Vietnam War Research Articles

Verses of Despair (Robert Bly’s Poetics between Idealism and Naturalism)

The Vietnam War generated a major outpouring of American antiwar poetry that served as a powerful medium of expressing dissent and disillusionment with the war. One of many American poets who extensively contributed to the antiwar poetry movement during the war is Robert Bly. While Bly’s poetics are often appreciated for their revolutionary fervor, there exists a subtle and concealed naturalist streak in his poetry that deserves further exploration. The scholarly marginalization of such an aspect of his literary legacy undermines the richness and complexity of Bly’s poetic vision. This paper seeks to identify moments of rupture that challenge Bly’s idealized poetics of antiwar stance, moments that strike a naturalistic chord that capitalizes on the pessimistic belief that the world and politics are outside of one’s own control. Through a naturalistic theoretical framework, the paper looks closely at two of Bly’s lesser-known poems: “The World is a Confusion of Three Worlds” (1960) and “The Approaching War” (2003), written respectively in reference to the Vietnam and Iraq Wars. The significance of this study lies in deepening our understanding of the breadth and width of Bly’s poetics and politics, illustrating the potential and limitation of his antiwar stance and rhetoric. It also helps rectify the prevailing misconception that naturalism is irrelevant in the late twentieth century’s evolving literary styles of expression.

Repatriation via Saigon

Abstract The South Korean Vietnam War deployment (1965–73), typically understood as a mercenary expedition, was also an exercise in the management of refugees and other displaced populations. While the South Korean Army managed its own refugee villages in South Vietnam, the overseas dispatch of military labor also promised to ameliorate the problem of mass displacement at home, an ongoing legacy of the Korean War (1950–53). The northern exile writer Sŏnu Hwi (1922–1986) was a notable proponent of this vision of the war as a frontier, framing Vietnam as a surrogate for an inaccessible North Korea and an outlet for the social contradictions of Cold War developmentalism in South Korea. Focusing on the embedded novel Wave to the Mekong River (1966–67), this article argues that Sŏnu's expansionist fantasy deviated from official justifications of Vietnam as a war for development. At the same time, it suggests, Sŏnu's ideological equalization of exile and displacement also informed an emergent antiwar literature showing that the deployment aggravated, rather than resolved, the marginalization of mobilized youth.

The American War in Vietnam: Oral Histories

Abstract: The essay explores the complex realities of the Vietnam War from two perspectives: one is a U.S. Marine Corps correspondent, and the other is an underground operative for a South Vietnamese revolutionary group. Max Belcher, the marine, tells the story of his service, the civil unrest in the United States, and the solidarity of soldiers in the field during an unpopular war. Nguyễn Thị Năm Thanh speaks about her experiences as a female revolutionary in South Vietnam and her arrest and imprisonment.

Race in the Crucible of War: African American Servicemen and the War in Vietnam

Race in the Crucible of War: African American Servicemen and the War in Vietnam

The Vietnam War and Its End: An Attempt at a Philosophical View Half a Century Later

The Vietnam War and Its End: An Attempt at a Philosophical View Half a Century Later

Records and Memories of the Vietnam War: Focusing on the Dinh Q. Lê

Records and Memories of the Vietnam War: Focusing on the Dinh Q. Lê

The Shifting Contours of Nostalgia, Homelessness, and Homecoming: Vietnam War Veterans’ Identity

At the end of the Vietnam War, after the U.S. veterans returned to their homeland, they were rejected by their own society and hence experienced an inner state of homelessness. Having faced everyday humiliation and monotonous life in their homeland, they longed for Vietnam where they were once important and desired to return there as tourists now. In this journey of life, they turned out to be existential characters who embody the predicament of existence. In this reflective piece, we use Martin Heidegger’s critical phenomenological concepts of homelessness, being and dasein to make sense of the predicament of the veterans’ return to Vietnam. Drawing on our extensive conversation with them, we reflect on their being: how they are exiled at their homeland, but felt at home upon return to Vietnam; and relatedly, how the ever-changing contours of nostalgia, homelessness, and homecoming bear upon their identity.

SPEAKING BODIES, VISIBLE VOICES: NARRATIVE TENSION IN COPPOLA’S APOCALYPSE NOW: REDUX (2001)

Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now: Redux (2001), a 2001 re-release of his 1979 Vietnam War epic, sparked significant discussions among both academic scholars and mainstream media. The extended version, which features almost an hour-long addition of new scenes, challenged the question of the film’s continued relevance within the evolving Hollywood industry. While the original version may have highlighted the horror and dehumanization of the Vietnam War, it was also criticized for depicting women as one-dimensional sexual objects and effectively silencing their voices. However, by utilizing Verstraten’s notion of filmic narrative, Mulvey’s visual pleasure, and Stark’s narrative voicelessness, this research aims to show how narrative tension is displayed in Apocalypse Now: Redux and how it highlights the representation of the female characters’ subjectivity. We argue that the Redux version offers a notable difference from the stereotypical portrayal of women in war film. By incorporating the newly added scenes, Apocalypse Now: Redux provides the female characters with more agency and individuality, allowing them to move beyond the limitation of being mere decorations.

Deviant Cohesion and Unauthorized Atrocities: Evidence from the American War in Vietnam

Why do soldiers engage in unauthorized atrocities? This article explores this question by analyzing the use of postmortem mutilation by American soldiers during the Vietnam War. I show that such acts were remarkably frequent, despite being explicitly prohibited by military policy, and argue that individual-level variation in participation in such violence is explained by social dynamics within military units. Soldiers used mutilation mostly as a means of avenging enemy atrocities or deaths among comrades. Revenge motives were stronger when soldiers shared particularly strong social bonds. Whether these motives resulted in unauthorized atrocity, however, depended on the extent to which discipline was maintained within military units. In units characterized by “deviant cohesion”—strong social ties and weak discipline—informal combatant norms diverged from organizational policies and promoted unauthorized atrocities as a unit-level practice. Evidence for this theory comes from a combination of archival sources and survey data gathered from a representative sample of Vietnam War veterans. A case study of a single Army unit illustrates the mechanism implied by the theory.

The sound of war: A comparison between Apocalypse Now (1979) and Farha (2021)

For a long time, filmmakers have used war movies as a potent tool for probing the human condition, the results of battle, and the psychological effects of war on individuals and communities. While Apocalypse Now (1979) by Francis Ford Coppola and Farha (2021) by the contemporary director Darin Sallam both explore the raw reality of battle, they were made decades apart. In this comparison, we will look at how both movies use sound to express the fright and tragedy of battle. This study examines the political context, setting, style of music, style of direction, and conclusion of two war films and finds many points of similarity between them. The argument made in this report is that regardless of the historical and contextual distinctions between the Vietnam War and the Palestinian Nakba, Apocalypse Now and Farha successfully portray the experiences of people and the long-lasting effects of war, surpassing the particular actual incidents they present.

The Women: A Rarely Told War Story.

A gripping read about U.S. Army nurses during the Vietnam War.

The Postmodern Narrative Techniques in Tim O'Brien's "How to Tell a True War Story"

The Vietnam War had an irreversible negative impact on the United States, Vietnam, and the world at large. Its effects extended beyond geopolitics and seeped into the domain of literature, where numerous works have profoundly depicted and contemplated the conflict. Tim O'Brien's "How to Tell a True War Story" stands as a prime example of such literature, set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Drawing on Jean-Franois Lyotard's theory of postmodern metanarratives, this paper examines how O'Brien employs postmodern narrative techniques that diverge from traditional grand narratives to articulate the essence of his war fiction. Upon analysis, the paper contends that Tim O'Brien adopts the narrative mode of metafiction, blending narrative and commentary texts alongside real and fictive elements. By doing so, he seeks to alert readers to the constructed nature of both the textual and real worlds, encouraging them to perceive war through the lens of individuals' traumatic war experiences.

SOVIET SERVICEMEN IN LOCAL WARS OF THE 2nd HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY (ON THE EXAMPLE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF BELARUS): HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL ASPECT

The article contains the description of main directions of the study of the representatives of Belarus who took part in local wars and military conflicts in 1950 – 1980th on the territory of foreign states as Soviet servicemen and civilian specialists. Author describes how to detect the main categories of warriors (military advisers, military specialists, interpreters, etc.; officers, junior commanders, privates) in different countries, the specifics of Soviet participation in different military conflicts and it’s intensification at different stages. For example the author uses wars in Vietnam, Angola, Ethiopia and Arab-Israeli wars.

Amex: Discord and Unity in the Canadian Vietnam-Era Anti-Draft Movement, 1969-1971

During the American Vietnam War of the 1960s and early 1970s, a movement dedicated to opposing the draft and assisting both draft dodgers and deserters emerged within Canada, where many of these war resisters immigrated. Exile groups were organizations in the anti-draft movement consisting entirely of American war resisters. One prominent exile newsletter was Amex: The American Expatriate in Canada. Amex’s reactions to events in the Canadian antidraft movement during its second volume (1969–1971) demonstrate how despite frequently criticizing other organizations and individuals within the movement, it ultimately advocated for unity. The newsletter's views on discord and unity within the anti-draft movement are representative of the larger movement’s success in maintaining cohesion despite disputes.

Risk of myeloproliferative neoplasms among U.S. Veterans from Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf War eras.

The Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act expanded U.S. Veterans' health care and benefits for conditions linked to service-connected exposures (e.g., Burn Pits, Agent Orange). However, myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are not recognized as presumptive conditions for Veterans exposed to these toxic substances. This study evaluated the development of MPN among U.S. Veterans from the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf War eras. This retrospective cohort study included 65 425 Korean War era Veterans; 211 927 Vietnam War era Veterans; and 214 007 Persian Gulf War era Veterans from January 1, 2006, to January 26, 2023. Veterans with MPN, thrombosis, bleeding, and cardiovascular risk factors were identified through ICD-9 and -10 codes. Veterans from the Persian Gulf War era had the highest risk of developing MPN compared with Veterans from the Korean and Vietnam War eras, hazard ratio (HR) 4.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.20-5.75 and HR 2.49, 95% CI 2.20-2.82, both p < .0001, respectively. Vietnam War era Veterans also had a higher risk of MPN development compared with Korean War era Veterans, HR 1.97, 95% CI 1.77-2.21, p < .0001. Persian Gulf War era Veterans were diagnosed with MPN at an earlier age, had higher risks of thrombosis and bleeding, and had lower survival rates compared with Korean War and Vietnam War era Veterans. This study reinforces evidence that environmental and occupational hazards increase the risk of clonal myeloid disorders and related complications, impacting overall survival with MPN. Limitations include the inability to confirm clonality and fully verify deployment and exposure status.

Do appraisals of military service indicate current distress in aging Vietnam War combat veterans?

Appraisals of military service, both desirable and undesirable, assessed via Elder and Clipp's (1989) scale, are associated with psychological distress in veterans. Aging combat veterans (CV) are at increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder and other psychological disorders yet may underreport symptoms and not seek treatment that could be beneficial. It is unknown whether desirable and undesirable appraisals of military service are associated with mental health outcomes above and beyond typical risk and protective factors, such as age, education, and combat exposure. Therefore, we examined associations between appraisals of military service and assessments of psychological distress in Vietnam War CV, currently the largest cohort of aging veterans. Male Vietnam War CV aged 60 and older (n = 134) were selected from a larger study. Regression analyses examined the associations between appraisals of military service and measures of physical and psychological well-being and distress. Both desirable and undesirable appraisals of military service exhibited associations with measures of psychological distress, with undesirable appraisals being more strongly associated with distress than desirable appraisals. In regression analyses, appraisals were related to mental health outcomes over and above covariates. In addition, appraisals were more strongly related to psychological versus physical well-being measures, with undesirable appraisals more strongly related to mental health and well-being measures than desirable appraisals. Assessing appraisals of military service may identify veterans experiencing psychological distress who may benefit from referral for psychological interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Do Appraisals of Military Service Indicate Current Distress in Aging Vietnam War Combat Veterans?

Supplemental Material for Do Appraisals of Military Service Indicate Current Distress in Aging Vietnam War Combat Veterans?

Melioidosis and Activation from Latency: The "Time Bomb" Has Not Occurred.

Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis has long been considered able to exist in a latent form. Seropositivity among U.S. soldiers returning from the Vietnam conflict led to melioidosis being dubbed "the Vietnamese time bomb." Cases assigned to "(re)activation from latency" over 30 years of the Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study (DPMS) were reviewed and reassessed and additional cases from DPMS years 31-34 were added. Historical reports of melioidosis attributed to activation from latency were reviewed. Some earlier DPMS cases and most historical cases described as activation from latency more accurately reflect undiagnosed chronic melioidosis, often with relapsing-remitting courses, rather than truly latent, asymptomatic infection. Such protracted disease should now be diagnosable much earlier, provided melioidosis is considered and laboratory facilities are available. The longest plausible duration of asymptomatic latency remains 29 years. In conclusion, activation from latency is a rare event in melioidosis, accounting in our analysis for under 3% of DPMS cases, consistent with why the Vietnamese time bomb never eventuated.

Effects of dioxin exposure on reproductive and thyroid hormone levels and male sexual function in airbase military workers in Vietnam.

Dioxins are endocrine disruptors that may disturb male sexual and reproductive function. Studies on human populations are limited, and their results are controversial. This study evaluated the impact of dioxin exposure on reproductive and thyroid hormone levels and sexual function in men. A total of 140 men working in four military airbases (three bases were formerly contaminated with dioxin by the herbicide spraying campaign in the Vietnam War) were recruited to measure the serum dioxin levels. Four reproductive hormones (testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and prolactin) and three thyroid hormones (free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxin (FT4), and thyroid stimulating hormone) were measured. Male sexual function endpoints including sexual drive, erection, ejaculation, problems, and overall satisfaction were assessed by the Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory. The percentage of subjects with low testosterone and LH levels was 19.6% and 16.7%, respectively. Dioxins, especially 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-P-dioxin and toxic equivalent concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/polychlorinated dibenzofurans, were inversely associated with testosterone and prolactin levels, but positively associated with FT3 and FT4, and showed adverse relationships with sexual function, such as sexual drive, problems, and overall satisfaction. Our results suggested that exposure to dioxin disrupts the homeostasis of reproductive and thyroid hormones leading to adverse effects on male sexual function.

Awareness and ‘memory’ of the Vietnam War among nurse officers who participated in the Vietnam War - Focusing on the Oral history of nurse officers participating in the Vietnam War

Awareness and ‘memory’ of the Vietnam War among nurse officers who participated in the Vietnam War - Focusing on the Oral history of nurse officers participating in the Vietnam War