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Here is the epic story of Vietnam and thesixties told through the events of a few tumultuous days in October 1967. David Maraniss takes the reader on an unforgettable journey to the battlefields of war and peace. With meticulous and captivating detail, They Marched Into Sunlight brings that catastrophic time back to life while examining questions about the meaning of dissent and the official manipulation of truth, issues that are as relevant today as they were decades ago.

In a seamless narrative, Maraniss weaves together three very different worlds of that time: the death and heroism of soldiers in Vietnam, the anger and anxiety of antiwar students back home, and the confusion and obfuscating behavior of officials in Washington. In the literature of the Vietnam era, there are powerful books about soldiering, excellent analyses of American foreign policy in Southeast Asia, and many dealing with the sixties' culture of protest, but this is the first book to connect the three worlds and present them in a dramatic unity. To understand what happens to the people of this story is to understand America's anguish.

In the Long Nguyen Secret Zone of Vietnam, a renowned battalion of the First Infantry Division is marching into a devastating ambush that will leave sixty-one soldiers dead and an equal number wounded. On the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, students are staging an obstructive protest at the Commerce Building against recruiters for Dow Chemical Company, makers of napalm and Agent Orange, that ends in a bloody confrontation with club-wielding Madison police. And in Washington, President Lyndon Johnson is dealing with pressures closing in on him from all sides and lamenting to his war council, "How are we ever going to win?"

Based on thousands of primary documents and 180 on-the-record interviews, the story unfolds day by day, hour by hour, and at times minute by minute, with a rich cast of characters -- military officers, American and Viet Cong soldiers, chancellors, professors, students, police officers, businessmen, mime troupers, a president and his men, a future mayor and future vice president -- moving toward battles that forever shaped their lives and evoked cultural and political conflicts that reverberate still.

Average Customer Rating:

Gripping insight into a confusing era

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Obviously the American phase of the war in Vietnam remains a controversial topic even 40 years after its conclusion. I've noticed many readers seek out books that confirm prejudices regarding such topics. This is not the book for that crowd. Maraniss captures the broader debate surrounding Vietnam by focusing narrowly, but deeply, on one week during the war. The result is a compelling read that illuminates the personal, social and political motivations of both "pro-war" and "anti-war" contingents as he ranges back and forth between violent domestic protest in the USA and warfare in Vietnam. It's a clever and effective structure. The driving motives of "combatants" fighting for peace in the USA and against communism in Vietnam are illuminated with respect, insight and sensitivity. The description of the battles themselves, in a far away jungle and on an American campus make for gripping reading. Maraniss manages to convey tremendous drama and tragedy despite (or perhaps because of) a notably even-handed, even dispassionate approach. By writing as if he's close to yet above the fray, the author conveys the excitement and drama of the era with notable credibility. By exploring this one "small" story deeply he provides fascinating insight into the grander tragedy that was the Vietnam War. All in all, an intriguing and revelatory read.

Combat and Conflict	Customer Rating:
David Maraniss captures the reality of combat while illuminating the conflict at home. As a combat veteran and a graduate of Kent State University I was touched by both narratives.

Like "Stolen Valor," one of the more important books on Vietnam

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As the public affairs officer for the 1st Infantry Division brigade that has the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment "Black Lions," the legacy unit of the 2-28 IN battalion so well chronicled in Maraniss' book, I have been seeking as much information on the Black Lions as I can find. This book did not disappoint. Like the Vietnam classic Stolen Valor, this is a seminal read on the conflict, going much, much deeper than the tactical aspect of the 2-28's action at Ong Tranh. I found the background and portrayal of characters to be superb on the author's part, and his narrative progressed naturally, moving between the Vietnam setting with the Black Lions, to Madison, Wisconsin where the second Dow protest was set to begin. The book succeeds in delivering the perspective of the war by the men who fought it, the American citizens back home who supported and opposed it, and by the leaders of the country and of a corporation who had their own roles to play against the backdrop of two October days when the tide clearly turned. Although he doesn't come right out and say it- I think Maraniss contends that Vietnam was lost during these two critical days- three months before the Tet Offensive in Jan., 1968- which is the established "turning point" of the war. I found the book so compelling- and an important chronicle of that period in American history. Thanks to the book, I know so much more about the Black Lions of the 2-28 and those men who survived the vicious battle...and those who did not. I am forever humbled by their actions and sacrifices, and I believe this book is worthy of their memory and what they experienced. Baghdad 7-15-07

Spirit of the 60's	Customer Rating:
This book gives a great sense of the time period from a refreshing variety of perspectives, especially the soldiers. The Vietnam War was justifiably protested, and it's heartbreaking to see the men unwillingly embroiled in the frontlines of the conflict. A moving book.

By a battle survivor

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David Maraniss' book has changed our lives. I can speak only for myself, but I believe that the 82 men who survived and the families of the 64 men who were killed on that Ong Thanh battlefield in 1967 would agree with me. The author himself, his deep research, his work in bringing us all together, and finally the published book brought out the truth of what happened in that horrible fight. When I first met David for a much-delayed interview, I said that I would talk with him only if he "would promise to treat my men well." He replied that he could not do that - I told him the interview was over and turned to leave. He stopped me by stating "I cannot promise to treat your men well, but I do promise to tell the truth." I knew that the truth would treat my men well, so I returned and really opened up to him. His story accurately states the truth of that battle in Vietnam (I have no way to vouch for the truth of activities in Wisconsin or Washington, DC). Contemporary accounts of the fight were not completely true. The survivors of that battle and the families of the dead lived many years in a sad blackness and silence. Jim Shelton's book "The Beast Was Out There" was the only accurate account until David Maraniss" book. David Maraniss and his book "They Marched Into Sunlight" have changed our lives. We now can live in sunlight.