Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam

At the heart of BOOTS ON THE GROUND are Partridge's interviews with five American soldiers, an infantry medic, an Army nurse, and a Vietnamese refugee. Military Advisor Mike Horan was a foster kid who joined the Marines after high school and was captured by the North Vietnamese. Mexican American Gilbert de la O thought fighting for his country would mean people would "treat me right" when he came home. Machine Gunner Henry Allen had been trained in nonviolence by Martin Luther King, Jr. but found he "lost compassion" during his time in Vietnam. Medic Tom Kelly continually risked his life to rescue wounded soldiers in the field. Infantryman Jan Scruggs’ determination that those who died in Vietnam would always be remembered would lead to the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Green Beret David Oshiro was called a "gook" more times than he could count. Chinese Italian Nurse Lily Lee Adams treated some of the most desperately wounded soldiers and civilians. Hoa Thi Nguyen was 18 when Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese and she was forced to flee with her mother and three younger siblings. Additional chapters focus on the policies of presidents John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon and the anti-war movement. Chapters on the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial include an interview with the memorial’s designer, Maya Lin. A senior at Yale when she won the competition, her Asian American heritage made her a controversial choice. An Epilogue lets readers know what became of the men and women interviewed for the book.