Heather Stur Knihy

The book explores the U.S. military's approach to racial and gender integration, as well as its treatment of sexuality, highlighting how the necessity for personnel has driven pragmatic progressivism since World War II. It delves into the complexities of these social issues within the armed services, illustrating the evolving dynamics of inclusion and diversity in a historically rigid institution.

South Vietnamese activists, intellectuals, students, and professionals had multiple visions for Vietnam's future as an independent nation. In expressing their views in the press and in public demonstrations, they performed democracy even as the Saigon government and US intervention stymied the development of democratic institutions.