As the Civil Rights Movement and urban uprisings of the 1960s shook the United States, Black soldiers carried those struggles into the Vietnam War. Refusing to endure the rampant racism entrenched in military life, many openly rebelled and questioned why they should fight a “rich white man’s war.”
In The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home, Wil Haygood uses historical records and personal accounts to tell this overlooked history. The book offers powerful perspective on the Vietnam War through the lens of Black Americans who lived it.
Haygood explains that Vietnam was technically the first fully integrated U.S. war. But placing racially mixed troops in the same platoons didn’t translate into equality. Black soldiers were disproportionately sent into combat, promoted less, and confronted racism within the ranks. After the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Confederate flags were displayed. This mirrored the racial tensions roiling back home.
As the Black Power and anti-war movements gained momentum, their ideas spread to the front lines. Black soldiers began questioning why they were risking their lives for a country that denied them equality. Those who challenged military authority or expressed Black Power were often sent to Long Binh military prison.
The war and treatment of Black soldiers also radicalized Dr. King. He condemned the injustice of drafting young Black men to fight and die overseas while denying them justice at home. He saw that the billions spent on Vietnam was being diverted from War on Poverty programs to improve the lives of everyday people.
One of the book’s most disturbing chapters examines Project 100,000. Under Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, enlistment standards were lowered for men who previously would have been rejected because of educational, mental, or health reasons.
The program was cynically cast as providing jobs and opportunity. It became a pipeline that sent thousands of poor young men — disproportionately Black — into combat. Casualty rates among Black soldiers soared.
One of Haygood’s greatest strengths is his use of personal narratives. Among those profiled is Wallace Terry, the first Black full-time war correspondent in Vietnam. Terry later wrote Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans, giving voice to their stories so long overlooked.
The War Within a War is a gripping account of Black Americans’ experience, resistance, and leadership during the Vietnam war. Readers will find rich lessons for today, and as Secretary of Defense Hegseth tries to whitewash military history, this book is a definite “must read.”
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