Praise
"In the best tradition of investigative journalism."
– Boston Globe
"Nelson, who wrote a series on war crimes with a military historian when she was at The Los Angeles Times, is a diligent, passionate reporter. An important book."
– New York Times Book Review
"Remarkable. Nelson is one of the most experienced, talented investigative journalists alive."
– Seattle Times
“Alarming stories and important lessons for a country ‘hell-bound to repeat’ the same mistakes.”
–Library Journal
“The War Behind Me establishes, sadly, the terrible fear that emerged from the horrors of
My Lai—that its easy cover up suggested that deliberate killing of civilians was widespread in
heavily contested areas of south Vietnam. Yes, this book says, it did happen, and yes, as at
My Lai, many of those GIs who did the killing were as much victims as those they fired upon.”
— Seymour Hersh, author of Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib
“Nelson takes readers along with her on an unusually intimate journalistic journey to uncover
what the government had hoped to keep secret—war crimes too cold-blooded and routine to
fathom. As her riveting book reminds us, war is hell—for everyone involved. A must read for
soldiers, scholars, journalists and any one else interested in both courage and cover-up
during wartime.”
— Dana Priest, The Washington Post
“Young Americans went to Vietnam imbued with a high moral purpose. But the war
dehumanized many, as Deborah Nelson vividly illustrates in a book that evokes a shameful
chapter in our history.”
— Stanley Karnow, author of Vietnam: A History
“In her well-written and carefully documented report, Deborah Nelson highlights our shocking
failure to deal with, and learn lessons from, our extensive commission of war crimes during the
Vietnam War. A must read for all who are concerned with restoring the moral credibility of
our country. ”
— Lt. General (USA, Ret.) Robert G. Gard, Jr.
“Deborah Nelson has done a superb job in summarizing the problem of atrocities in
counterinsurgency operations and has performed a patriotic service by bringing this problem
to the attention of the public. Perhaps the most important lesson here is that we should not
allow our leaders to commit our military forces to such wars unless it is essential to our vital
national interests.”
— Brig. General (USA, Ret.) John H. Johns
