She returned to the United States in June 1970 and eventually joined the organization Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), where she received support from others struggling to re-integrate into American society.

She pursued a diploma in psychology where she studied Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a mental health condition common to veterans that arises after exposure to traumatic events.

[2] The book contrasts the carefree "all American girl" who is ready to take on the world in service to her country with the Vietnam War veteran who struggles to re-integrate into an America that seems to have continued on without her.

Over her year-long service in Vietnam, Van Devanter's perception of the war shifted from a noble fight in the name of democracy and freedom to a senseless massacre of young soldiers and an invasion into the lives of Vietnamese people.

Van Devanter was stationed at the 71st Evacuation Hospital (71st Evac) in Pleiku, Vietnam, "an area of heavy combat and the casualties were supposedly unending".

Through her book, Van Devanter revealed another narrative about nurses and women who served in Vietnam, one that presented them as imperfect yet resilient, heroic, and courageous.

[6] In 1988, Home Before Morning was adapted into a television series called China Beach, based on Van Devanter's experience as a nurse at an emergency hospital during the Vietnam War.

The book takes the reader from Van Devanter's wish to serve her country through the adventure she thought her deployment to Vietnam would be, her culture shock upon returning to the US, and her struggles with PTSD.

With the risk of Home Before Morning becoming a blockbuster film and further shaping Americans' view of women in military service, critics became increasingly vocal against the book's portrayal of nurses.

Of all the critics, a nurse anesthetist named Patricia L. Walsh who served at a civilian hospital of the United States Agency for International Development in Da Nang was the loudest and most persistent.

[9] This risk would be magnified if the movie portrayed scenes of healthcare professionals rushing from a party to provide medical care after drinking alcohol and smoking marihuana.

[5] A nurse named Marra Peche who had served with Van Devanter at the 71st Evac Hospital spoke to defend the memoir, saying that it told the truth.