{"product_id":"undesirable-the-vietnam-war-and-a-fathers-battle-for-justice-9780826369796","title":"Undesirable: The Vietnam War and a Father's Battle for Justice","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe powerful true story of a parent's unflagging battle on behalf of a beloved son struggling with PTSD, mental illness, and addiction and a family who bore the burdens of war for decades.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn January 1969, angry after a fight with his father, nineteen-year-old Doug Johnson--in what will be a fateful choice--decides to enlist in the Army. Once in Vietnam as a point man, Doug becomes addicted to speed and heroin, goes AWOL multiple times, and is court martialed and imprisoned. In order to avoid a second court martial, he agrees to accept an \"undesirable\" discharge that denies him veterans' benefits and any recognition of his wartime service. In late August 1970, drugged, malnourished, and clutching the sandal of a dead Viet Cong, Doug staggers off a plane into the arms of his father. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But Doug's return home is only the beginning of this story. The core of \u003ci\u003eUndesirable\u003c\/i\u003e recounts another war: Doug's father against the US Army. For three years, he fights to have his son's \"undesirable\" discharge changed to \"honorable.\" Half a century later Laura Kalpakian--devoted daughter and sister--exhumes the evidence her father collected. From this trove of documents she assembles a heartbreaking story of a father's love for his son and a son's experience at war. \u003ci\u003eUndesirable\u003c\/i\u003e: \u003ci\u003e The Vietnam War and a Father's Battle for Justice \u003c\/i\u003edemands that we ask what we--and our government--owe to our veterans for the physical, psychological, and emotional sacrifices they and their families make.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Unm Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/07\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780826369796\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 264","brand":"Laura Kalpakian","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52507671068853,"sku":"9780826369796","price":18.66,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_7c302ea4-6179-417a-a1a4-9c99a804e396.jpg?v=1778566497","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/undesirable-the-vietnam-war-and-a-fathers-battle-for-justice-9780826369796","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}