The Wages of War: When America's Soldiers Came Home : From Valley Forge to Vietnam

by Richard Severo, Lewis Milford

A history of the reception of soldiers returning to American soil argues that the chilly greeting afforded Vietnam vets is a typical response

Genres: History, War, Nonfiction

495 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1989

Reviews

[Harron68 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am not finished with it, but the authors, with detailed footnotes, make the case for post-war health care, pensions and payouts for returning and relatives of dead servicemen and women. Those costs, especially after the Civil War, even with small pensions were significant.
The lack of proper respect for those serving in war comes from public embarrassment, to anger that as patriots, the military shouldn't expect much from government or the people they fought for. That disturbing truth, the public's wish soldiers and sailors would just go quietly back to civilian life after wars expecting no recompense should infuriate every American.
The writing itself isn't dull or overly statistical. It is filled with those in government, and the fighters words, the affect on elections and political parties, as well as the corruption that money attracts when federal dollars are handed out. It should be a "MUST READ" for every citizen. It should give pause to those eager for war as to the lasting costs and poor medical treatment that has existed from the nation's beginning to today.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

GNAB I received a free electronic copy of this history from Netgalley, Richard Severo, and Open Road Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all, for sharing your hard work with me.

This is an intense and very long book, and every word is necessary and should be etched in stone. Please read this book. There is a 2016 preface by Charles Sheehan-Miles but the most disturbing statistics date back to 1986, when the book was originally published.

Remember, these are figures from 1986. "The Government estimates that nearly 39 million Americans have served us in wartime since 1776. The Veterans Administration has estimated that more than a million of them have died doing that. It is a large number, but somehow, with all the violence that now surrounds us in less-than-global conflicts, the number seems as though it should be much, much higher. As of the 1980 census, more than 23 million Americans have served in a war and lived to tell about it. There were another 6 million survivors who had served in what we have come to call peacetime. And so, with time taking it's toll, there are now nearly 28 million Americans among us who have served in the military, all because of war and our fears about war. Those 28 million have another 53 million who survive them or depend on them. Thus, a third of our population has had a direct or indirect role in serving the military interests of this country. In the face of their sheer number and the enormity of the debt we owe them, why have we ignored such people, scorned them, and wanted to forget about them?"

Remember, 1986 figures. Add to that 2,322,000 service members involved in Desert Shield/Desert Storm and, as of Sept 2016, 4,398,000 service members involved in the Global War on Terror. These figures are from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Public Affairs, Washington, DC 20420 (202) 461-7600. They do not number those spouses and children dependent on these vets for moral support and livelihood, but since the end of the draft, our soldiers tend to be older than the kids who fought our previous wars.

This is not a small problem. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 50,000 American Vets are homeless every night. In my home state of New Mexico Vets can wait weeks - months - even years for an appointment with a VA doctor, and most have to travel 200 - 300 miles to get there. We have a local Alamogordo VA medical office, but they cannot write prescriptions or order testing locally.

Please, read this book. Please, get involved.

Pub date March 8, 2016

[William Selber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A searing indictment of America's shambolic treatment of its veterans. From Shay's "Rebellion" and to the VA's despicable response to Agent Orange, this book shows that WWII was an aberration: throughout most of American history, the American government and its people have all too often turned its back on those asked to kill in their names. At times, this book is too hyperbolic and polemical. Nevertheless, the book's main argument hold's true - America has consistently failed its veteran population.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a long time to finish this. The information made me very angry and very sad. This book discusses the military person returning home and how they were treated by the government and the civilian population. Some I knew about, like Agent Orange. Some was a surprise and /or shock. I feel I learned some lessons. I encourage you to read it, too.

[David Dickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little known history of how soldiers were treated after coming home from war in the United States.
The sad fact is that the majority of the time the soldiers were not treated well, but today they have good health care and benefits that they deserve. It also gives a concise history of some of our wars that should of never been fought like the Mexican war and the Vietnam war.

[Rob Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a little short on some details I️ would consider crucial to the evaluation of this issue, I️ found this book to be extremely informative regarding the history of how America, and Americans, have treated its veterans returning from war.

[Jeffrey D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I do have to warn you that this book is hard to read . Felt like crying when I learned just how poorly our Vets were treated. Thank you for writing this book