Essay On Vietnam War Memory

The rise of communism in the Southeast Asian nation of Vietnam led the United States get involved in the country’s policy. From November 1955 to the fall of the largest city of the country, Saigon, in April 1955, the Vietnam War pitted North Vietnam, supported by the Soviet Union, to South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States of America. This costly and deadly war led to bitter divisions among the American society. These divisions caused the plurality of the Vietnam War memories. Indeed, the war is remembered differently depending on whether it is personal memories of veterans or civilians or the official memory on how the nation commemorates the war. However, memories are not faithful reproductions of the past, they are rather a reconstruction of it, choosing what to …show more content…
These divisions caused the plurality of the Vietnam War memories. Indeed, the war is remembered differently depending on whether it is personal memories of veterans or civilians or the official memory on how the nation commemorates the war. However, memories are not faithful reproductions of the past, they are rather a reconstruction of it, choosing what to preserve and what to forget about the event. Since the end of the conflict to the present time, the memories of the war evolved. Memories of the Vietnam War are shaped and influenced according to the context of the time period. Right after the war, the American society appeared amnesic about this painful war. Then, by the late 1970s, a new image of the war developed. Indeed, Hollywood started questioning the war and portrayed veterans as victims. This had a big impact on the building the public memory. Politics played a major role in shaping the official memory. As time went on, the veterans finally got recognition.t time, the memories of the war evolved. Memories of the Vietnam War are shaped and influenced according to the context of the time