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Article: The Sons of Bardstown: 25 Years in an American Town.
- Article from:
- The Washington Monthly
- Article date:
- June 1, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Washington Monthly Company. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The American military involvement in Vietnam was insidious, beginning inconspicuously with a handful of military advisors in 1950. When it ended a quarter of a century later, Vietnam had reshaped our national life, exhausted our national confidence, and taught us finally to count the costs of power.
Our military hesitancy in Bosnia, despite recent cheap thrils in Grenada and Panama, is one of Vietnam's practical legacies. But only artists can tote the deeper costs to the American spirit. Like an untutored child confronting the algebraic unknown, solving Vietnam still tests the strengths and skills of writers and artists.
In The Sons of Bardstown, Jim ...