The Vietnam Generation Summary

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The Vietnam was an unusual time for the Americans. It was not really agreed upon by all the citizens to go to war with Vietnam. Not all the people agreed with all the decisions whether it is the tactics that were used or all the deaths that occurred. As Young points out in her article, she talks about how terrible the conditions were and its after effects that it has had on those that served (515). She also discusses how it is hard to imagine what happened. It might be due to the fact of the horrible events that took place such as the way “the war was something that happened among Americans” (Young, 516). There was such a cultural gap and misunderstandings of the land that it created many errors throughout the war. The horrific conditions made it hard on the soldiers as well (Young, 518). It brought up questions about America as a whole and its beliefs. It was unclear at this point and the country was at an awkward place. This argument agrees with what is in our class textbooks and films such as Platoon. Examples of this idea of Americans fighting each other that Young has discussed are portrayed in the movie, Platoon. The conditions were harsh throughout the whole movie. There was brutal killings and countless number of deaths. It was hard to even get a count and tell who was winning the war. One example that stands out in the movie was when Sergeant Elias and Sergeant Barnes had many disagreements throughout the movie. They had different mentalities and viewed the war differently. Barnes was a cruel and ruthless throughout the movie. He would even mistreat the Vietnamese people and his own soldiers. Elias was the opposite and was much more kind-hearted. He cared about the people and was willing to do what he could for them. When Elias saw Barnes misbehaving toward the Vietnamese people, he let him know that it was wrong and would not be tolerated. From that moment on, they did not care for each other much. Later in the film, Elias and some of the soldiers get ambushed due to being out of position and get into trouble. They were unsure if they would be able to get out alive. Barnes and some fellow soldiers come in a helicopter to rescue them. They begin to rescue them and Barnes finds Elias and …show more content…
Many young people enlisted to join the army. They did not have any power so they did not have any way to resist signing. Those that enlisted also did not have hope to go to college or were poor. It was like being penalized rather than fighting for pride and passion for the United States. It was also looked at as only the smartest and fittest would survive this deadly war (Baskir & Strauss, 8). This eventually led to corruption among the soldiers. Not only did they have a war to focus on, there was tension among the soldiers. Many of them did not want to be there and were trying to avoid ways of having to enlist. It made the war that much harder to make a success and go there for the reasons that were realistic and thoroughly thought out. There were not many choices except to join the army and was a hard time in our history. (Baskir & Strauss,

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