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''Homecoming: When the Soldiers Returned From Vietnam'' is a book of selected correspondence published in 1989. Its genesis was a controversial newspaper column of 20 July 1987 in which ''Chicago Tribune'' syndicated columnist Bob Greene asked whether there was any truth to the folklore that Vietnam veterans had been spat upon when they returned from the war zone. Greene believed the tale was an urban legend. The overwhelming response to his original column led to four more columns, then to a book collection of the most notable responses. After Greene made his best effort to check the truth of the accounts to be printed, he inserted a minimum of his own commentary in the text, preferring to let the veterans' words speak for themselves. The reprinted letters show a steady pattern of mistreatment of Vietnam veterans by all segments of American society, and in a wide variety of settings. ''Homecoming'' was later criticized by those who did not believe that Vietnam veterans had been spat upon. ==Genesis of the book== One of the contentious issues of the Vietnam War and its aftermath was the American public's response to its returning military veterans. Even as the citizenry's opposition to the war mounted, tales began to spread of returning veterans being mistreated. The archetypical story became one of antiwar hippie protesters spitting upon returning veterans in an airport. Twelve years after the Vietnam War ended, on 20 July 1987, syndicated columnist Bob Greene of the ''Chicago Tribune'' proposed testing the truth of what he considered an urban legend. The headline of his column, syndicated in 200 papers, asked: ''"If You're A Veteran, Were You Spat Upon?"'' As he wrote in the text: Even during the most fervent days of anti-war protest, it seemed that it was not the soldiers whom protesters were maligning. It was the leaders of government, and the top generals—at least, that is how it seemed in memory. One of the most popular chants during the anti-war marches was, "Stop the war in Vietnam, bring the boys home." You heard that at every peace rally in America. “Bring the boys home." That was the message. Also, when one thought realistically about the image of what was supposed to have happened, it seemed questionable. So-called "hippies", no matter what else one may have felt about them, were not the most macho people in the world. Picture a burly member of the Green Berets, in full uniform, walking through an airport. Now think of a “hippie” crossing his path. Would the hippie have the nerve to spit on the soldier? And if the hippie did, would the soldier—fresh from facing enemy troops in the jungles of Vietnam—just stand there and take it?〔 He ended the article: So if you are a Vietnam veteran, and you were ever spat upon by a civilian after you returned home, please drop a line to this column. No jokes, please. If it really happened, it is no laughing matter. It would help if you provide approximate dates, places and circumstances. His work address followed. So did a spate of letters. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Homecoming: When the Soldiers Returned from Vietnam」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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