The Vietnam War in American Memory

Veterans, Memorials, and the Politics of Healing

• Author(s): Patrick Hagopian,
• Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
• Pages: 553
• ISBN_10: 1558499024
  ISBN_13: 9781558499027
  
• Language: en
• Categories: History / Military / General , History / Wars & Conflicts / Vietnam War , History / Military / Veterans , History / United States / General , History / United States / 20th Century , History / Modern / 20th Century / General , History / Asia / Southeast Asia , Political Science / General , Psychology / Cognitive Psychology & Cognition , Social Science / General , Social Science / Sociology / General ,

Description:... A study of American attempts to come to terms with the legacy of the Vietnam War, this book highlights the central role played by Vietnam veterans in shaping public memory of the war.

Tracing the evolution of the image of the Vietnam veteran from alienated dissenter to traumatized victim to noble warrior, Patrick Hagopian describes how efforts to commemorate the war increasingly downplayed the political divisions it spawned in favor of a more unifying emphasis on honoring veterans and promoting national "healing."