Letters From Nam The Dwight Jones Papers
Introduction Biography Letters Photos Dwight Jones Papers Finder Aid Bibliography
Dwight Jones was one of 2.2 million American men drafted into the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. From October 1968 to October 1969, Jones served with an infantry unit in the jungles of Vietnam, where he experienced many of the horrors common to war, and the Vietnam War in particular. His letters tell of explosions and booby traps, "jungle rot" and rabies, stifling heat and darkness, death and injury to friends.
Unlike many Vietnam soldiers' letters home, however, Dwight Jones' correspondence to his mother also notes his experiences with racism in the U.S. Army. Representing 12 percent of all those serving during the Vietnam conflict, African Americans fought a war overseas while a battle for their Civil Rights raged back home. Jones letters often include instances of discrimination within his unit as well as questions about protests and riots in his home town of Winston-Salem, N.C.
Letters From Nam includes 25 letters from Jones to his mother during his military service, as well as other selected memorabilia and photos from Vietnam. These digitized materials form a portion of the Dwight Jones Papers (MS6) in the WSSU Archives. To learn more about Dwight Jones, other African Americans in Vietnam, or the Dwight Jones Papers, click above.
