Fraser Phillip Forde Jr. is a Vietnam War veteran and also my grandfather on my mother’s side. For the most part, he refrains from mentioning how he fought in Vietnam. Most of the time, Grandpa Fraser can recall some important stories or events throughout the war that either affected America or the Vietnamese. My grandfather remembers the day that changed his life. He stated, “I was sent to Vietnam in October 1965 with the 33rd Infantry Platoon Scout Dog, to support the combat troops of the 4th Infantry Division. Each of the 20 Scout Dog Handlers, of which I was one, with their individual German Shepard’s as a unit” (Forde Jr.). He was normally the point men/dogs that were on combat patrols around the perimeter. He also mentions what he was
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I can relate to different reasons why we should not have gone to war. First off, the United States spent around one-hundred and eleven billion dollars during the war. The only reason the United States joined the war was that North Vietnam was only trying to make South Vietnam a communist government that America did not want. Secondly, the number of casualties was 90,000 meaning that half of the troops we lost was on the battlefield, and the other half had died after the war from serious injuries. My grandfather was a brave individual in fighting for his country and knowing that his life could be on the line. He grew up in Long Island, New York, which was an area of young people that could not afford themselves the opportunity of going to a decent college after getting graduating from high school. Grandpa Fraser and I agree that the US military was drafting young, uneducated eighteen-year-olds that didn’t have a degree from a college or even a high school diploma. Lastly, some anti-involvement theorists argue that the United States should not have gone after Vietnam’s internal conflicts and political battles that did not directly influence an effect on America. Most of the US politicians, military experts, and leaders of foreign affairs, agreed toward the idea of Communism violating democracy and infringed on political
I can relate to different reasons why we should not have gone to war. First off, the United States spent around one-hundred and eleven billion dollars during the war. The only reason the United States joined the war was that North Vietnam was only trying to make South Vietnam a communist government that America did not want. Secondly, the number of casualties was 90,000 meaning that half of the troops we lost was on the battlefield, and the other half had died after the war from serious injuries. My grandfather was a brave individual in fighting for his country and knowing that his life could be on the line. He grew up in Long Island, New York, which was an area of young people that could not afford themselves the opportunity of going to a decent college after getting graduating from high school. Grandpa Fraser and I agree that the US military was drafting young, uneducated eighteen-year-olds that didn’t have a degree from a college or even a high school diploma. Lastly, some anti-involvement theorists argue that the United States should not have gone after Vietnam’s internal conflicts and political battles that did not directly influence an effect on America. Most of the US politicians, military experts, and leaders of foreign affairs, agreed toward the idea of Communism violating democracy and infringed on political