Summary: In the 1960s, it took almost three weeks to cross the sea from America to Vietnam. Three weeks for young men in crowded cabins, with salt water showers and absolutely nothing to do but think: about home, about the war, and about what’s next. For some, it was a round-trip journey; others never made it home. For the radio documentary Messages from a Forgotten Troopship, we tracked down three soldiers who had traveled on a single troopship, the General Nelson M. Walker. Through found tape and contemporary interviews, we recreated the troopship and captured the moments outside of combat—three weeks there, and for the lucky ones, three weeks back. Harmon Adams' story is just one of those three. In this excerpt, he shares his reflections of going home after war. Adams died just months after this interview.
