Acknowledgments

I have always had a passion for studying the civilian side of warfare, and while I was brainstorming topics about the American War in Vietnam with Lien-Hang Nguyen, she passed me a worn copy of Philip Marnais’s Saigon After Dark from her crowded bookshelves and asked if I thought there was anything to it. It did not take long to recognize the complex entanglements of the personal and the diplomatic when it came to the way American soldiers interacted with Vietnamese civilians in sexual relationships, and the idea for this book quickly took shape. Nearly a decade after that meeting, I am happy to see it finished.

The generous support of institutions and mentors has made this book possible. Research support from the University of Kentucky Department of History, the University of Kentucky Graduate School, and the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations provided opportunities to travel to archives in the United States, England, France, and Vietnam. My postdoctoral fellowship at the United States Military Academy, West Point, offered additional opportunities to explore archives that improved this volume by bringing even more voices into the conversation. I am thankful for funding from the University of South Florida Libraries that supported the production of this book. Stories collected during interviews enriched the narrative, and I am grateful the interviewees took the time to speak with me. I particularly enjoyed my conversations with Le Ly Hayslip, including one where she talked on speakerphone while her son drove her along a Southern California freeway. Archivists are always an important part of the research process, and their diligent work over the years makes studies like this possible. The outstanding professionals at the Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archives at Texas Tech University, the United States Army Women’s Museum at Fort Lee, the National Archives at College Park, the Johnson, Nixon, and Ford presidential archives, the British National Archives at Kew, the French Ministry of Defense Archives at Vincennes, the National Archives Center II in Ho Chi Minh City, the General Sciences Library in Ho Chi Minh City, the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, and the Michigan State University Archives all contributed to my ability to complete the book. Sheon Montgomery from the Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive was particularly helpful is securing images for the book.

The work has been made stronger by the mentorship and friendship of numerous professors and colleagues over the years. At the University of North Florida, David Courtwright helped shape me as a historian, encouraging vigorous self-revision and energetic teaching. Greg Domber taught me to love the history of the Cold War, peer review, and conferences. Philip Kaplan, Charles Closman, and Aaron Sheehan-Dean were three of the best history professors I’ve ever had, and while they’ve all likely forgotten my contributions in their classes, I’ll never forget those first courses that solidified my decision to pursue history. At the University of Kentucky, Lien-Hang Nguyen, Paul Chamberlin, Akiko Takenaka, Karen Petrone, and George Herring formed a solid mentorship team who always had time to work with me through an idea or a hurdle. Hang’s expertise, in particular, helped me navigate the process of researching in Vietnam. Together their guidance shaped the first drafts of what evolved into this book, and I am forever grateful. ln fall 2020, I learned of the loss of Ellen Furlough. It is hard to put into words the impact her passion for history and her compassion for others had on me and my work. The world is a much bleaker place without her, and those who knew her are the better for her presence in their lives. At West Point, Brigadier General (Ret.) Ty Seidule and Lieutenant Colonel Sean Sculley provided me with so much support as I took on the project of introducing topics in gender and sexuality to the history cadets and made a civilian feel right at home in those historic halls. They taught me to embrace the significance of the work of historians and allowed me to experience first-hand how teaching history can shape character. Dean Todd Chavez of USF Libraries has continued to support my work, and for that I am extremely grateful. Colleagues Heather Stur and Kara Vuic have offered continued mentorship, and are always generous with comments and advice. Over the years, many friends and peers have all made small or large impacts on this book, whether they realized it or not. They include Krystle Sweda, Ben Griffin, Helen Pho, Mark Bergman, Mark Ehlers, Danny Sjursen, Ben Flores, Rory McGovern, Cody Foster, and Sydney Jordan. For the brainstorms, page exchanges, happy hours, long talks, and countless rounds of Diplomacy, I thank you all.

Portions of chapters 2 and 3 were previously published as "Uneasy Allies: The Americanization of Sexual Policies in South Vietnam," in the Journal of American–East Asian Relations 22, no. 3 (2015): 187–220, https://doi.org/10.1163/18765610-02203003.

My editors at Cornell University Press have been particularly generous, and patient, with their feedback. Michael McGandy has stuck with me and this project through my multiple moves, the birth of my daughter, and the delays brought on from the COVID-19 pandemic. His persistent encouragement to keep going made this book happen. I also thank Acquisitions Assistant Clare Jones and Production Editor Mary Kate Murphy who have been invaluable resources in navigating the publication process. Mark Bradley, Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, and the peer reviewers gave me plenty to think about and have all substantially improved this book. I am exceedingly grateful for Amanda Heller’s attention to detail and thoughtful copyediting. Any faults that remain are entirely my own.

Finally, I thank my family. My parents, brother, in-laws, nieces and nephews have all waited patiently for this book for years, cheering me on along the way. My parents, Anni and John Chapman, were both navy enlisted, and a childhood surrounded by military culture sparked an interest in the institutions long before I chose to pursue history. When I was still researching this book, I stayed with my aunt and uncle Rebecca and Thomas McClear during an archive visit. My uncle, a Vietnam War veteran, was the first veteran I talked to at length with my project. His challenging questions pushed me to seek new angles of inquiry and pursue interviews with other veterans. He passed away shortly after my visit, and while he cannot read the final book, I hope he would have found it interesting. I am sure he’d have plenty more challenging questions for me.

My husband, Jason Boczar, has watched this effort evolve from an idea to a full-fledged book, and I think he is as relieved as I am to see it finally finished. He has heard me read through sections over and over, and always knows just what to say to help me push through a roadblock. Thank you for all the love and the friendship. I finished the book manuscript in the months after the birth of our daughter, Elizabeth. She has grown into a spirited toddler through this process, and while she is still too young to really understand what it means to write a book, I hope she’ll understand my dedication to it during her early years. To encourage you to follow your dreams, Beth, this is for you.