By the time United States troops withdrew from Vietnam in 1973, the Vietnam War had become one of the longest, most controversial conflicts in American history. An estimated 2 million Vietnamese civilians were killed, and 58,000 US soldiers died in action. The conflict marked a turning point for how Americans saw the military’s place in the world. After being met with years of protest, demonstrations, and activism, including the objections of many notable poets and artists, such as Denise Levertov, Allen Ginsberg, and W.S. Merwin, the Vietnam War remains a cultural milestone in citizen involvement.
In remembrance of American involvement in Vietnam, the Poetry Foundation has assembled a selection of poems from our archives that address the conflict and its aftermath. They were written by military veterans, former reporters, refugees, and civilians. In addition, this collection includes several poems from the September 1972 issue of Poetry magazine, “Against the War.”
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