Terry, Wallace. Bloods: Black Veterans

Terry, Wallace. Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War: An Oral History. Presidio Press,

The title of Wallace Terry's book Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War: An Oral History (Presidio Press, 1985) might seem to suggest that there is a 'common black experience' of Vietnam, given that the work unites the common experiences and narratives of many black veterans in a single volume. However, Wallace ultimately presents not a singular image or thesis of black experience, but a suggestion that African-Americans came to grips with their experiences in ways that were uniquely 'black' because of the persistent fixation on race in American culture, particularly at that time, but were also highly individuated and unique. In short, race and blackness inevitably 'colors' the gaze of the individual of a war inflicted upon a colonized people, a war condemned by the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. But disproportionately fought by black Americans. Yet no man's story can merely be summed up in terms of his race. To suggest that multiple perspectives of black Americans can be reduced into one experience is erroneous.

Terry does not offer a singular, over-arching thesis but instead stresses the need for multiplicity. The medium of oral history allows the author to take a balanced approach to the divisive history of the period. Through presenting a series of recollections, Terry does not have to articulate a singular point-of-view, but instead exposes the reader to many points-of-views. Some of the African-Americans interviewed were politically conscious before or after the war, others were not -- balance is the key of the book. Some soldiers were religious before coming to Vietnam while other soldiers were not, while still others experienced profound, political and spiritual consciousness- raising experiences while fighting abroad. Several were maimed in the fighting, or experienced the devastating suffering of being a prisoner of war.

The book's outreach spans enlisted men, noncommissioned officers, and commissioned officers, soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who served between the years of 1963-1973. Although some men felt more patriotic about their service than others, most of their experiences underline the fact that the Vietnam conflict was fought in disproportionate numbers by individuals without the political and social influence to 'skirt' the draft, a fact that has become well-publicized only now. "Used, manipulated," and "violated" was one veteran's assessment of his experience in being drafted and serving in the military (Terry 55). However, others became career soldiers, such as Sergeant Major Edgar Huff. Still others felt a sense of energy and purpose serving in Vietnam, and one of them, Manny Holloman even remembers his days as a soldier fondly, and misses his life in Vietnam. Manny even learned Vietnamese and married a Vietnamese woman, although he was forced to leave her behind after the Americans left Vietnam.

The fact that so few whites were willing to serve in the armed forces, and so many more African-Americans served in disproportionate numbers has one unintentionally positive effect -- more African-Americans rose to higher ranks in the service, as well as became politically mobilized for their fellow veterans upon returning home, such as one veteran who became active in the veteran's rights movement after the war. The experience of service gave many men a desire to become part of something larger than themselves, even if they resented the institutionalized racism of the military.