Perspective

Each story is told in the first person point of view. The reader imagines that they are speaking directly to the speaker or that a personal letter has been sent directly from the man relating his experiences. Each story is written in the dialect and speech patterns of the man who experienced it. Wallace Terry does not function as author who finesses the stories or interjects his own comments. Instead Terry is merely the man who was able to gather twenty stories that give a well-rounded glimpse into the Vietnam War and the role blacks played in the conflict.

The story of Vietnam has been told by many people and in many formats, but the story of black Vietnam soldiers has not been given the same publicity. Black soldiers in Vietnam experienced a different war than white soldiers. They were forced to fight against the enemy on the...