How have U.S. high school textbook depictions of World War II and Vietnam changed since the 1970s? We examined 102 textbooks published from 1970 to 2009 to see how they treated U.S. involvement in World War II and Vietnam. Our content analysis of high school history textbooks finds that U.S. textbooks increasingly focus on the personal experiences…

America has always felt ambivalent towards its armed forces. During national emergencies it has shown them support, but during longer eras of calm this has often turned to distrust and scorn. LTC Robert Bateman examines the underpinnings of this uneasy and complex relationship, which has been mirrored and expressed most intensely (sometimes in…

Today, America is being challenged to meet the needs of unprecedented numbers of wounded and disabled veterans returning from military service. In past conflicts such as those in Korea and Vietnam, approximately three service members were wounded for every one who died. However, in the current conflict in Iraq, the ratio of wounded--including…

This paper uses the 2000 Census 1-in-6 sample to look at the long-term impact of Vietnam-era military service. Instrumental Variables estimates using draft-lottery instruments show post-service earnings losses close to zero in 2000, in contrast with earlier results showing substantial earnings losses for white veterans in the 1970s and 1980s. The…

The author asserts that it is time for social studies teachers to engage students in a review of the rift between historical reality and mythology about Viet Nam, especially in light of recent comparisons that many have made between the Viet Nam War and the current situation in Iraq. Few teachers dealt with Viet Nam at the time of the war, and…