Undesirable : The Vietnam War and a Father's Battle for Justice
Book Details
Format
Paperback / Softback
ISBN-10
0826369790
ISBN-13
9780826369796
Publisher
University of New Mexico Press
Imprint
University of New Mexico Press
Country of Manufacture
GB
Country of Publication
GB
Publication Date
Jul 17th, 2026
Print length
264 Pages
Weight
512 grams
Dimensions
22.80 x 15.30 x 2.30 cms
Product Classification:
VietnamUnited States of America, USA20th century, c 1900 to c 1999c 1955 to c 1975 (Vietnam War period)MemoirsMemoirsHistory of the Americas20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000Military historyVietnam WarHistoryHistory of the AmericasMilitary historyMilitary history: post-WW2 conflicts
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The powerful true story of a parent’s unflagging battle on behalf of a beloved son struggling with PTSD, mental illness, and addiction and a family who bore the burdens of war for decades.
In January 1969, angry after a fight with his father, nineteen-year-old Doug Johnson—in what will be a fateful choice—decides to enlist in the Army. Once in Vietnam as a point man, Doug becomes addicted to speed and heroin, goes AWOL multiple times, and is court martialed and imprisoned. In order to avoid a second court martial, he agrees to accept an “undesirable” discharge that denies him veterans’ benefits and any recognition of his wartime service. In late August 1970, drugged, malnourished, and clutching the sandal of a dead Viet Cong, Doug staggers off a plane into the arms of his father.
But Doug’s return home is only the beginning of this story. The core of Undesirable recounts another war: Doug’s father against the US Army. For three years, he fights to have his son’s “undesirable” discharge changed to “honorable.” Half a century later Laura Kalpakian—devoted daughter and sister—exhumes the evidence her father collected. From this trove of documents she assembles a heartbreaking story of a father’s love for his son and a son’s experience at war. Undesirable: A Father’s Odyssey demands that we ask what we—and our government—owe to our veterans for the physical, psychological, and emotional sacrifices they and their families make.
In January 1969, angry after a fight with his father, nineteen-year-old Doug Johnson—in what will be a fateful choice—decides to enlist in the Army. Once in Vietnam as a point man, Doug becomes addicted to speed and heroin, goes AWOL multiple times, and is court martialed and imprisoned. In order to avoid a second court martial, he agrees to accept an “undesirable” discharge that denies him veterans’ benefits and any recognition of his wartime service. In late August 1970, drugged, malnourished, and clutching the sandal of a dead Viet Cong, Doug staggers off a plane into the arms of his father.
But Doug’s return home is only the beginning of this story. The core of Undesirable recounts another war: Doug’s father against the US Army. For three years, he fights to have his son’s “undesirable” discharge changed to “honorable.” Half a century later Laura Kalpakian—devoted daughter and sister—exhumes the evidence her father collected. From this trove of documents she assembles a heartbreaking story of a father’s love for his son and a son’s experience at war. Undesirable: A Father’s Odyssey demands that we ask what we—and our government—owe to our veterans for the physical, psychological, and emotional sacrifices they and their families make.
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