The Turning: A History of Vietnam Veterans Against the War

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments A book is seldom a solitary endeavor. Numerous people assisted me in my effort to conceive and write this history. First, I would like to thank Robert Goldberg, of the University of Utah. I am proud to count him as my Ph.D. chair, longtime mentor, and close friend. Those who know and respect Goldberg’s writings will instantly detect his influence in these pages. Without his constant encouragement, criticism, insight , and guidance, this work would have been much poorer. “Bob,” as his students call him, made my graduate school years exciting. He steered me to the sixties, and I thank him for that. Other people deserve thanks for reading the manuscript in its entirety and for giving me constructive feedback. Eric Hinderaker, Edward J. Davies III, Mike Davis, Marvin Gettleman, Rebecca Horn, and Peter Philips read the manuscript and offered invaluable suggestions and insights . Throughout the research, I benefited from the cooperation of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. The staff at the SHSW were always courteous and helpful, and they made the job of sifting through the archives a pleasant one. The Hoover Institution at Stanford University and the Bancroft Library at Berkeley yielded additional material. Grants from the Marriner S. Eccles Foundation and the Steffensen-Cannon Humanities Fellowship program sustained me through those difficult years of graduate school. A number of individuals helped me initiate the research by offering suggestions and advice. The Internet proved a useful starting point. For helping me launch the project, I would like to thank Linda Alband, Paul Buhle, Ben Chitty, Jack Mallory, Barry Romo, Mike Davis, Dave Kohr, John O’Connor, Don Mabry, Vince Gotera, Jonathan Shay, Joe Urgo, Maurice Isserman, and the ubiquitous Jan Barry. Stacks of material at the Vietnam Veterans Against the War national office in Chicago became accessible thanks to Barry Romo. Barry also allowed me to stay at his house ix when I interviewed VVAW folk in Illinois and Wisconsin. Nikki and Roger Mackenzie, who provided me with a place to stay in San Francisco, deserve thanks for their hospitality. Other individuals offered me their personal papers. A long and fruitful correspondence with Michael Uhl helped me to better understand the Winter Soldier Investigation, and I thank him for the Citizens’ Commission of Inquiry papers. Tom Thompson provided me with original copies of various VVAW publications that he had saved since his days as an Arizona VVAW organizer in the early seventies. Don Donner sent package after package of papers on the Gainesville Eight and Bill Lemmer. Larry Craig furnished pages and pages of material on the Winter Soldier Investigation and other VVAW activities. The numerous VVAW members who consented to interviews added a deeply human dimension to this book. I am also glad I had the opportunity to meet and talk with Richard Stacewicz. Richard compiled a terrific collection of VVAW oral histories, and it was refreshing to exchange ideas and “war stories” with someone researching the same topic. I reserve a special thank you to Niko Pfund, the director and editor in chief at New York University Press, who upon hearing my project, was consistently supportive and enthusiastic. An equally special thank you goes to Despina Papazoglou Gimbel, Elyse Strongin, and Andrew Katz, whose terrific editing, design, and composition skills greatly enhanced the book. I’ve been lucky to work with such a caring and high-quality publisher. Finally, I would like to thank members of my family. My father, E. K. Hunt, and my mother, Linda Hunt, helped in different, yet meaningful ways. Their suggestions, moral support, and love provided the intellectual and spiritual nourishment I needed to even begin work on the project . They introduced me to VVAW when I was too young to understand what the organization meant, but the legacy of their compassion and activism has given me hope for the future. My brother Jeff kept my spirits up by reminding me of the importance of laughter. Monte Bona has been more like a real father than a father-in-law. Our stimulating conversations about history have prompted me to clarify and reexamine my assumptions about the past. My siblings-in-law and their families—too numerous to mention—kept my morale high with their kindness and great senses of humor. My deepest thanks, of course, go to my immediate family. My daughter , Madeline, provided the smiles, hugs, play, and amazing wisdom that x | Acknowledgments sustained my...