The human experience of war is so hard to grasp the camaraderie, the fear, the smell, the pain. The Boys of '67- Charlie Company 's War in Vietnam helped better to understand the soul-altering experience of combat by focusing attention on a single group of men as they navigated the trials and tribulations of the Vietnam War. Transformation stood at the center of the story the transformation of young men into soldiers and then into warriors. It was a transformation that all too often had a dark side, leaving men emotionally and spiritually battered for years to come.
What is so often forgotten, and its effects universally misunderstood, is that these men were not alone nor were they alone in their transformation. For each man, there were women and families who loved them. Women and families who sent young men to war, but welcomed home someone new, different, darker. Our Story Has Never Been Told looks at the lives of these women and families, using the same research and compelling storytelling methods employed in The Boys of '67. Told using stories gathered from the women themselves Andy Wiest reveals who these wives, girlfriends and mothers were, how they experienced
the war and how their hopes and dreams changed as America entered perhaps its greatest ever period of social change.
Much of this engrossing book will focus on the lives of the soldiers and their families after the soldiers returned home. The experiences are quite varied, ranging from marital bliss to bitter self destruction. The vast majority of Charlie Company veterans returned home suffering from some level of posttraumatic stress. Wives and families had sent happy, idealistic young men to war, and all too often welcomed home emotionally dark, drunk, abusive men whom they no longer recognized. Some wives stood by their men through homelessness, alcohol abuse, and physical abuse. Others couldn 't stand the pain and left the loves of their lives forever. Some reclaimed their loved ones from the brink of oblivion. Some only had memories to cherish. Some nursed husbands who would never walk again.
Focusing on a distinct, but very diverse, group of women and families, Our Story Has Never Been Told does something completely new in the field of military history it lays bare the tale of how war interacts with real life. Based mainly on interviews, letters, and recordings Our Story makes for gripping reading full of tales of struggle, failure, and redemption. All over the world, veterans and their families are alone dealing with issues that are central to this work. Our Story is the conclusion to so many books that are out there already it is the universal postscript to war.
