Paul Benedikt Glatz is independent scholar.
Description
Introduction: Reconstructing a Marginalized History Chapter 1: Stepping Out: The Appearance of American Deserters and the International Debate on War Refusal Chapter 2: The Deserters' 1968: Exile Organizing, Politicization and the Struggle for Recognition Chapter 3: Asylum and Exile: Consolidation of the Swedish Sanctuary, Community Building and Exile Culture Chapter 4: Amnesty: Deserters and the Debate over Clemency, Exoneration, and Vindication of Vietnam War Resisters Conclusion: History, Memory and Activism
Reviews
Today, in the United States, there is a move to whitewash the tragedy, disaster, and criminality of the U.S. war against Vietnam. Vietnam's Prodigal Heroes shows the viewpoint of soldiers who were actually there, as well as others who were at risk of being sent there and chose to desert. Glatz has left no stone unturned in his efforts to portray a realistic view of deserters, one not often presented to the general public. This book will help to defeat the sanctimonious pronouncements of today's politicians. -- Robert Fantina, independent scholar Here, at last, is the go-to book on a major, unique, and scandalously neglected feature of the Vietnam War: the organized international movement of American deserters. Paul Benedikt Glatz's scholarship is meticulous, insightful, and well-balanced. His fluency in several languages allows him to explore-and bring to life-the battles swirling around the deserters in several nations. All future work on the Americans who deserted the Vietnam War will owe a great debt to this invaluable book. -- H. Bruce Franklin, professor emeritus, Rutgers University; author of Crash Course: From the Good War to the Forever War