Directions
Read and think about the letters, poems, songs, and other items below to discover how solider's in Kentucky experienced the war. Answer the following questions based on your reading.
1. Who are the narrators of these items? Under what conditions and circumstances are they writing?
2. Describe the points of view that you find. Do they show any points of view or biases, communicate feelings, or provide objective information?
3. How do these stories change or inform your understanding of the Vietnam War?
Soldiers' Experiences
- Letters: Jim Gibson to Linda Gibson, May 1967 - March 1971Location: Special Collections Research Center, Wade Hall Collection of American Letters (2009MS132)
Jim Gibson, a solider stationed in Germany, Kentucky, and at Cam Rahn Bay, Vietnam, writes to his wife, Linda. This is a selection of letters from the larger collection. - Video and Still Photographs of Cam Rahn Bay, 1969-1970Location: YouTube video
What did the base at Cam Rahn Bay look like and feel like to the soldiers stationed there? This video can help readers imagine where Jim Gibson and many other soldiers were stationed. - The Sons of Bardstown: 25 years of Vietnam in an American townThis pdf version of pages 148-155 includes first hand accounts from the families of lost soldiers.
See also:
Location:Spec Coll Library or Young Library -- Books - 3rd Floor
Call Number: DS558 .W55 1994 - "Night Patrol" by Nick StumpLocation: YouTube
Uploaded on Jun 5, 2011
Nick Stump Blues All Stars with Dave Eggar
Vietnam veteran Nick Stump says "it's a long way to Kentucky" from his post and duties on night patrol. - "Happy Birthday Captain America - to a Vietnam Vet on his Fortieth Birthday" and "In My Country"Two poems from Appalachian Studies: Poems by Anne Shelby
Location: Spec Coll Library or Young Library - 5th Floor
Call Number: PS3569.H3925 A66 2006 - In Country: A Novel by Bobbie Ann MasonView the Reading Guide and book preview at the publisher's website.
See also:
Location: Spec Coll Library - Fiction Collection
Call Number: F M3804in 1989
Or Young Library - 5th Floor
Call Number: PS3563 .A7877I5 1989
Homecoming
Description: American servicemen, former prisoners of war, are cheering as their aircraft takes off from an airfield near Hanoi as part of Operation Homecoming, February 1973.
Location: Hanoi, North Vietnam.
Source: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Still Picture Unit, NAIL Control No. NWDNS-127-N-A900056.
Col. Arthur L. Kelly
Department Chairman, Professor of Military Science, retired August, 24, 1976
Additional oral histories are available online through the Colonel Arthur L. Kelly Veterans Oral History Project.