The Vietnam War continues to haunt America's collective memory. With only the Civil War surpassing the Vietnam War in terms of national divisiveness, earlier discord continues as conflicting lessons from the Vietnam War are applied to current U.S. war policy.
Bruce O. Solheim provides a broad picture of the Vietnam War era at home and in Southeast Asia by combining historical narrative with biographical profiles and personal reflections, allowing the story to unfold in multiple layers, as seen from all sides of the conflict through the eyes of those who were actually involved.
In The Vietnam War Era, Solheim explores, and hopes to answer, vital questions about the American war in Vietnam. What lessons have Americans learned from our defeat, and how should we apply that knowledge in implementing current foreign policy? How do we fit the Vietnam War era into our greater historical narrative?
Bruce O. Solheim, a former U.S. Army aviator, is a professor of history and the volunteer veterans coordinator at Citrus College in Glendora, California. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including Women in Power: World Leaders since 1960 and The Nordic Nexus: A Lesson in Peaceful Security.