They Marched Into Sunlight: War and Peace, Vietnam and America, October 1967

 The Vietnam War occupies an interesting place in American culture. The event is often used as a comparison, when needing an example of American hubris and failure or as a moment demonstrating the power of civic activism. It is not a bright spot in American history to be sure, and I think the “stink” attached to it is what makes many individuals, myself included, curious about the era in which it took place. As I often tell my students when covering this time period, it is hard for us to fathom today just how much social and political

change was occurring in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Americans who experienced a similar moment in our history lived through the Civil War, and unfortunately they are not wheeling around American nursing homes today. As we are now nearly six decades beyond the beginning of our country;s involvement in the conflict, clear memories fade, and as with all history, aspects of events get boiled down to bare bones facts or ideas that serve the narrative of those who are speaking on them. This book, They Marched Into Sunlight, brings back this era in granular detail, focusing almost exclusively on a handful of days in October of 1967. Lyndon Johnson had not yet dropped out of the presidential race, Watergate was years away, and Amercians were just beginning to feel comfortable speaking out against a war that would become incredibly unpopular in a few short years. The book challenged many of my notions of the time period, changing the way I view the government, soldiers, and protestors of the era, all while providing an invaluable snapshot in history of my alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. If anything I have written so far intrigues you, stop now and order the book. 

Maraniss jumps between three main narratives within the pages of his book, following LBJ, UW-Madison students, and the 2nd battalion of the 28th infantry regiment, nicknamed the Black Lions. At the center of all of this was a horrendously lopsided battle the Black Lions were involved in and a series of intense student protests on the campus of UW-Madison regarding recruiting by DOW Chemical. While reading, one gains knowledge on how the US military operated on the ground in Vietnam, youth culture of the 1960s, civic activism and organization, and the impact pivotal moments of history can have on a country writ large. This is a bit of a simplification, but the author does  a far better job of weaving these stories together than I would have thought possible. What he did by doing so was provide the reader with perspective on the war from these three angles, oftentimes complicating the expected narrative. Soldiers were more upset about the way in which the war was fought at the time than I had recognized. Protestors were not always as well informed as I would like to imagine they were. President Johnson was more angry about the war itself than in other accounts I had read. I was highly engaged by the way in which he presented the material, and simply blown away by how well sourced his writing was. If you are looking for an example of what meticulously detailed research looks like, look no further. 

I have to admit that setting aside my bias for this review is difficult. Not only does it cover one of my favorite topics in my favorite era of US history, but the book is set partially on the campus where I once lived. While reading the book, I was able to close my eyes and place myself in exact locations based on his descriptions of campus events.  If you are a fellow Badger and care at all about the history of UW, this book is an absolute must have on your shelf.