Customer Reviews

Chance and Circumstance: The Draft, the War, and the Vietnam Generation

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Chance and Circumstance tries to prove that "low-income" males got shafted during Vietnam. Using lots of statistics, it shows how the men from affluent backgrounds escaped Vietnam; college deferments, National Guard, Air Force, etc. The disadvantage was that there were few openings in the National Guard, and most of the recruits were college graduates. Similarly, the Air Force was more open to educated men, and for a high school dropout, a college deferment was out of the question.

My fault with this book is that there are too many statistics. Most of the stories are told in the third person; few first-person accounts are provided. While this book might be useful to a college student doing a report on the Vietnam War, I would recommend first-person accounts.

Let's keep in mind the controversy about George W. Bush's service (or lack of it) during the Vietnam War. There were many reports of him evading his duties, but the most damning evidence was the testimony of his former superiors.

Letting the people tell their stories is always the most accurate way to go. Third-person accounts aren't as reliable.