An Khe, South Vietnam, December 1966: Author John Steinbeck, 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature recipient, sits on a little green trunk as he answers questions from the men of the 1st Air Cavalry Division at An Khe, South Vietnam. Steinbeck visited Vietnam to learn and write about war. Asked about a question raised by a popular US magazine, “Is the U.S. locked in a hopeless war?” Steinbeck answered “All wars are hopeless, but all of the wars have been necessary and this one is also necessary.” Steinbeck’s son, John, was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1965 and was in country at the time of his father’s visit.

Read Stars and Stripes’ article on Steinbeck’s visit here.