Our Year of War: Two Brothers, Vietnam, and a Nation Divided

by Daniel P. Bolger

Overview

Two brothers — Chuck and Tom Hagel — who went to war in Vietnam, fought in the same unit, and saved each other's life. They disagreed about the war, but they fought it together.

1968. America was divided. Flag-draped caskets came home by the thousands. Riots ravaged our cities. Assassins shot our political leaders. Black fought white, young fought old, fathers fought sons. And it was the year that two brothers from Nebraska went to war.

In Vietnam, Chuck and Tom Hagel served side by side in the same rifle platoon. Together they fought in the Mekong Delta, battled snipers in Saigon, chased the enemy through the jungle, and each saved the other's life under fire. But when their one-year tour was over, these two brothers came home side-by-side but no longer in step — one supporting the war, the other hating it.

Former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and his brother Tom epitomized the best, and withstood the worst, of the most tumultuous, shocking, and consequential year in the last half-century. Following the brothers' paths from the prairie heartland through a war on the far side of the world and back to a divided America, Our Year of War tells the story of two brothers at war — a gritty, poignant, and resonant story of a family and a nation divided yet still united.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306903267
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	11/07/2017
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Daniel P. Bolger served in the US Army for thirty-five years, retiring as a lieutenant general. He commanded troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq, earning five Bronze Star medals (one for valor) and the Combat Action Badge. He is the author of eight previous books and a contributing editor for Army magazine. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Table of Contents

List of Maps ix

Preface xi

Prologue: Light 1

1 The Hole in the Prairie 13

2 This Man's Army 36

3 Widows Village 60

4 The Butcher of the Delta 88

5 Blast 113

6 Killshots 136

7 Heat 154

8 The River Blindness 180

9 Constant Pressure 204

10 Children of Nyx 224

11 Ashes 247

Epilogue: The Old Sergeant 265

Acknowledgments 269

Notes 271

Index 319

Editorial Reviews

09/25/2017
Bolger, a retired Army lieutenant general, shares a little-known Vietnam War tale as he recounts the internecine battles of the Hagel brothers, Chuck and Tom. These two brothers from Nebraska served together in the 9th Infantry Division, helped each other survive heavy combat, and fought each other over the war after they came home. Chuck was a strong supporter of the war and went on to become a U.S. senator from Nebraska (1997–2009) and a secretary of defense (2013–2015) in the Obama Administration. His younger brother Tom, however, adamantly turned against the war in 1968 and went on to teach at Dayton University School of Law from 1982 to 2015. Tom believed the war was immoral and felt shame for having fought in it. Bolger ably sketches the brothers’ prewar and wartime lives, mixing in his own history and analysis of the war. For instance, he criticizes commanding Gen. William Westmoreland’s misguided strategy of attrition, disdain for counterinsurgency measures, and inability to grasp the ramifications of the war’s turning point—the 1968 Tet Offensive, which took place when the Hagels were fighting. Bolger’s story of the two Hagel brothers shows how even close family members became alienated from each other by the war in Vietnam. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Our Year of War is the remarkable tale of two brothers—one of them a future Secretary of Defense—who walked point together in the same Army infantry platoon in Vietnam. It's a story of war, and a story of family, and a reminder that America's wars are, in the end, fought by families. Dan Bolger has done us all a great service with this wonderful book."—Nathaniel Fick, author of the New York Times bestseller One Bullet Away—-

"Our Year of War is a vivid war story that soars beyond the battlefields to become a metaphor for life's struggles and redemption. Drawing on an exhaustive depth of research and first-hand combat experience, General Bolger weaves together a tale of brotherly devotion and a warning about ambitious senior officials who lacked humility and common sense."—Bing West, author of The Wrong War: A History of the War in Afghanistan—-

"Daniel Bolger is an unusual general—a fine writer and a masterful storyteller. Here he tells the moving tale of two soldiers, of the US Army (an organization he understands to his bones), of America, and of war. Reading this book is like sitting around the campfire with a tribal elder."—Thomas E. Ricks, bestselling author of Fiasco, The Generals, and Churchill and Orwell—-

"The story of the Hagel brothers is one of the most incredible and unbelievable stories ever to come out of war. It is a miracle that either of the brothers survived the crucible of Vietnam. Their stories as individuals and as brothers provide inspiration for us all."—US Senator Max Cleland (Ret.)—-

"A crisp account of a messy war...Bolger, who won five Bronze Stars during his Army career, brings a unique perspective to the story, as he understands the intricacies of modern warfare and also acknowledges the wide gap between those who fight these wars and those who lead them...Bolger ably conveys how Vietnam felt to those who fought it and what it meant."

—Kirkus Reviews, -


"Bolger's story of the two Hagel brothers shows how even close family members became alienated from each other by the war in Vietnam."—Publishers Weekly, -


"The raw description of a soldier's life will appeal to readers of military history...For readers interested in a new perspective of Vietnam."—Library Journal, -


"Engrossing."—New York Post, -


"An intimate look at the Vietnam War through the experiences of two brothers who survived it."—WTBF Radio, -


"Bolger does a masterful job of researching and referencing...He also captures and explains GI slang from the war."—Washington Independent Review of Books, -


"A compelling [story] and one that Bolger tells well."—The VVA Veteran, -


"The siblings' story, a part of the American fabric that Bolger weaves deftly, sucks you in."—Military Times, -

"A unique true-life story focusing on the 1968 Vietnam war experience of two brothers...[A] captivating, expertly researched, and thoroughly immersive saga. A vivid glimpse into the tumultuous past, a divided America, and the sweltering jungles of war-torn Vietnam, Our Year of War is highly recommended for public and college library military shelves and personal reading lists."—Midwest Book Review, -

"The story of two brothers fighting an implacable enemy in a faraway place that just a few years earlier most Americans couldn't find on a map...[Bolger] has experienced war firsthand and is uniquely qualified to tell the Hagels' story. And he pulls no punches. He puts things in perspective. He does an excellent job describing what the Hagels experienced in Vietnam and what was simultaneously happening on the homefront. He provides insight into what senior military leadership was thinking and how it affected soldiers in the jungle."
—ARMY magazine, -


"A story of the [Hagel] brothers' respective year-long experiences in the U.S. Army during the turbulent Vietnam War and how they came to their individual perspectives regarding that conflict...[Bolger] has weaved a highly readable account of the brothers' lives and war experiences along with the political, military, social, and cultural circumstances extant in the United States, and internationally, at the time...a quickly and easily read book that tells the Hagels' personal story while incorporating the big picture of events and influences from the pivotal year of 1968."—New York Journal of Books, -

"A multilayered, nuanced, extensively researched and wonderfully written account of what transpired on the battlefields of Vietnam and on the American homefront during the pivotal year for the war and for our country-1968...Bolger's superbly imagined and expertly presented narrative is much more than simply the story of two brothers who went to war...Bolger provides an insightful examination of the unprecedented domestic political-social upheavals confronting the U.S. in 1968...The best book in many years on the Vietnam War. This is a must-read book."-
—Vietnam Magazine, -


"A eulogy to lost American values and a clarion for the vanishing virtues of civility and genuine patriotism...A brilliant, exciting and tragic survey...As a war story its hair-raising suspense is as artfully crafted as any spellbinding fiction...[A] sanguine and gritty book that relates history even as it resonates today's real news."—Washington Times


"Bolger offers an affecting account of Chuck Hagel (who later became secretary of defense) and his brother Tom as they fought-and in some ways continue to refight-their shared tour in Vietnam."—The Christian Century


"Bolger goes beyond the standard chronological account of soldiers in combat...The book is an excellent look at not only how two brothers coped with war, but also how the U.S. changed with the brothers as the Vietnam War dragged on."—Collected Miscellany

From the Publisher

11/01/2017
This dual biography follows brothers Chuck and Tom Hagel as they serve in the same rifle platoon during the height of the Vietnam War. By the end of their service, they have earned five purple hearts between them, their experience propelling them in very different directions. Tom became a law professor, while Chuck found success as a Nebraska senator and secretary of defense in the Obama administration. In this account, Bolger (Why We Lost) gives an overview of the trials the young brothers faced in Vietnam. The richness of anecdotes about the conflict is tempered by a look at contemporary sociopolitical events. And while the raw description of a soldier's life will appeal to readers of military history, the details of the 1968 elections and social unrest in America may feel out of place. VERDICT This book attempts to put the wartime experience of two brothers in a larger context, but the cultural history sometimes overwhelms the personal story. For readers interested in a new perspective of Vietnam.—John Rodzvilla, Emerson Coll., Boston

Library Journal

2017-09-04
A crisp account of a messy war, focusing on two Nebraska brothers, one of whom would later become a senator and Secretary of Defense.Chuck Hagel supported the Vietnam War even before he enlisted, and his younger brother Tom had his reservations, which turned into outright opposition from his battle-scarred experiences. Yet the two fought beside each other even as the war deepened into an unwinnable quagmire. Bolger (Why We Lost: A General's Inside Account of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, 2014, etc.), who won five Bronze Stars during his Army career, brings a unique perspective to the story, as he understands the intricacies of modern warfare and also acknowledges the wide gap between those who fight these wars and those who lead them. He maintains a tight, precise focus on the military campaigns in Vietnam while providing context from back home as anti-war efforts intensified. From the start, Chuck was a natural leader, excelling at whatever he attempted, and he fit well within the military culture—as did Tom, at least at the start, though he wasn't quite the overachiever his brother was. Despite plenty of combat action, both thankfully returned home; Chuck was discharged first, and he embarked on a career as a radio broadcaster before going into politics. Tom saw his reservations deepen as he attempted but couldn't quite numb himself with alcohol and marijuana, with too much time to think after his transfer from the battle lines. After he followed his brother home to Nebraska, an argument about the war resulted in a fistfight, one that alarmed the neighbors into calling the police. They resolved never to discuss it again, as Chuck became a conservative Republican legislator and Tom a more liberal lawyer and professor of law. A little more of the before and after of their war experiences might have enriched the context, but Bolger ably conveys how Vietnam felt to those who fought it and what it meant.

Kirkus Reviews

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