American women - American wives - have been mostly minor characters in the literature of the Vietnam War, but in Absolution they take center stage. Tricia is a shy newlywed, married to a rising attorney on loan to navy intelligence. Charlene is a practiced corporate spouse and mother of three, a beauty and a bully. In Saigon in 1963, the two women form a wary alliance as they balance the era's mandate to be "helpmeets" to their ambitious husbands...

"Wisdom for military marriages Marriage is hard enough for the everyday civilian. But imagine marriage when you're separated by thousands of miles, one of you faces daily the dangers of combat, and the other shoulders all the burden of home-front duties. Add to that the unpredictable schedules, frequent moves, and challenges of reintegration, and it's no wonder military marriages are under stress. Guided by input from dozens of military couples in...