 "Photo: Brad Tollefson")
Ron Milam will pick up a pen Veterans Day to sign copies of his new book at Barnes and Noble for a book signing event sponsored by the Veterans Association at Texas Tech.
“I think it’s appropriate because it not only focuses on the book, but more importantly it focuses on Veterans Day,” said Ron Milam, author of “Not a Gentleman’s War: An Inside View of Junior Officers in the Vietnam War.”
Veterans Day is the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918. Michael Flores, president of the Veterans Association, said this day seemed like the perfect opportunity to celebrate Milam’s book, which argues junior officers fought well during the Vietnam War, contrary to what some historians have written.
“Dr. Milam is faculty adviser for the Veterans Association, so it almost made sense to sponsor the book signing,” Flores said, “and he was gracious enough to allow his proceeds from the book signing be donated to the Veterans Association, which is great for us because we don’t receive money from outside sources.”
According the Veterans Association Web site, the organization promotes academic support, fellowship and community volunteer opportunities. They are committed to providing Tech veterans with the tools necessary to succeed both socially and academically.
Jake Storey, trade book manager for Barnes and Noble at Tech, said Barnes and Noble is excited to help the Tech professor with a book signing event.
The book signing will be an all-day event starting at 11 a.m. with a book signing at Barnes and Noble in the Student Union Building. A reception will be hosted from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Senate Room with sandwiches for guest to enjoy. Milam will speak about his book at 6:30 p.m. in the Senate Room.
“The things I will be talking about in the lecture are why I wrote the book,” Milam said, “and what the idea behind it was originally because it was my doctoral dissertation. Then, I will be talking a little bit about the unique situation that the American military found itself in during the Vietnam War, which is that they had this tremendous need and demand for junior officers.”
In his book, he specifically defines junior officers as second and first lieutenants. During the Vietnam War, there was a need for junior officers because of the number of soldiers committed to the war, and there were high causalities among junior officers. Milam said second and first lieutenants had the highest death percentage rate in the military during the Vietnam War.
Milam said he will also speak about Lt. William Calley, who was responsible for the incident at My Lai, which resulted in the deaths of about 400 to 500 individuals. Calley’s actions essentially shed a bad light on junior officers in the Vietnam War.
Flores said he is looking forward to hearing Milam’s discussion about the book.
“It’s unfortunate that some students go through his class and don’t even realize the experiences of a man of his stature,” Flores said. “The fact that he is sharing his experiences through his book and with us just speaks volumes to me.”
Nick Ervin, a junior history major from Lubbock and former student of Milam, said he is excited to hear Milam speak at the event.
“I think what he is doing is important because the junior officers received a lot of bad press during the Vietnam era,” Ervin said. “They said they were ineffective and too young, so I think it’s good that someone is coming out with the other side of the story.”
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