To Vietnam in Vain

Edward A. Hagan, the son of Irish immigrants, served as a U.S. Army intelligence officer in Vietnam. He is Connecticut State University Distinguished Professor of Writing at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury and is the author of numerous books and articles on war literature and on Irish literature. He lives in Brewster New York.

“represents a significant contribution to both the memory of the Vietnam War and the collective understanding of the conflict at the province level..indispensable”—H-Net Reviews; “a powerful and thoughtful memoir of a soldier in combat”—On Point; “Edward Hagan is an influential voice in the study of Irish and Irish-American. Hagan explores the collateral damage to not only the narrative arc of his life, but also the impact on the Irish-American consciousness. His memoir augments the Vietnam War literature canon and advances our understanding of conflict and unpacks the Irish-American struggle to balance a resonate obligation to fight for America while also maintaining an allegiance to Irish anti-imperialist, revolutionary roots. Hagan succeeds not only in generating disorientation through narrative fragmentation and structure, but he also generates realism through discontinuity and irony-filled experiences with the unexpected. He creates a memoir with the cutting edge of a work of satire. As a result, we see the cultural and moral eddies that continue to ensnare all of us”—War, Literature & The Arts.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPrefacePreambleIntroductionProgressOplan Missouri: Harry’s FuneralPacificationWinningHistory LessonTet ’68: We WonThe Man Who Wore a Tux to WarThe Books and the MoviesModels for Irish YouthTammany’s HeirsSaint John Fitzgerald KennedyTelling What HappenedNostalgiaWho’s Fightin’ Here?A Servant of the CrownThe IRA and Clan HaganA Deal We Can RefuseSun WorshipWorld War II and Being IrishI’d Rather Fight in DungannonThe POW CharadeCowardiceThe Boy Scouts and ­High-MindednessRFK in AbsentiaMy Sainted MotherJim Carroll, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and the Other GuysThe VC Shoot TooEating Jelly DonutsThe Smell of Pink PlexiglassCourage? No ChoiceThe Calendar and SexCareerismGoalless WarAnd Two Years Later…Central IntelligenceButtoned Up and the Catholic CabalLocal Truces and the Killing of John GogginFaking OurselvesThe M-16: Success in the LaboratoryNo Lights in the FogFood Poisoning on Firefly and Senator JavitsFutilityBlushing and 105mm Rounds for SaleHow I Learned the Thousand Yard StareThe American Black and TansThe Phong Dinh Daily MayhemThis Can’t be HappeningBuy Bonds or Else…The Kaiser: An Irish HeroThe Phoenix ProgramThe WannabesShoot First; Reform LaterGa-Ga about GadgetsThe Epic of Lieutenant KennedyA Prayer for the Kids of Cooper StreetAppendix: Correspondence with Congressmen William F. Ryan, 1970GlossaryNotesIndex