The Vietnam run : American merchant mariners in the Indochina wars, 1945-1975 /

"On the same day the Japanese surrender ended World War II, Vietnamese nationalists declared independence from France. Within weeks, France sought to reestablish colonial rule. American merchant seamen arriving in French ports to ship GIs back to the U.S. were dismayed when French troops bound...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Gillen, Michael, 1948- (Author)
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, [2023]
Subjects:
Description
Summary:"On the same day the Japanese surrender ended World War II, Vietnamese nationalists declared independence from France. Within weeks, France sought to reestablish colonial rule. American merchant seamen arriving in French ports to ship GIs back to the U.S. were dismayed when French troops bound for Vietnam came aboard instead. Many merchant seamen objected to these troopship movements because American veterans awaited transport home, and because they flew in the face of Allied war aims of national self-determination. Later, with the Vietnam War effort dependent on Merchant Marine logistical support, seamen were among the first to protest U.S. involvement. With firsthand recollections, this book tells the story of the Merchant Marine in Vietnam, from deadly encounters with mines, rockets and gunfire to evacuations of refugees to rescues of "boat people" in the South China Sea"--
Physical Description:xii, 364 pages : illustrations, maps ; 26 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 351-352) and index.
ISBN:9781476688152
147668815X