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Bloods Black Veterans of the Vietnam War An Oral History Wallace Terry Books

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Bloods Black Veterans of the Vietnam War An Oral History Wallace Terry Books

I remember seeing this book as a teenager over 30 years ago in a local mall’s Walden Bookstore. I’m sure I passed on the book in favor of a World War II book. All these years later, I immediately recognized the cover of this book (a Soldier/Marine throwing a grenade) in a list of suggested Vietnam books and felt compelled to finally read it … I’m glad I did.

The first book I ever bought about the Vietnam War was Al Santoli’s “Everything We Have”. I loved the format of that book because it let 33 veterans tell their stories … in their own words. BLOODS follows the same format. Wallace Terry provides the (very) personal stories of 20 Black American servicemen who served in Vietnam. Like Santoli’s book, BLOODS offers a wide perspective of experiences … different service branches and ranks, draftees, career-military, varying degrees of combat experience and as prisoners of war. As diverse as the individual stories are, they all share a common denominator: being black and fighting for a country that was still predominantly segregated as they served and sacrificed.

Wallace Terry provides a perspective of the American serviceman during the Vietnam War that has been touched-on, but never presented in such a personal manner. Rather than summarizing the accounts of these men, he lets them tell their stories in their own words, literally. Chock full of colloquialisms/jargon/slang representing the era, the stories read like each of the 20 men are actually speaking directly to the reader. Most all the men account for experiencing the horrors of combat (some of the stories are quite graphic and disturbing), but also recount a degree of racism that puts todays rampant use of the word to shame. It is hard not to read the book and wonder why these men felt compelled to fight for America at all … it certainly didn’t seem to be a worthy cause. What I liked about BLOODS was that it wasn’t all combat, but of lives interrupted by war, surviving that war only to come home and surviving a different type of war. The pathetic homecoming experienced by Vietnam veterans has been thoroughly documented; it was clearly worse for black veterans. There were several instances in the book where these men returned home only to be shunned by the black community for serving a country that treated their race so poorly. To a degree, the details of these veterans’ post war lives are more interesting than the wartime experiences and on some occasions, worse than the war itself. While there are accounts of postwar successes, many of these men succumbed to hardship and all of them struggled at some level (emotionally or physically). One of these stories become the basis for the film “Dead Presidents” (about a black Vietnam who seeks to better his life by robbing a bank). Unfortunately, Wallace Terry did not live to deliver a follow-up edition to show how these men fared in their later years (however, I’m sure an internet search can probably reveal details on some).

If you are truly interested in the Vietnam War and/or American History, I believe BLOODS is a vital ingredient in better understanding the complexity and controversial nature of the American experience in Vietnam. The integrated US military had significant problems within and this book sheds light on that issue. The stories are raw and painful to read, but reading about the experiences of these men shows how far America has come over the years. It’s shameful how the country treated Vietnam veterans in general, but after reading BLOODS, there are some veterans who had a worse “homecoming”. Wallace Terry’s vision of exposing the experience of black servicemen in Vietnam is a hard punch to the reader’s stomach.


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Bloods Black Veterans of the Vietnam War An Oral History Wallace Terry Books Reviews

These veterans offer an insight into the Vietnam War that is largely unclouded by racism, jingoism, or blind nationalism. Facing discrimination not just at home but on the front lines of the war, they understand the social forces that drove Cold War America and deliver some of the most raw and self aware war stories I've ever read.
As an honorably discharged Afro-American Army Veteran all I can do is thank God I served during the "Cold War" and did not have my humanity stolen from me by a "Hot" War...

The racism/white supremacy these men experienced was still evident when I served but far less overt...

The fact that only one of these stories has been made into a Major Motion Picture while The Madea Series of films continue to get green-lighted in Hollywood while ever increasing "Wars" of aggression are waged and or manufactures against people of color further illustrate what was true in the past, present, and future. "WAR IS A RACKET!"
I bought this book after my Dad got diagnosed with a Rare form of Cancer possibly from Agent Orange and knowing my love of research my mother had asked to help him put a timeline together .My Dad is a Black Vietnam Veteran 101st Airborne Screaming Eagle Bronze Star, he never really talked about until the VA found a NET Tumor a yr ago.. My dad's story became even more real when I recognized a part Stephen Howard's Account from Bien Ho during the TET that matched my Dad's account. Howard recalls "they got guys from the Barbershop , two of them " Dad said he used to visit the barber in town because they always kept the blades sharp. He said it was a Farther and Son who ran the Barbershop and he remembers seeing them Hanging on the Barbed Wire. My Dad has always been my hero hardworking , married for 48 yr awesome dad but this book help realize the Strength my dad has is more than I had ever know .Thank you to those who shared their stories and to the writer who cared enough to write them down.
I remember seeing this book as a teenager over 30 years ago in a local mall’s Walden Bookstore. I’m sure I passed on the book in favor of a World War II book. All these years later, I immediately recognized the cover of this book (a Soldier/Marine throwing a grenade) in a list of suggested Vietnam books and felt compelled to finally read it … I’m glad I did.

The first book I ever bought about the Vietnam War was Al Santoli’s “Everything We Have”. I loved the format of that book because it let 33 veterans tell their stories … in their own words. BLOODS follows the same format. Wallace Terry provides the (very) personal stories of 20 Black American servicemen who served in Vietnam. Like Santoli’s book, BLOODS offers a wide perspective of experiences … different service branches and ranks, draftees, career-military, varying degrees of combat experience and as prisoners of war. As diverse as the individual stories are, they all share a common denominator being black and fighting for a country that was still predominantly segregated as they served and sacrificed.

Wallace Terry provides a perspective of the American serviceman during the Vietnam War that has been touched-on, but never presented in such a personal manner. Rather than summarizing the accounts of these men, he lets them tell their stories in their own words, literally. Chock full of colloquialisms/jargon/slang representing the era, the stories read like each of the 20 men are actually speaking directly to the reader. Most all the men account for experiencing the horrors of combat (some of the stories are quite graphic and disturbing), but also recount a degree of racism that puts todays rampant use of the word to shame. It is hard not to read the book and wonder why these men felt compelled to fight for America at all … it certainly didn’t seem to be a worthy cause. What I liked about BLOODS was that it wasn’t all combat, but of lives interrupted by war, surviving that war only to come home and surviving a different type of war. The pathetic homecoming experienced by Vietnam veterans has been thoroughly documented; it was clearly worse for black veterans. There were several instances in the book where these men returned home only to be shunned by the black community for serving a country that treated their race so poorly. To a degree, the details of these veterans’ post war lives are more interesting than the wartime experiences and on some occasions, worse than the war itself. While there are accounts of postwar successes, many of these men succumbed to hardship and all of them struggled at some level (emotionally or physically). One of these stories become the basis for the film “Dead Presidents” (about a black Vietnam who seeks to better his life by robbing a bank). Unfortunately, Wallace Terry did not live to deliver a follow-up edition to show how these men fared in their later years (however, I’m sure an internet search can probably reveal details on some).

If you are truly interested in the Vietnam War and/or American History, I believe BLOODS is a vital ingredient in better understanding the complexity and controversial nature of the American experience in Vietnam. The integrated US military had significant problems within and this book sheds light on that issue. The stories are raw and painful to read, but reading about the experiences of these men shows how far America has come over the years. It’s shameful how the country treated Vietnam veterans in general, but after reading BLOODS, there are some veterans who had a worse “homecoming”. Wallace Terry’s vision of exposing the experience of black servicemen in Vietnam is a hard punch to the reader’s stomach.