They Were Soldiers: The Sacrifices and Contributions of Our Vietnam Veterans

New York Times bestselling author Joseph Galloway and coauthor Marvin Wolf bring to life the inspirational stories of Vietnam veterans who returned home from the “lost war” to enrich America’s present and future.   Over 58,000 active-duty men and women lost their lives in Vietnam. Those who survived returned to a bitterly divided country where hostility toward the war spilled onto its warriors. For decades, those who served in Vietnam were shunned by the American public and ignored by their government. Many were vilified and struggled to reintegrate into a society that was convinced they were dangerous or demented. Vietnam veterans have not received their due. Until now.  In this groundbreaking, new book, Joseph Galloway, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Soldiers Once … and Young, and award-winning author Marvin J. Wolf—both veterans of Vietnam—present forty-eight profiles of those who bravely served. Their war experiences, the responses they received upon returning home, and the astonishing contributions they made in the years following are brought to life with captivating detail. Included among these heroes are Frederick Wallace (“Fred”) Smith who was awarded the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts then came home to found FedEx; Eileen Moore, a former combat nurse and current appellate judge who founded Veterans Working Group for California Courts; and John Balaban, who served with the International Voluntary Services then became the impetus behind the preservation of a nearly-extinct ancient Vietnamese writing system.   The diversity and range of these fascinating stories provide a revelatory and engrossing new perspective on the Vietnam War. Beautifully written, They Were Soldiers is a tour de force certain to launch a new interest in the “lost war.”