Representation of the author and his book
Arnold R. Isaacs was an international reporter for the Baltimore Sun who covered several years of the Vietnam War. In 1984 he took a professorship at Towson University in Maryland where he teaches classes about Vietnam and the war. Thus, Isaacs can certainly be considered a credible source for information and criticism about the Vietnam War, credibility becoming of utmost significance for a book that challenged many of the myths Americans have about the Vietnam War and the atmosphere between our country and theirs in the decades following the war’s end. In both indirect and direct processes, Isaacs makes this concept of myth and reality the central theme of his work. By examining many of the inaccurate assumptions of the media, the public, and even the government, he brings to our attention the fact that war is far too complex to comprehend fully at the moment. Sometimes we must examine the after-effects to understand. Isaacs goes into detail about several circumstances that he considers to have been misconstrued. Among them is the effect the War still has today on veterans and citizens of America.
We see the war represented through media and it has its own set of stereotypes which we associate with the typical Vietnam soldier: a violent, sometimes uncontrollable, and even delusional young man hungry for Vietnamese blood. Isaacs explains his belief that this portrayal of the American soldier in Vietnam is detrimental, saying that this contributed to the sense of much of the American public that the soldiers were responsible for the war even though they were not, and drew focus away from the real decision-makers in the administration. He also explains the heavy impact the Vietnam War has had on United States foreign policy. Not only does the war have effects lasting to this day on the United States’ relationship with Vietnam, but Isaacs considers the aftermath to influence all of the foreign and military policy decisions that America makes. Isaacs also takes a turn at the attempts on behalf of both countries in the last decades to reconcile and build back from what was lost and damaged in the war. Another rather controversial issue Isaacs explores is whether or not Vietnam continues to harbor Prisoners of War.
Here he explores what he sees as a severely misguided perception that there were much more MIA and POW soldiers in the war than there war, perhaps in an effort by the media to influence the public. Isaacs believes this to be a rumor, making the logical argument that many soldiers reported Missing in Action or assumed to have been captured as a POW died either before being captured or since the end of the war. Though this argument seems pretty obvious, Isaacs makes the point that a large majority of Americans still believe that Vietnam is holding American Prisoners of War to this day. In contrast to our current war in the Middle East, the depiction Isaacs gives us of the Vietnam War is one in which soldiers and officers were clear about their mission there. Because Vietnam War contemporaries were often quite publicly in opposition to the war under the belief that they were not there for the right reasons, Isaacs debunks a pretty major myth here, if it is a myth after all. In an ominous passage that reminds readers of similar arguments regarding our war, Isaacs points out the lasting effects on America’s class structure in the years following a war fought mostly by lower and poor classes. Isaac’s book is divided into several sections outlining the significant issues he takes with the American perception of the Vietnam War and how it has continued to fit into our culture. Following his arguments, Isaacs provides us with a well-developed bibliographical section, including an epilogue essay, a list of the sources he used, and a reference page.
Points of the book
I feel that this book increased my knowledge of American history in several significant ways. First of all, Isaacs’s main point is not to focus on the goings-on of the actual war but to show the after-effects of Vietnam, many of which can still be felt today. I feel this is an important lesson to learn when studying history. We can not assume that the decisions we make or allow our leaders to make today will not affect our tomorrow. Isaacs proves that history is circular and will repeat itself and that even when a war ends it is not truly over. Though I previously assumed that the effects of the Vietnam War could only be seen in the music, literature, and attitudes of the time, I see now that the war affects how the United States approaches its relationship with foreign countries today. Along with a majority of United States citizens, I also believed the myth that there were still prisoners of war in Vietnam, so see Isaacs deflate that rumor was interesting. Another thing that was interesting to study was the fact that so many of the rumors and issues that the public had with the war then are similar to what we are dealing with in our war today.
Like then, we are questioning whether we are there for the right reasons. Isaacs also teaches us about what he calls the “new Americans” who are immigrants from Vietnam and other Indochinese countries living in the United States. His description of their influence on the fashion world in America was eye-opening. The strange disconnect in selling overpriced couture in this style is obvious, but I had never considered the effect this has on the psyche of Americans. This book also teaches us the nature of war in American history, and how our government continues to make decisions regarding war. The most important thing to come away with is that we feel the effects of the war for decades to come and that even today, at least on a cultural level, Vietnam and the United States have a complex, strained relationship. This book has helped me clarify my assumptions that much of what we know of the relationship between media, the public, and the administration began with the fall out of the Vietnam War.
I think Isaacs wrote this book to remind us of the necessary task of questioning our preconceived notions, especially when it comes to the government, war, and the state of our nation. He brings to mind the beginning of that mistrust of government and media manipulation that is so infamously associated with that time and reminds us that this mistrust and manipulation is still existent today, perhaps on even more dangerous levels now than ever before. Most obviously, Isaacs’ intention with the book is to studiously review the aftermath of the Vietnam War on America’s economy, culture, and foreign relations in the decades following the war. Isaacs also intends to make retribution for possibly the most hated soldiers in American history, by putting to rest the myths that accuse them of incompetence and excessive, undue violence. He does this by pointing out the issues inherent in the media’s portrayal of the Vietnam soldier and veteran. We certainly can not deny the truth in Isaacs arguments, given canonical American films such as “Apocalypse Now”, “Full Metal Jacket”, and “Born on the Fourth of July”. Mainly, I think Isaacs wrote this book to express the much-needed truths behind this war to generations that will not know what it was like but will nevertheless inherit its sentiment and the most evident effects of its demise.
The author demonstrates his use of historic documentation very effectively in supporting the book’s conclusions. He does so by selecting various historical sources—articles, journal entries, and interviews among others—and analyzing them thoroughly, in a methodical and highly academic process. Through this detailed examination of his chosen sources, he offers unique and useful insight drawn from his reading. He uses these documents at times by representing the sentiment of the day, then refuting what he sees written as myths or rumors designed to manipulate our perception of the Vietnam War. In regards to his citing and bibliography work, Isaacs leaves us quite an extensive amount of information. Following his final chapter on the “New Americans”, Isaacs presents us with what he refers to as a “Bibliographical Essay”. Going even further, we are given his list of eclectic sources and a references page, all working together to present an image of this book and its author that is thorough, precise, and articulate. His most logical use of his articles is in discussing POWs and MIAs when he reports the obvious conclusion that any POWs that were not eventually rescued are surely dead, offering the overwhelming statistic that Americans believe the contrary. I found his use of interviews particularly convincing. Instead of using academic sources that do not have a direct connection to the times and the War, Isaacs often gives us words from officers serving in the war to influence our sense of the reality of the time and the human side of our Vietnam War Era stereotypes.
Conclusion
Isaacs’s writing style can be geared towards both the general public and academic historians. The information Isaacs examines and the insight he provides are presented shrewdly and intellectually and it seems that the reader would benefit from a considerable amount of knowledge about the Vietnam War and American history and foreign policy in general, but most Americans do know a fair amount about the war, the public reaction to the war, and the major effects it has had on our country. Also, Isaacs’ frequent and effective use of interviews with those who remember or were involved in the war is a significant way in which the book appeals to the general public. Instead of staying only with technical studies, statistics, and complexly written criticism, Isaacs’ choice to incorporate interviews gives the readers a sense of connection between themselves and the people that were just like us living during that time and experiencing the effects of the war overseas. The book sustained my interest by continually presenting me with facts that I had never known before and painting a picture of those years that many people in my peer group would find surprising. The book also held my interest because of how many connections I automatically made to the time I’m living in and the nature of the war I’m witnessing.
References
Isaacs, Arnold R. Vietnam Shadows: The War, Its Ghosts, And Its Legacy (2000). John Hopkins University Press. 256 pages.