| Contents |
1945-1956: Ho Chi Minh's revolution. Xuan Phuong, young revolutionary -- Geneviève de Galard, "I only did my duty" ; 1957-1964: Ngo Dinh Diem's civil war. Le Ly Hayslip, "Freedom is never a gift" -- Bobbi Hovis, witness to history ; 1965-1968: Lyndon B. Johnson's American War. Kay Wilhelmy, American survivor -- Jurate Kazickas, "What's a woman like you doing out here?" -- Iris Mary Roser, Australian relief worker ; 1969-1970: Richard M. Nixon's 'Peace'. Anne Koch, "I knew in my heart that I had to go" -- Dang Thuy Tram, communist field surgeon -- Lynda van Devanter, "Why do they have to die?" ; 1971-1975: Endings and beginnings. Kate Webb, captive journalist -- Joan Baez, protest singer -- Tracy Wood, "They're the story" -- Kim Phuc, running from war. |
| Abstract |
One of just a handful of women reporting on the Vietnam War, Kate Webb was captured by North Vietnamese troops and presumed dead--until she emerged from the jungle waving a piece of white parachute material after 23 days in captivity. Le Ly Hayslip enjoyed a peaceful early childhood in a Vietnamese farming village before war changed her life forever. Brutalized by all sides, she escaped to the United States, where she eventually founded two humanitarian organizations. Lynda Van Devanter was an idealistic young nurse in 1969 when a plane carrying her and 350 men landed in South Vietnam. Her harrowing experiences working in a combat zone hospital would later serve as inspiration for the TV series China Beach. In these pages readers meet these and other brave women and girls who served in life-threatening roles as medics, journalists, resisters, and revolutionaries in the conflict in Vietnam. |
