung is the author of This Is The Truth As Far As I Know, I Could Be Wrong and KISS the Sky: Helicopter Tales. www.geocities.com/vietnamfront

Norman tells the dramatic story of fifty women--members of the Army, Navy, and Air Force Nurse Corps--who went to war, working in military hospitals, aboard ships, and with air evacuation squadrons during the Vietnam War. Here, in a moving narrative, the women talk about why they went to war, the experiences they had while they were there, and how war affected them physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Enhanced with timeline, photos, sidebars, and index, this informative book offers young readers an in-depth look at the role women played during the Vietnam War in their various capacities and the courageous sacrifices they made to help others and boost morale.

American military leaders were reluctant to send women abroad during the Vietnam War due to the unpredictable nature of guerilla warfare. There were no battle lines and no one knew when or where the next attack would strike. Yet many American women wanted to serve their country by supporting deployed troops and making a difference where they could. By the end of the war, approximately 11,000 military women had served in Southeast Asia along with an unknown number of American civilian women. All of the women who participated in the Vietnam War were volunteers. This is a story of American women who were recruited to be part of a secret mission to disguise themselves as Vietnamese and act as close-range snipers on warlords and generals. Successful missions reduced the flow of guns and drugs saving the lives of countless American troops.