Bloods (45 page)

Every book is born in debt. In this small way I acknowledge the debt this book and I owe to those who made the birth possible. Without the generous support of those friends of the black Vietnam War veteran and their belief in me, these stories would not have been told here.

I thank them all.

Marc Jaffe welcomed the concept of this book when I brought the idea to Random House. Erroll McDonald, the editor of the book, guided its development and provided invaluable suggestions for its form and shape. Robert Wyatt contributed his gifts as the editor of the Ballantine edition.

Roslyn Targ, my literary agent, never wavered in her belief in the book’s importance. She freed me from my doubts and held my hand.

Richard Boone, president, Leslie Dunbar, past president, and The Field Foundation supported my early research into the experience of black Vietnam War veterans.

Franklin Thomas, president, and The Ford Foundation made their support available for the completion of that research in the form of this book.

John Quinn and John Seigenthaler granted me a leave of absence from the editorial staff of
USA Today
in order to complete the interviewing and editing.

Ronald H. Brown, chairman of the board of trustees, Robert L. Green, president, and the community of the University of the District of Columbia made me feel at home at the university during that time.

I found some of the veterans included in this book through the assistance of the Veterans Administration’s Vet Center Program. Especially helpful were Dr. Arthur Blank, the program director, Elaine Alvarez, Harold Doughty, Husher Harris, Tom Harris, Michael Jackson, George Knight, Edward Lord, Erqin Parson, Leonard Porter, Robert G. Smith and Arto Woods.

In the military community I received the wise advice and counsel of B/Gen. Richard Abel USAF, M/Gen. Harry Brooks, Jr., USA (ret.), Cmdr. Carlos C. Campbell USNR, Capt. Kenneth Norman USA (ret.), M/Gen. Frank Petersen USMC, Maj. Gilford Robinson USMC, and CMSGT James H. Smith USAF (ret.).

Many members of my family shared their love, support, and, most of all, patience, during the research and writing. I am especially grateful to Gus and Betty Hamilton, Billye and Cedric Jessup, and my children, Wallace III, Lisa and David.

Wally, the oldest, was virtually a second editor of the book. He devoted several months to the research and preparation of the stories. He was a veritable sounding board, for I had at my side a young man of the approximate age and with similar thoughts and feelings as those GIs who fought the war. His opinions gave the book a special grace.

During the time that I was covering the Vietnam War for
Time
magazine, my wife, Janice, made eighteen trips to visit me in Saigon. Each time she would go upcountry to visit an aid station, hospital or base camp to help boost the morale of black fighting men. They were her “heroes.” And to them, she was “Soul Sister No. 1.” She gave this book and its author the same mothering care.

For reasons best known to them I am also grateful to: Sallie Blake, Don Brandt, John Britton, Kristin Clark, Marsh and Pippa Clark, Rep. Ron Dellums, Shearon Dishman, Eugene C. Dorsey, Ted Van Dyk, Murray Gart, Michelle Gundy, Charles Harris, Carl Holman, Mary Jane Hunter, Bruce Jessup, Gayle Jessup, Larry L. King, Stephen Lane, Bernard Lang, Carl McCarden, Dan Martin, William Mayo, Frank McCulloch, Nancy Nelson, Michelle Nielsen, Anne Elizabeth Oliver, Ed Pfeiffer, Pat Reis, Sandra Roberts, Pat Smith, John and Bunny Sanders, Gerald Sass, Jack A. Scott, Dick and Germaine Swanson, Wallace Terry, Sr., Raphael Tisdale, Ron Townsend and Patricia Woodlin.

The twenty veterans whose stories comprise this book opened their hearts and homes, minds and memories to me, often on several occasions, sometimes across a dozen years or more. They shared more than time and friendship; they shared their spirit and soul. And that is what I tried to capture in the telling of their stories for posterity. They and their families have my special appreciation for their gifts to this book.

Wallace Terry
was a Vietnam-veterans advocate, a pioneering journalist, and one of the most accomplished and honored correspondents of the Vietnam War. He was educated at Brown, the University of Chicago, and Harvard, and ordained in the Disciples of Christ ministry. He produced documentary films on black Marines for the U.S. Marine Corps and served as a race-relations consultant to Gen. David C. Jones, a U.S. Air Force commanding general in Europe. From 1967 to 1968, he was the Saigon deputy bureau chief for
Time
magazine. His work appeared in
The New York Times
and
The Washington Post
, and for many years he wrote regularly for
USA Today
and
Parade
magazine. In 1989, he received the President’s Award in recognition of his contribution to American culture. Wallace Terry died in 2003.