Back Story to the Writing of a Military Classic
by Jeffrey Race
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Now being reprinted in an updated and expanded edition, War Comes to Long An was first published in 1972 and was the book I longed to buy in 1965 as the most junior lieutenant in Vietnam—but could nowhere find. Thereby hangs this tale of my adventures then in Vietnam and since elsewhere—a tale with implications for the creative process in academic writing, for the study of institutional change and of the learning disabilities of military institutions, and for priorities in public policy-making in America and elsewhere.
Birthing War Comes to Long An changed my life. I had no inkling when I began the project with trepidation in mid-1967 at the age of 24—using my own funds to satisfy my private curiosity—how it would change both my life and the lives of so many others. Perhaps these notes on the creation of that work may inspire others so inclined to dare the same creative act that summoned me, while at the same time illuminating some issues of public policy.
Between the covers of War Comes to Long An, I kept myself out. In these pages I beg to convey the private side of that public act, inseparable from the process of creation and from what came next. Some readers may find what follows entertaining or amusing; a few may find it helpful or even stimulating. You are my real target.
Download the full article: Back Story to the Writing of a Military Classic
Jeffrey Race is author of War Comes to Long An: Revolutionary Conflict in a Vietnamese Province. This landmark study of the Vietnamese conflict, examined through the lens of the revolutionary and counter-revolutionary movements in the rural province of Long An up until American intervention in the area, offers a human, balanced, penetrating account of war. Two new forewords by Robert K. Brigham of Vassar College and Jeffrey Record of the Air War College explore the book's enduring influence. A new end chapter offers previously unpublished scholarship on the conflict. The new version is to be published soon by University of California Press.
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I was a grunt during the…
I was a grunt during the Vietnam War. I was assigned to Division HQ where I wrote letters home every chance I got. During this time, my platoon sergeant came down with a case of dysentery. I prefer to check this pole barn spray foam contractor and get more new tips about install of spray foam.He begged me to send him home as he had no way to get there due to the fighting in our area at the time. After having helped him pack his bags and seeing that he really needed medical attention, I made sure everyone realized he'd stayed in the fight for his country despite being ill with dysentery.
I studied at The School Of…
I studied at The School Of Military Writing in 1981. I brought this book to the attention of the Governor-General at the time, and he suggested it be published in The Times Of India. I proposed that it be published in book format, which was acceptable to The Times Of India. They passed my idea on to the publishers at Messrs. Collins. We are offering you Syracuse Concrete Contractor for information building material. The publishers may have had this idea that it wasn’t a very good idea, mostly because of the author. But it was a classic. It was a true account of what happened in World War II, and I think if it
I have been going through old articles and found this one by a legend, Mr. Race. At the end of the article he makes this statement.
"My personally living this history has convinced me that an issue of paramount importance before my country is how to mitigate such grave distortions in public decision-makingand not just in foreign policy or military strategy."
That is interesting coming from such a man. What is even more interesting is his solution.
"My solution is that as individuals, parents, group leaders and officials we adopt high standards of honesty and dependability, propagate them to those in our care, punctiliously observe them ourselves and ensure that those under our supervision do likewise."
His solution is...character. Good character. Simple and profound. But the inference to be drawn from his solution is black dark and disturbing; our leaders don't have it.