'Nam

When I was in middle school, I was seriously convinced that God had made some colossal cosmic mistake that I was not living in the 1960s. I was certain that I was meant to be a flower child. This poster hung on my wall for years, and I would stare at it for long stretches searching for the wisdom of the hippies. Since I wasn't living the '60s, I placated myself by learning everything I could about the era. Music, movies, books....I was all over anything having to do with the era. The epic tragedy of the Vietnam War was naturally a focal point of my obsession, and I would endlessly pick my dad's brain about his experience as a hippie opposed to the war. The first time I saw some of the iconic photographs from the war feel indelibly burned to my brain for their striking power and the hold they had on my imagination. Even today, a simple Google search for "Vietnam" turns up some of those haunting images:





Now, I realize that not everyone shares this same fascination. But the Vietnam War is certainly a major part of American history, worthy of exploration in our history classes. Yet, according to Lies My Teacher Told Me, the average history class in the 1980s devoted only *4.5 minutes* to Vietnam. Coverage from textbooks sounds something like this:

Because some of the enemy lived amidst the civilian population, it was difficult for U.S. troops to discern friend from foe. A woman selling soft drinks to U.S. soldiers might be a Vietcong spy. A boy standing on the corner might be ready to throw a grenade. --The Americans

OMG! For real? What a disservice to an incredibly complex issue which still lives with us today. There are a lot of issues from Vietnam that can be debated and studied, but it is hard to paint America in a positive or even sympathetic light in this conflict with so many crystal clear instances of dishonorable U.S. actions that were just plain wrong. If textbooks are trying to paint America as the hero, it's hard to include Vietnam on the canvass.