1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910777693903321

Autore

Ybarra Lea

Titolo

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

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Austin, : University of Texas Press, 2004

ISBN

0-292-79849-0

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (263 p.)

Disciplina

959.704/3/09236872073

Soggetti

Vietnam War, 1961-1975 - Participation, Mexican American

Vietnam War, 1961-1975

Vietnam War, 1961-1975 - Veterans - United States

Veterans - United States

Mexican American soldiers - Vietnam

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Includes index.

Nota di contenuto

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

Sommario/riassunto

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.