Book Review: Vietnam As They Knew It

Reviewed by Warren Maxwell

A heartfelt tribute to the lives of America’s Vietnam veterans and their sacrifices

“He served our country bravely
in the darkness that was Vietnam.
But was wounded severely,
before his tour was done.”

From tales of heroism to stories from the home front and the after-effects of the war, Vietnam As They Knew It adeptly captures the extremity and breadth of experiences that accompanied the Vietnam War. There are dirges about the chemically induced cancers that veterans succumbed to years after coming home (“Agent Orange”), reverent retellings of military feats (“The Sniper”), and even monologue-like protest poems from the voices of soldiers who did not believe in the Vietnam War but, nonetheless, obeyed the government when they were called to arms (“Age-Old Folly”).

This medley of perspectives and experiences creates a poetic tapestry that not only captures the realities of soldiering in Vietnam but also speaks to enduring questions of war and peace, violence and mercy. As the collection’s final poem puts it, “humankind shall only ever keep / eternal peace, where fallen soldiers sleep.”

The simple language and rhyme schemes of these poems often belie grotesque images. Bodies pile up, bullets fly, and a pervasive fear hangs over the people whose war-torn lives are captured.

While politics exists on the edge of many of these poems, it is addressed most directly when highlighting the hypocritical conflation of soldiers who wage wars and the politicians who start them. Criticism is openly levied at leaders who lived safe lives in government offices, yet any notion of holding soldiers accountable is dismissed as misguided, shortsighted, and uninformed point of view. There’s clarity to this strong, soldiers-first viewpoint, yet it also pigeonholes the Vietnamese victims of the war, portraying them as either ruthless killers, loyal allies, or some combination of the two.

“He fought and died in an unpopular war
so others might live freely and in peace.
A soldier who died on that Asian shore,
a casualty of wars that never cease.”

One or two photographs accompany each poem, adding an almost title-like prism through which to read the text. This adds stark visuals that humanize soldiers and bring the historical moment to life. However, it also pulls attention from the poetry and becomes a rote element of the book. At times the pictures are vague, and at others they are overly specific. An image of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. accompanies a poem on the subject (“The Wall”). A poem about Agent Orange is matched with an image of planes spraying a gas over a jungle landscape. These one to one pairings make the poetic imagery less potent since the real thing is shown before the poem describes it. Given the consistent messaging that accompanies each poem, the image largely predicts what follows and drains the engaging element unpredictability from these war narratives.

A faithful honoring of the men and women who fought in Vietnam, Vietnam As They Knew It is a moving testament to the virtue and bravery of America’s troops.

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