Includes bibliogr. references and index.

Introduction: A "noble cause" ; "Never again" : the Vietnam syndrome in American foreign policy ; "Something rather dark and bloody" : atrocities, PTSD, and the pathologization of Vietnam veterans ; The discourse of healing and the "black gash of shame" ; "A dangerous political issue" : the war about memory in 1982 , "Home to America's heart" : the national salute to Vietnam veterans ; "In unity and with resolve" : the statue, the flag, and political speech at the Memorial ; "No shame or stigma" : the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program ; "A confrontation between faiths" : the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial ; "Today, we are one people" : the family drama of race and gender in commemorative statuary of the Vietnam War ; "Our offspring" : children in Vietnam veterans memorials ; "The wall is for all of us" : invented traditions and patterns of public response to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial ; Conclusion: A "statute of limitations" : what "healing" from the war might mean.