We've seen the films produced by Hollywood that provided images of Vietnam to the un -involved public and the two generations that have followed the participants. They have names we know, even if we haven't seen the films: Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Apocalypse Now, The Green Berets,Forrest Gump, and many others.
Most of these films had characters who were directly involved in combat operations. Scenes depicted jungle trails, muddy rivers, tropical landscapes, and Asians in native garb. Rarely was the soldier seen outside of these tropical settings. Prof. lair takes an historians approach to the other landscape of Vietnam: that of the noncombatant soldier who supported the infantrymen wherever they were sent to conduct operations. Some of her facts are hard to appreciate because they contradict most of what we know. She states that only about 15% of Vietnam veterans actually served in conflict areas, and the other 85% served in rear or "secure" areas often guarded by line infantrymen on a limited standown from patrolling or engaging Communist NVA soldiers. Prof. Lair takes pains to describe the appearance of the rear areas as recreations of a Stateside military base complete with PXs, movie theaters, swimming pools, and even 'clubs' for serving alcohol along with 'entertainment'. Because of the long coastal littoral of the country, beachfront R& R facilities were often the best places for recreation and recuperation. The warm tropical waters and the fine white sand matched the visions of many a soldier when assigned to a coastal locale.
Her research uncovered amazing dollar figures that indicated vast amounts of soldiers' pay was spent at the PX's sprinkled around the country. The vast MACV base at Long Binh had at one time almost 80,000 inhabitants most of whom were 'not' allowed even to carry a weapon! They enjoyed working shifts from 8am to 5pm with access to restaurant style mess halls with choices of various delights EVERYDAY. As a bonus, after a number of months in country, a serviceman could take a vacation from 'combat zone rigors' and visit, at Uncle Sam's expense, a foreign country for a change of scenery. Examples include Australia, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and even Hawaii. ( A few daredevils actually hopped flights to the West Coast to meet wives and girlfriends, unofficially). For many infantrymen, the only escape was a serious wound which required extensive hospital time back in the States. Rarely did a line grunt get transferred to the support units in the 'rear'- he was too valuable a commodity of which there was never enough to go around. Few infantry units ever operated near there listed unit manning levels. Most in the field operated at about 60% levels or less.
Now with an all volunteer Army/military, the Pentagon feels compelled to carry on this facade of stateside life that has defined the deployed American military for almost 50 years. In Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Professor Lair, the conditions in base camps are even better than in Vietnam. With modern communications, deployed troops can instantly share their personal experiences with a wide audience.
Her book will open many eyes; many of those eyes will see a military they never knew existed.
Five Stars *****
contains photos, appendix, and references w/ bibliography
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