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Paul Benedikt Glatz
Episode 2601 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will a review of the the recently published book titled Vietnam’s Prodigal Heroes by Paul Benedikt Glatz. The book examines the deserter situation during the Vietnam War. The reviews was submitted by James Lewes, of the GI Press Project. It appeared on hsozkult.de.
In an effort to be fair and balanced, your pod-caster offers reports on all aspects of the Vietnam War and the brave veterans who served. It this episode, the men who chose to turn their backs on their country and walk away from serving will be examined. This is done through a look at a book review of Vietnam’s Prodigal Heroes by Paul Benedikt Glatz.
The reviewer reported this about the book: At the height of the Vietnam War American servicemen deserted at the unprecedented rate of 73.5 per 1,000 (p. xiv). Whilst a minority of these were able to seek asylum without help, most were not. Instead, they depended on an informal network of organizations and activists who hid and transported them to safety in countries where they would not be extradited and returned to military service. Once safely settled, these men organized press conferences, published newspapers and formed organizations in an effort to counter the traditional cliché describing them as cowards and dead beats. These networks, organizations and publications are the focus of Paul Benedikt Glatz’s richly sourced book Vietnam’s Prodigal Heroes.
Paul Benedikt Glatz’s treatment of these and other issues is nuanced by sensitivity to the importance of sources. While I wish his index had been a little more detailed this was more than balanced by his extensive documentation in his footnotes. On a personal note, my own focus as a scholar of the Vietnam War has been on the newspapers produced by antiwar soldiers. While the discussion of these is a minor part of the story Paul Benedikt Glatz tells, he is alert to their relationship with and influence on those who deserted as well as those who assisted them.
Listen to episode 2601 and discover more about the recently published book titled Vietnam’s Prodigal Heroes by Paul Benedikt Glatz. The book examines the deserters situation during the Vietnam War.
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