• A young infantryman, a "grunt," spends weeks on patrol among the rice paddies of Vietnam and comes to regard it as "normal."
• An artillery lieutenant leads a patrol into the jungle so that he can call in artillery strikes to protect his unit.
• An airman, on the day he returns from Vietnam, is accosted in a commercial airport by a civilian who calls him a "baby killer" and spits on him.
• A Marine, 18 years old, quotes the 23rd Psalm as he walks through the jungle with this company at night.
These are just a few of the many stories told by East Tennesseans who served during the 10-year conflict that we now call simply "Vietnam." The word resounds with memories for every American who was alive and aware during that time.
The memories of those who served there as members of the United States armed forces are especially important for us today because we must not forget their efforts and their sacrifice.
That is why the Blount County Public Library and the Friends of the Blount County Public Library have undertaken this Vietnam Voices project. Our goal has been to interview and record the stories of as many Vietnam veterans as possible. The audio interviews on which the chapters in this book are based are available at the library.