The Vietnamese translation of an American War veteran's book titled BareFeet, Iron Will: Stories from the Other Side of Vietnam's Battlefieldswas released in HCM City yesterday.
The author of the book is James Zumwalt, younger son of the commander of the US Naval Forces in Vietnam.
Thebook is based on hundreds of interviews he conducted and presents adifferent perspective on the war from the other side of the battlefield.
TheEnglish version of “Bare Fee”t, Iron Will was printed by FortisPublishing in April 2010. The 400-page Vietnamese version, titled “ChanTran, Chi Thep”, is published by First News and the HCM City BookDistribution JSC (Fahasa).
"Bare Feet, Iron Will” takes thereader on a fascinating journey, providing stories – many never toldbefore – as to how enemy ingenuity played a major role in the conflict,causing us not to see things that were there or to see things there thatwere not," publishing house representatives said at a press conferenceon April 21.
Chan Tran, Chi Thep includes commendations byVietnamese generals like Senior Lieutenant General Phan Trung Kien,deputy Defence minister; and Lieutenant General Le Thanh Tam, deputyhead of the Vietnamese Veterans' Association.
In his foreword,Kien says: "I admire the author's honesty and courage because he hasexpressed a point of view which is different from his former one and theUS Government's view during the war time."
Lt Col James Zumwaltis a retired Marine officer who served in the American War, the 1989invasion of Panama and Operation Desert Storm, the first Gulf War inKuwait.
Now an author, speaker and business executive, he heads asecurity consulting firm named after his father–AdmiralZumwalt&Consultants, Inc.
James Zumwalt is the younger son ofAdmiral Elmo Zumwalt, Jr., who became commander of the US Naval Forcein Vietnam in 1968. James and his brother Elmo III served in Vietnamunder their father's command.
Admiral Zumwalt approved anddirected “Operation Ranch Hand” that used vast amounts of Agent Orangeover many parts of the country. After his eldest son succumbed in 1988to cancer caused by dioxin contained in Agent Orange, the admiral becamea leading advocate on behalf of US veterans afflicted with diseasesstemming from exposure to the defoliant.
However, he expressed no regret for its use, seeing it as an action designed to save American lives.
Deeplyaffected by the loss of his brother, James Zumwalt overcame hisinternal conflicts and anger about the war by developing extensiverelationships with his former enemies during 50 visits to Vietnam from1994 to 2004.
This launched him on an unexpected journey in an unexpected direction.
InVietnam, almost two decades after the fall of the Saigon regime thatended the American War, the author, in a private talk with a formerenemy general, came to understand an aspect of the war he never beforehad.
In that talk, they shared personal insights about the war,discovering a common bond. It began a journey where he would meethundreds of former North and South Vietnamese fighters, listening totheir personal stories of loss, sacrifice and hardship.
It openedthe author's eyes to how a technically inferior enemy, beaten down bysuperior US firepower, was able to get back up – driven by an "ironwill" to emerge triumphant./.
The author of the book is James Zumwalt, younger son of the commander of the US Naval Forces in Vietnam.
Thebook is based on hundreds of interviews he conducted and presents adifferent perspective on the war from the other side of the battlefield.
TheEnglish version of “Bare Fee”t, Iron Will was printed by FortisPublishing in April 2010. The 400-page Vietnamese version, titled “ChanTran, Chi Thep”, is published by First News and the HCM City BookDistribution JSC (Fahasa).
"Bare Feet, Iron Will” takes thereader on a fascinating journey, providing stories – many never toldbefore – as to how enemy ingenuity played a major role in the conflict,causing us not to see things that were there or to see things there thatwere not," publishing house representatives said at a press conferenceon April 21.
Chan Tran, Chi Thep includes commendations byVietnamese generals like Senior Lieutenant General Phan Trung Kien,deputy Defence minister; and Lieutenant General Le Thanh Tam, deputyhead of the Vietnamese Veterans' Association.
In his foreword,Kien says: "I admire the author's honesty and courage because he hasexpressed a point of view which is different from his former one and theUS Government's view during the war time."
Lt Col James Zumwaltis a retired Marine officer who served in the American War, the 1989invasion of Panama and Operation Desert Storm, the first Gulf War inKuwait.
Now an author, speaker and business executive, he heads asecurity consulting firm named after his father–AdmiralZumwalt&Consultants, Inc.
James Zumwalt is the younger son ofAdmiral Elmo Zumwalt, Jr., who became commander of the US Naval Forcein Vietnam in 1968. James and his brother Elmo III served in Vietnamunder their father's command.
Admiral Zumwalt approved anddirected “Operation Ranch Hand” that used vast amounts of Agent Orangeover many parts of the country. After his eldest son succumbed in 1988to cancer caused by dioxin contained in Agent Orange, the admiral becamea leading advocate on behalf of US veterans afflicted with diseasesstemming from exposure to the defoliant.
However, he expressed no regret for its use, seeing it as an action designed to save American lives.
Deeplyaffected by the loss of his brother, James Zumwalt overcame hisinternal conflicts and anger about the war by developing extensiverelationships with his former enemies during 50 visits to Vietnam from1994 to 2004.
This launched him on an unexpected journey in an unexpected direction.
InVietnam, almost two decades after the fall of the Saigon regime thatended the American War, the author, in a private talk with a formerenemy general, came to understand an aspect of the war he never beforehad.
In that talk, they shared personal insights about the war,discovering a common bond. It began a journey where he would meethundreds of former North and South Vietnamese fighters, listening totheir personal stories of loss, sacrifice and hardship.
It openedthe author's eyes to how a technically inferior enemy, beaten down bysuperior US firepower, was able to get back up – driven by an "ironwill" to emerge triumphant./.
