The Vietnam Veterans

The Vietnam War was perhaps one of the most controversial wars in U.S. history. The United States had no objective in the war and did not make an official declaration of war. The war started through a series of events. Ho Chi Minh, the future leader of the Viet Minh, formed his own faction in order to drive off the remaining Japanese invaders from World War II and the new French administration. After Japan's' defeat in World War II, they retreated, allowing Minh's forces to take over power…

on the emotional distress young solders carry due To their war inexperience to avoid certain fatal situations to happen in war. he mentions the list of physical objects that the members of the Alpha Company carry in Vietnam as a relevant aspect that implies the burden of the veterans due to the traumatic experiences in war. These terrible experiences that make soldiers to loose the control about reality and fiction .I notice this in the part of the novel in which Cross thinks that because he…

The Vietnam War started in 1959, causing 58,119 american deaths (Hickman). In “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, O’Brien describes how the rookie soldiers feel through the hard times of the war. All the soldiers are frightened, but refuse to show their inner fear. It is not until Ted Lavender, a new recruit to the group who actually shows his uneasiness, separates to use the restroom and gets shot. The squad consists of Jimmy Cross, the 24 year old lieutenant who is in…

South Vietnam had many of the same desires for freedom as North. Divided by the 17th parallel as also given by the Geneva Agreements of 1954 South Vietnam had many resource advantages over the North. With the richness of the delta’s this gave them access to ports and fishing. The Republic of Vietnam (RVN) or South Vietnam (SV) were allies with the United States and their allies. Like North Vietnam, South Vietnam was seeking full independence, forming a nationalist country. The (RVN) was ruled by…

The statement that The Vietnam War was unwinnable is true to some extent. The Vietnam War was a 20 year long war which lasted from 1955 to 1975. There were multiple factors that attributed to the conflict being unwinnable, these include the nature of the Vietcong fighters, the strong protest movement and the role of the media in shaping public opinion. A factor that made the Vietnam War unwinnable was the nature of the Vietcong fighters. The American and Australian forces found it difficult to…

Stereotyping Brave Veterans with Harbaugh Do you hold any type of fear towards combat veterans? Are veterans all insane, psychopaths? Well, I have never really looked at veterans as a threat or an innocent character towards society until reading a commentary about them, from one. The commentary was aired on the National Public air, in which navy pilot veteran, Ken Harbaugh argued about the stereotypes of “damaged” veterans. He spoke about how veterans are portrayed through the media in a…

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien: Emotional Burden of Death In the book “The Things They Carried”, Tim O’Brien uses figurative language and symbolism to evoke certain emotions in readers and denote to the burden of death in the Vietnam War and the effects it had on soldiers. The story, at first, appears to be about the tools and equipment soldiers physically must carry during war and combat, but it’s not that simple. In war, soldiers deal with life changing experiences that they will…

What Does the VFW Do to Honor the Veteran Community? There are many concerns within the veteran community that require assistance. The 2014 census revealed that there were 49,993 homeless veterans in America. (“The President’s 2016 Budget: Fact Sheet on Homelessness Assistance” 7) In 2015 the veterans’ hospital in Phoenix, AZ was highlighted because it was discovered that more than 200 people died while awaiting treatment. ("Report: 200 Veterans Die Waiting for Care at Phoenix VA as They Build…

The film Hearts and Minds is a documentary made by Peter Davis in 1974 to portray America’s unethical involvement in Vietnam and examine the opinions of many by showing interviews and vivid footages. The film focuses more on those who were against the war than those who supported it. For the U.S. all that mattered was the victory. However, those who were opposed to the war felt that there was no right or reasonable justification for their actions. The real issue illustrated by the film was…

The Vietnam War was a long grueling battle where there was no winner or a definite conclusion. Tim O’Brien wrote the novel The Things They Carried in order to help express his feelings about the Vietnam War with the world, however he did not provide a conclusion to the Vietnam War to the reader. For example in the chapter “Speaking of Courage” the reader learns about a fellow veteran O’Brien knows named Norman Bowker sends a letter to O’Brien hoping to have a story written about him. Bowker did…