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by James Stoup (Author)
Behind the Wire is a story about the other side of the Vietnam War. It takes place at the beginning of the end of the United States' involvement in Vietnam, from May 1970 to May 1971. Unlike many of the combat stories coming out of this war, this is a story about life in the rear, life behind the wire, and the 365 day experience that was shared by hundreds of thousands of soldiers who went to Vietnam but never saw combat. It's a story about the large subculture of anti-war/anti-establishment troops that served there, and how they lived and experienced their "year in the Nam." It's a story about drugs, sex, rock & roll, insubordination, fraggings, and the incredible lifestyle that evolved in every rank of the military over the ten year course of the war. And it's a story about an Army that knew it was losing, not only the war, but also the confidence and support of its troops. Just as protesters back home were changing the country's view and support for the war, so too were many of the troops in Vietnam protesting the war in their own right. This is a real REMF (rear-echelon m--f--) story, as told by a U.S. Army journalist who spent his year in the Nam at the start of the wind-down period of the war.
