Vietnam had a soundtrack, but it wasn’t simply the handful of songs Hollywood later chose for war movies. From Motown and rock to Casey Kasem’s American Top 40, this is what I remember listening to while serving in Vietnam—and how music kept us connected to home.
Long before Americans began saying “whatever,” Marines in Vietnam had their own expression: “There it is.” Two words that could convey resignation, frustration, acceptance, dark humor, and survival.
After transferring to Da Nang, life finally seemed safer—until fellow Marines and Vietnamese civilians were caught stealing from their own unit. Reporting the crime would have consequences no one saw coming.