While servicemen and women are often praised for their heroic duty in war, few people actually understand the circumstances that the soldiers have endured. Soldiers spent each term of World War II in a state of hunger, filth, and exhaustion. Anxiety constantly loomed over each infantry, as there was always a threat of attack. The young American forces had little experience in warfare, as many of these soldiers entered battle for the…
The reasons that are thrown at potential soldiers to participate in a war are essentially ruses that has them ignoring major and obvious risks of participation. Author Tim O’Brien’s negative attitude towards the war is further developed by the traumatizing effect that war has on soldiers. The gruesome appearance of the soldier heavily influenced his attitude and was essentially the cause of it. The fear of death caused a death, which inevitably caused more…
Throughout history, war has often proven to be a transformative event not only to the countries involved, but also to the soldiers and citizens who lived through and experienced the war. World War 1, also known as the Great War, was one of the most globally transformative events in human history. This war mainly pitted Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire against France, Britain, Russia, and Italy. War is not only tragic, but it transforms the public’s opinion about their enemies and of war in general. The true horrors of war are shown by the effect on the soldier’s minds.…
He then talks about what contributes to this, and draws a conclusion that maybe it’s not the PTSD these soldiers come back with, but how we as a society treat it, and that maybe in this modern world our society is the problem. The speaker Mr. Junger…
Often time, wars are believed and seen as a mean to defend the home nation from physical catastrophe of foreign land and soldiers are praised and honored for their sacrifice. Not often enough do the common people take the time to scrape the surface with sayings like “thank you for your time” to look at the understanding that even though a war “makes men” and unites them, Hynes says that it isolates and cuts them off from other people. We are also controlled into believing that we understand exactly how a soldier feels from what the media broadcast to us, and then we take that false understanding and channels it to a way that we think may help soldiers deal with their traumas or past. The truth that the media provide has been filtered out enough…
The Relationship Between World War I and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919 War and disease have been intertwined throughout history as human pathogens, weapons and armies have met on the battlefield. 1914-1919 marked the cruelest war in the chronicles of the human race preceded by the world’s deadliest unspoken pandemic. The aftermath of World War I proved so profound in their consequences that the influenza virus remained a blur in the public’s memory. Instead, focus was shifted towards the events that were results of World War I such as the rise of fascism, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War (Kent Introduction 23).…
The American soldier of Vietnam was a victim of circumstances largely out of his control. Being a soldier in any war is nothing compared to video games. You face the death of your friends and are constantly struggling to stay alive and sane. Another part of being a soldier is following the orders your superior commands you to do. There is never time to argue or change the orders you are given, and if you fail to complete those orders you will face consequences.…
In Unit Stalked by Suicide, Veterans Try to Save One Another Dave Philipps article, “In Unit Stalked by Suicide, Veterans Try to Save One Another”, published in The New York Times on September 19, 2015, details the thirteen suicides of marines from the second battalion, seventh regiment (2/7) who served in Afghanistan. These Marines were under fire every day trying to crush the grip of the Taliban in the city of Sangin. To clarify, this region had never been in control of coalition troops. Frequently, outnumbered by the enemy and with the lack of equipment, air support, and refrigeration they named themselves the Forgotten Battalion. As a result, the 2/7 suffered more deaths than any other Marine unit.…
With so much wrong in America today, I believe that it can only get better. Because many veterans struggle when they return from war, they will be provided with a variety of programs to help them deal with life after war. Shootings and other gun accidents will go down immensely, especially school shootings. People will not be living on the streets and go to bed hungry. Cars will be made cheaper and more efficient.…
We keep Lincoln’s promise for the veterans by, paying for their GI Bill, if they are fighting in Iraq, Vietnam or something, and something really bad happens to them, like them breaking/losing their arms or legs, or if they go into a coma or something, the government pays for that, because they care about our veterans too. Whenever the veterans get home, we can throw parties for them whenever they walk through the door, to make them feel like they are welcomed back, and that they are loved. We would probably invite the people that they cared/loved about the most. When my uncle got back from serving in the military, we threw a party for him and the people that were there were Me, My Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, Kaden(My Brother), Drake(My Brother), Cousin(Brady- His Son), Cousin(Djerrah), Cousin(Xevo), Cousin(Gavin- His Son), Cousin(Hannah- His Daughter), Cousin(Cousin), Enzzo(Cousin)…
How can someone become so accustomed to death that they no longer feel for those who are lost? How is a death in a war different from a death in another situation? It is clear that loss of life is so prominent at the front that it just becomes a part of everyday life for soldiers, pushed to the back of everybody’s mind. And yet while death is present in war, so is perseverance. While everyone around Rauch was dying by the hands of strangers, he still remains optimistic about returning home and pushes through the struggles around him.…
The Effects of War on Veterans in Afghanistan and Iraq More than half of the 2.6 million Americans dispatched to fight the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq struggle with physical or mental health problems and often begin to feel disconnected from civilian life, deriving from deployment. As stated in the article “After the Wars: A legacy of pain and pride”, written by Rajiv Chandrasekaran and published by The Washington Post. The conditions of being deployed and serving for our country can conclude in widespread consequences within soldiers in which if no help is provided, could become permanently detrimental. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Military Sexual Trauma (MST), and an increase in suicides are some of…
“Not only am I better off dead, but the world is a better place without me in it.” These words are quoted from a suicide letter of Daniel Somers who battled with his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or (PTSD) until he could no longer cope. At a staggering rate, families of honorable veterans are reading words similar to this after it is too late. Suicide among veterans has become a recent epidemic, and the death toll has far surpassed the combat related deaths of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars combined. As of April 9, 2015, 4,412 soldiers and 13 civilians have been killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and 2,351 soldiers along with four civilians have been killed in Operation Enduring Freedom for total 6780 combat related deaths since the beginning…
Manager. Sales Associate. Flight Attendant. Military soldier. One of these careers should stand above the others, yet somehow all these careers have the average annual pay grade of about $50,000 to $60,000, according to PayScale.…
Human Rather Than a Character The first thing that comes to mind while thinking about a soldier is a man wearing clean uniform with glittering gold badges. This man is courageous, fearless; he can run through mud while it’s raining, go into dark tunnels without having any fear. From this hypothetical soldier’s face, it can be understood that he is proud of serving his country and protecting the weak. This man who would do anything to save his compatriots, fights dauntlessly in the war zone, when all he can think about is his beloved wife and kids.…