Daniel P. Bolger is the author of the new book Our Year of War: Two Brothers, Vietnam, and a Nation Divided. It focuses on the Vietnam War service of former senator and defense secretary Chuck Hagel and his brother Tom. Bolger served in the U.S. Army for 35 years and retired as a lieutenant general. His other books include Why We Lost and Death Ground. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Q: Why did you decide to
write this book focused on Chuck and Tom Hagel, and how unusual was it for two
brothers to serve in the same platoon during the Vietnam War?
A: The idea for the book came
from E.J. McCarthy, my long-time editor and now my agent. An author we both
respected greatly, the late Keith W. Nolan, had been researching one of his
many fine Vietnam military histories when he learned about the Hagel brothers. Sadly,
Keith died before he had time to follow up. But E.J. and I talked about it and
the idea really resonated.
I had met Chuck Hagel once as
a senator and once when was the secretary of defense. That time in Vietnam
shaped him and his brother Tom. And their time in Vietnam in that terrible year
of 1968 seemed to me to be the part for the whole, offering some real insight
into what Americans did in Vietnam, and what Vietnam did to us in America.
It was—and is—pretty unusual
for two brothers to serve in the same small unit. In World War II, the five
Sullivan brothers died together when their light cruiser went down off
Guadalcanal in November of 1942.
Since that time, the U.S.
Armed Forces have tried to separate brothers and sisters (and serving parents,
too) to try to avoid losing a whole family in one incident. But individuals can
volunteer to serve together, what in civilian life might be called signing a
waiver.
Chuck and Tom requested to
serve together. Their leadership agreed. There were a few other cases in
Vietnam. But such assignments were and remain relatively rare, especially in a
small front-line combat units of a few dozen troops.
Q: How did you research the
book, and did you learn anything that especially surprised you?
A: I relied on the extensive
U.S. military records and personal accounts now available from the Vietnam War.
There are a lot of official documents, maps, diagrams, and photographs. Moreover,
many veterans have written their own detailed accounts. Setting the military
context drew on these fine sources
In telling about what
happened at home, I relied on the local news reports and personal recollections
of those who lived in Nebraska in the 1960s. Our country was going through a
lot in that era: race riots, political unrest, assassinations, and radical
violence. Nebraskans were not spared. The Hagel family was right there.
Of course, Chuck and Tom
Hagel provide the major personal perspectives. Along with the interviews we
did, both brothers also made available a number of key items from personal
archival sources. Of note, their younger brother Mike, a graphic artist,
carefully preserved family and personal Vietnam photographs from the 1960s. They
were very generous with their time and truly candid in their comments.
Chuck and Tom were right in
the middle of several major operations, like the Tet Offensive in January and
February of 1968 and the heavy fighting in South Saigon in May that same year. It’s
amazing they came through OK, and that only after five Purple Hearts between
them. Because of my own combat service in Iraq and Afghanistan and 35 years in
the U.S. Army infantry, I could connect some dots that others might miss. I
think I’ve gotten it mostly right.
When I wrote the book, what
most surprised me was the dire situation at home and abroad for Americans in
1968. I was in grade school in the Chicago suburbs at the time and knew things
seemed to be falling apart. But I did not know the half of it.
We sometimes think present
discord is bad—and it can be—but that of 1968 saw troops in American streets,
civil leaders slain by angry shooters, and hundreds of dead monthly in a no-win
struggle in Vietnam. We got through it. But it all resulted in major societal
changes—some good, some not. Unfortunately, our country also sustained
long-term damage that resonates to this day. Chuck and Tom Hagel were right
there for it.
Q: Can you say more about how
involved the Hagel brothers were as you worked on the book, and what they think
of it?
A: Chuck and Tom were very
gracious with their time and with my queries about every kind of information. Their
honesty was exceptional, even on very painful subjects. This book was written
about the brothers as examples of those Americans who fought in Vietnam,
especially in 1968. They let me have my say in crafting their story and their
era.
Both Chuck and Tom have read
the manuscript. Both are decent, modest, self-effacing gentlemen. They do not
consider themselves to be heroes. But I do.
Q: What do you see as the
legacy of the Vietnam War when it comes to foreign policy decision-making?
A: After the tragic
intervention in Vietnam, you’d hope we figured out how to avoid long,
indecisive foreign wars among populations that distrust us. That held true for
the second half of the Cold War.
But once the Soviet Union
collapsed in 1991, America became more willing to use substantial military
force: Iraq I, Somalia, Haiti, the Balkans, Afghanistan, and then Iraq II. And
we could add Syria and Yemen. We talk about the lessons of Vietnam. But I’m not
sure we have learned them.
Q: What are you working on
now?
A: I continue to teach
courses in military, Russian, and Cold War history at North Carolina State
University. The students here are great. Some are veterans, others are in ROTC,
and all have bright futures. They ask hard questions and keep me on my toes.
On research and writing, I
still write a monthly column for Army magazine. It looks like my next work will
dig deeper into American generals at war. Vietnam will be part of that effort. We’ll
see what develops.
Q: Anything else we should
know?
A: You asked about lessons of
Vietnam. There’s a big one. In the Vietnam War, too many Americans blamed those
who fought for the flawed strategy that resulted in defeat and shame. A few actively
vilified our veterans. Too often the rest of us ignored them.
The present Afghanistan/Iraq
war hasn’t gone well at all. But Americans have been wiser this time. We impugn
the war, not the men and women sent to fight it. We salute those who serve. In
that sense, we’ve learned a lot.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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