Vietnam veteranos : Chicanos recall the war / Lea Ybarra ; foreword by Edward James Olmos.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ybarra, Lea.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Participation, Mexican American.

Vietnam War, 1961-1975.

Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American.

Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Veterans--United States.

Veterans--United States.

Veterans.

Mexican American soldiers--Vietnam.

Mexican American soldiers.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (263 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, 2004.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

One of the most decorated groups that served in the Vietnam War, Chicanos fought and died in numbers well out of proportion to their percentage of the United States' population. Yet despite this, their wartime experiences have never received much attention in either popular media or scholarly studies. To spotlight and preserve some of their stories, this book presents substantial interviews with Chicano Vietnam veterans and their families that explore the men's experiences in combat, the war's effects on the Chicano community, and the veterans' postwar lives. Lea Ybarra groups the interviews topically to bring out different aspects of the Chicano vets' experiences. In addition to discussing their involvement in and views on the Vietnam War, the veterans also reflect on their place in American society, American foreign policy, and the value of war. Veterans from several states and different socioeconomic classes give the book a broad-based perspective, which Ybarra frames with sociological material on the war and its impact on Chicanos.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PART ONE. The Vietnam War and the Mexican American Community

1. Introduction

PART TWO. Veterans Recall the War

2. Idealism, Patriotism, and Politics

3. A Matter of Conscience

4. Psychological and Medical Issues in the Aftermath of Vietnam

5. The Impact of War on Family

PART THREE. Overview of Issues Discussed by the Veterans

6. The Impact of Differing Levels of Political and Cultural Awareness

7. Psychological and Medical Problems

8. What Did It All Mean?

9. Conclusion

10. The Darkness of War

Notes

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

0-292-79849-0

OCLC:

320323880