The VVA Veteran

10/15/2025

"The World's Most Dangerous Paper Route," a first-class documentary on the history of Stars and Stripes that contains a lot of material on the Vietnam War, is now available online. Find out where to look for it in Arts Editor Marc Leepson's just-posted review on Arts of War at https://vva.org/arts-of-war/the-worlds-most-dangerous-paper-route-an-uplifting-doc-on-stars-and-stripes/

10/04/2025

University of Kentucky Emeritus Professor of English Armando José Prats' 2024 book, "Imperial Wars," is an in-depth historical essay about Vietnam War films and their impact on American culture and the war in Vietnam. Hint: John Wayne plays a big role in Professor Prats' main thesis. Here's Dan Hart's review, just posted in Books in Review II: https://vvabooks.wordpress.com/2025/10/04/hollywoods-imperial-wars-by-armando-jose-prats/

09/29/2025

Chuck Howard's tour of duty with the Army's 175th Assault Helicopter Company in the Vietnam War is just one part of his autobiography, “Tales from the Cockpit,” which also recounts his long post-war career in helicopters with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Here's Hank Zeybel's review, just posted in Books in Review II: https://vvabooks.wordpress.com/2025/09/29/tales-from-the-cockpit-by-chuck-howard/

09/28/2025

Ed Mann was not happy about taking part in the Vietnam War, but he did his duty and served a combat-filled, 1969-70 tour of duty walking point for a 1st Cavalry Division unit. He tells all in his remarkable new memoir, Jungle Ghosts. Here's Harvey Weiner's review, just posted on Books in Review II: https://vvabooks.wordpress.com/2025/09/27/jungle-ghosts-by-ed-mann/

09/27/2025

As promised: The jam-packed September/October online edition is now live at https://vvaveteran.org/ Find out the big news that came out of the 2025 National Convention in New Orleans; learn about the best Vietnam War documentary films; and check out the feature article on the latest victory in VVA’s fight to preserve vital Ranch Hand Study data and biospecimens dealing with the health consequences of Agent Orange and other toxic defoliants during the Vietnam War.

09/24/2025

Coming (very) soon, the link to the online September/October edition of the magazine with a long feature on VVA's memorable and eventful 2025 National Convention--and much more.

09/17/2025

Robert Randlett joined the U.S. Army in the summer of 1968, went OCS, and served a year in Vietnam with a small Mobile Advisory Team in Quảng Trị Province. He tells all in his memoir, "Mike-37…: Thanks for Your Service." Here's Bill McCloud's review, just posted on Books in Review II:

Mike-37…: Thanks for Your Service (319 pp. $16.95, paper; $4.99, Kindle) is a detailed memoir of one man’s experiences during his year in the Vietnam War. Robert Randlett wrote the book, he s…

09/15/2025

Monsters. Horror. Dinosaurs. The Vietnam War in 1968. That's a concise description of the new Australian Vietnam War science fiction movie, "Primitive War." Want to know more? Check out Bill McCloud's terrific review on our Arts of War on the web page: https://vva.org/arts-of-war/primitive-war-a-monster-horror-dinosaur-movie-set-in-vietnam-in-1968/

09/02/2025

Kurt Turner served as a Navy Corpsman on the hospital ship, the U.S.S. Repose off the coast of Da Nang in 1967-68. He tells all in his memoir, "I've Never Been to Heaven. "jHere's Bob Wartman's review, just posted on Books in Review II: https://vvabooks.wordpress.com/2025/09/02/ive-never-been-to-heaven-by-kurt-turner/

09/01/2025

Here's Episode 41 of “Dispatches,” our video web series. In it, Arts Editor Marc Leepson interviews Alex Vernon, a Distinguished Professor of English at Hendrix College in Arkansas, a 1989 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy who served as a Tank Lieutenant in the Persian Gulf War—and the author or editor of eleven books. They will focus on Professor Vernon’s new book, “Peace is a Shy Thing: The Life and Art of Tim O’Brien,” a brilliant literary biography of the most accomplished and acclaimed Vietnam War veteran writer.

08/26/2025

Coming Monday, September 1, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time: Episode 41 of “Dispatches,” our video web series. In it, Arts Editor Marc Leepson interviews Alex Vernon, a Distinguished Professor of English at Hendrix College in Arkansas, a 1989 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy who served as a Tank Lieutenant in the Persian Gulf War—and the author or editor of eleven books. They will focus on Professor Vernon’s new book, "Peace is a Shy Thing: The Life and Art of Tim O’Brien," a brilliant literary biography of the most accomplished and acclaimed Vietnam War veteran writer.