Morenci Marines’ Author Visits TAMIU April 22

“That critical day in June 1983, the survivors had to wonder what it might have been like with their friends standing alongside them.”

The Morenci Marines: A Tale of Small Town America and the Vietnam War will be presented by its author, Dr. Kyle Longley at a book signing at the Texas A&M International University Student Center Theater Tuesday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Arizona State University  (ASU) Snell Family Dean’s distinguished professor of history and political science, Dr. Longley tells the story of nine young men that left the Morenci camp in Arizona to serve the U.S. in the Vietnam War.

The story of the “Morenci Nine” gained national attention when Marine visits became habitual for the small community dominated by the Phelps Dodge Mining Corporation. Only three of the nine soldiers made it back to Arizona.

Dr. Longley’s book illustrates the harsh realities of war, the difficulties of continuing civilian life after war and the guilt endured by the three survivors.

His research on U.S. foreign relations and modern American politics has led him to publish five other books and become a pillar in the ASU community for his educational efforts. He has received several awards including the Zebulon Pearce Teaching Award for Outstanding Teach in the Humanities and was named the Associated Students of ASU Centennial Professor.

In addition to research and teaching, Longley has helped distribute information about U.S. foreign relations and politics on the national and international level, acting as a consultant or contributor to the Washington Post, Newsweek, Time, and the Associated Press, among others.

He has published books on Costa Rica and the United States during the rise of José Figueres, the United States and Latin America, Senator Albert Gore Sr., Ronald Reagan and conservative mythology and the American combat soldier in Vietnam.

Longley’s book, The Morenci Marines, will be available for purchase on site after the presentation.

For more information about the event, contact TAMIU’s Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Systems at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu or visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu