Unless you attended The Citadel, VMI, or one of the service academies, your college experience was radically different. To learn what mine was like, you might enjoy Stand Forever, Yielding Never; The Citadel in the 21st Century.
As it was for many, Vietnam was the defining event of my generation. The book traces the history of the college from its founding in 1842, but the real focus begins in the Vietnam era, when General Mark Clark retired as president. More than most schools, we had to adjust to what became a sad routine as we learned of the deaths and disfigurements in Vietnam of guys we had roomed with, played sports with, or in whose company we had enjoyed the charms of Charleston. Because the country turned increasingly against the military in general and the war in particular, the school struggled to attract qualified applicants well into the 1970s.
The Citadel's remarkable comeback from the dark days of Vietnam is a story worth telling, and I can only hope I've done justice to that story. Today, the school is enjoying its 7th consecutive year ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the #1 public college in the South offering up to a master's degree. I was pleased to get the chance to trace that journey in this book.
You can pre-order the book at https://evepostbooks.com/?product=stand-forever-yielding-never-citadel-21st-century-preorder. It is scheduled to be published in March 2018.