"A rich and powerful collection of voices that gives us a moving history of the Vietnam War. These stories take us back to that tumultuous time, but also make us think hard about today. Clearly one of the best oral histories of the war and its aftermath." (Robert K. Brigham, author of Iraq, Vietnam, and the Limits of American Power)
"The experiences related in this volume span the Vietnam War from its real beginning in the 1950s to its disastrous end twenty years later. Its range goes beyond the usual collection of Vietnam War stories, including memories of Saigon in the early days of the Diem regime, prisoners of war in Hanoi, Hmong fighters on the Lao border. A sober warning against military intervention, it makes painful, if necessary reading in this time of ongoing wars of equal futility." (Marilyn B. Young, author of The Vietnam Wars, 1945–1990)
"Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories is one of the very best oral histories of the Vietnam War. These veterans' heartfelt recollections make the reader feel, smell, and taste what life was like for ordinary young Americans sent to fight thousands of miles from home." (Robert D. Schulzinger, author of A Time for War: The United States and Vietnam, 1941-1975)
"The testimonies of these Wisconsin veterans confront us with the hard realities of our longest and most wrenching foreign war and may, if we listen, help us toward the full reckoning we've yet to achieve." (Christian G. Appy, author of Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered From All Sides)
"A poignant and painful account of the nation's most divisive war as seen through the eyes of 40 Wisconsin Vietnam veterans. From the U.S. advisory role to the French in the 1950s, to the brutal combat at Khe Sanh and Hue in the late 1960s, to the arduous ordeal of POWs, this oral history touches a nerve that needs to be stirred. While we can't bring back the 1,239 Wisconsin fathers, brothers, sons, uncles, friends and neighbors who died during the war, we can open our hearts to the 140,000 who are still among us. And thank them, too, for their service and sacrifice. You will be deeply moved by their powerful stories." (Veteran Doug Bradley, Information Office, USARV–Long Binh, 1970–1971)
"Thanks to this wonderful collection, we are able to discover previously untold stories of combat, camaraderie, and the challenges of dealing with wartime experiences. Strength, sorrow, triumph and tragedy: this powerful book has it all. It is a timeless testament to Wisconsin’s fighting men and women." (Retired Brigadier General Andrew M. Schuster, Administrator, Division of Veterans Services, Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs)
"Each one of us Vietnam veterans was just a part of a multi-million piece puzzle. When you put all the pieces together you begin to understand that our own personal time, places and events were a rather minor event! Taken all together it was just one huge struggle that we all had to survive and come back to 'The World.' This book shows the enormity of that puzzle called 'Vietnam.'. . . To the Wisconsin Vietnam veterans interviewed I say thank you for your service and welcome home. I'm proud to have served with you all." (Veteran Donald Thies, B Company, 2/506th, 101st Airborne, 1970–1971)
"An old TV police drama began with 'here are eight million stories in the naked city.' As this book shows there were three million stories in Vietnam. Whether they were drafted or enlisted, came from the city or the farm, served on land or on water, were there in '65 or '69, every veteran has a different story to tell. This book covers the gamut. Vietnam veterans should read this book because it will help fill in their gaps in the history of the war. If there is a common theme throughout their stories, it is that these veterans were treated very poorly upon their return home and many still suffer today from this maltreatment. Hopefully, by illuminating this sad chapter in American history we can ensure that it will never happen again and that all future veterans will be welcomed home with open arms." (John Rowan, President and CEO, Vietnam Veterans of America)