The Vietnam War, often referred to as 'a white man's war, a Black man's fight', has been exhaustively studied, yet the experiences of Black soldiers remain largely misunderstood. Wil Haygood's new book, 'The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home', sheds light on the stories of Black Americans who served in Vietnam from the mid-1960s to the mid-70s. In a moving moment, Haygood shares a flier found among his research materials, which reads, 'Colored GI's! The South Vietnamese people, who are struggling for their independence and freedom, are friends with the American colored people being victimized by barbarous racial discrimination at home. Your battlefield is right in the USA! Your enemy is the war lords in the White House and the Pentagon!'.
Haygood's book is a testament to the experiences of Black soldiers, who faced racism, stark disadvantages, and a nation divided. He highlights the stark figures from the Library of Congress, stating that approximately 300,000 African Americans served in the Vietnam War, with Black soldiers making up 31% of ground combat battalions in 1965. The book also explores the cultural impact of the war, including the response from Motown, with Berry Gordy releasing spoken-word albums of speeches in opposition to the war, and Marvin Gaye recording his iconic album 'What's Going On'.
Haygood's personal connection to the story is profound. Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, he knew a neighborhood sports hero, Skip Dunn, who was going to Vietnam. The summer of Dunn's deployment was marked by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the subsequent rebellions and uprisings. Haygood's own childhood experiences shaped his understanding of the war, and he was determined to tell the stories of Black soldiers, pivoting off his personal history and traveling across the nation to find and interview these veterans.
The book features a range of notable figures, including Joseph B Anderson, the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary 'The Anderson Platoon', George Forrest, who fought heroically at Ia Drang, and Wallace Terry, a Post and Time reporter who wrote the oral history 'Bloods'. Haygood also explores the political consciousness of Black soldiers, including the 'dapping' to express solidarity and the lethal uprising at Long Binh Jail.
However, the book's publication coincides with a troubling trend. As the Trump administration continues its war on Black history, particularly in the military, taking away honors bestowed on Black soldiers, Haygood reflects on the irony of a nation as big as America, steeped in the history of slavery and Jim Crow, trying to rewrite history. Despite this, Haygood remains steadfast, believing that writers and filmmakers will step up in this moment, and that he will continue to fight the good fight as long as he has a pen in his hand.
