The Two Extremes of the “Coming Home” Spectrum
Original Airdates: June 5-7, 2020
TVC 496.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with author, screenwriter, raconteur, and novelist Marvin J. Wolf. Marv’s latest book, They Were Soldiers: The Sacrifices and Contributions of Our Vietnam Veterans (a collaboration with New York Times bestselling author Joseph L. Galloway), profiles fifty men and women from various walks of life who all served in Vietnam in one capacity or another. Among the veterans profiled in the book are former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Oscar-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone.
They Were Soldiers also shows that the Vietnam generation is as worthy of respect and admiration as any generation of soldiers that preceded them—particularly given the animosity that many Vietnam veterans faced when they came home from the war. Marv illustrates that point by sharing stories that illustrate both extremes of the “coming home” spectrum, including a personal anecdote involving novelist Norman Mailer.
