Charles was finally able to set foot upon familiar terrain. It had been a little over four years since Charles had seen the familiar landscape of his home in Missouri, and his parents’ amicable personalities. Nevertheless, Vietnam’s poor fortune and chaos followed Charles home. “My dad died, and my mother wasn’t doing so good. So, I went to go take care of her” (Witt). Charles tended to his mother’s needs, but a part of him had remained back in Vietnam. In random spurts of recollection, Charles relived the horrendous sights that had imprinted on him in Vietnam. He said, “She was scared because things just came back and I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t handle it, so I went down to Texas and lived there for a bit.” Charles was able to make a …show more content…
Each brave service member endured a magnitude of hardships on the battlefield. However, the second half of the war resided in the minds of those who served. Charles summarizes the words with a few simple words: “It was terrible. It was unreal and uncalled for. I believe it was a pathetic war.” Others also share a similar belief to that of Charles Witt. “The war scarred the American psyche, caused many to question the country’s place in the world, and resulted in a national malaise that took years to overcome” (Willbanks). There are so many “what ifs” to consider that no one would truly be able to understand why the Vietnam War progressed as it did. However, one thing is certain: Charles Witt did not break under pressure. Many other men succumbed to the brutality of the Vietnam War; however, Charles Witt managed to remain an active voice in society. “He would regularly dress up as Santa Claus around the holidays, and help bring a smile to all of the children’s faces,” said one of his close friends, proudly. Men like Charles Witt gave their blood, sweat, tears, and lives to uphold the core principles that America is founded upon. People should learn from Vietnam’s consequences to ensure that a similar tragedy is not …show more content…
Accessed 15 Apr. 2018. Mitchell, Verner D. "Remembering Tet." War, Literature & the Arts: An International Journal of the Humanities, vol. 10, no. 2, Fall/Winter1998, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=afh&AN=6121536. Murray, Stuart. Vietnam War. DK Children; American Ed. Edition, 2005. Pols, Hans, and Stephanie Oak. "War & Military Mental Health: The US Psychiatric Response in the.." American Journal of Public Health Vol.97, No.12, Dec, 2007, pp. 2132-2142. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com. "Research Feature: Vietnam War: Remembering the Tet Offensive." World News Digest, Infobase Learning, Jan. 2013, http://wnd.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?wid=98046&nid=484649&umbtype=0. Accessed 15 Apr. 2018. “Weapons of the Vietnam War.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2011, www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/weapons-of-the-vietnam-war Willbanks, James H. "The Real History of the Vietnam War." Armchair General, Nov, 2007, pp. 54-67. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com. Witt, Charles. Personal interview. 3 Apr
Dr. Wiest used the personal accounts, of the soldiers who fought or of their surviving families, to make this an excellent account of a war so few want to talk about. His exhaustive research and expert writing, lets the reader see the bonds of brotherhood that developed in this division. He shows the soldiers as not just soldiers, but as humans, who suffered both physically and emotionally, both during their year in Vietnam and in their life afterward. He has clearly written a book that is for anyone interested in the Vietnam War. It is a powerful book that shows both the brutality and the humanity of war, through the lives of a group of brothers known as Charlie Company.
The Vietnam War: A Concise International History is a strong book that portrays a vivid picture of both sides of the war. By getting access to new information and using valid sources, Lawrence’s study deserves credibility. After reading this book, a new light and understanding of the Vietnam war exists.
PBS’ Frontline film “The Wounded Platoon” reviews the effects the Iraq war has had on soldiers as they return home and transition back into civilian life, focusing particularly on the rise in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among American military members from Fort Carson Army base (Edge, 2010). Incidents of PTSD have risen dramatically in the military since the beginning of the Iraq war and military mental health policies and treatment procedures have adapted to manage this increase (Edge, 2010). In “The Wounded Platoon,” many military personnel discuss how PTSD, and other mental health struggles, have been inadequately treated (if at all) by military mental health services. Reasons and Perdue’s definition of a social problem allows us to see inadequate treatment of PTSD among returning United States military members as a social problem because it is a condition affecting a significant number of people in undesirable ways that can be remedied through collective action (Reasons & Perdue, 1981).
As the war progresses, Caputo requests to go to a line company in the middle of November. This is a change from the “office” position he currently held where he was largely responsible for counting casualties. At this point, the romanticized visions Caputo had of war have been completely shattered and he goes into this transfer being fully aware of this. This change in viewpoint becomes even more clear when compared to the beginning of the novel where Caputo was intrigued by the romance and action of war. While readers would expect more action and typical war stories in this section of the book, Philip Caputo writes anything but. Caputo writes, “It went like that for the rest of the month. It was a time of little action and endless misery…Almost every hour of every night, the radio operators chanted, ‘All secure. Situation remains the same’ (1996: 240). Caputo repeats the phrase “All secure. Situation remains the same” five times throughout this single paragraph. Because of this, readers see the dull and mundane side of war that is often not talked about. In addition, Caputo continues to comment of the large amounts of waiting throughout the autobiography. When most think of the Vietnam War, they picture the “main events”. Similar to the numerous documentaries we watched in class, some of the main points of the war include: The first Indochina War, The Gulf of Tonkin, and the Tet Offensive. These documentaries all focused on these monumental events and because of this, the public perceives this war as the sum of these events. However, what many fail to consider the large gaps in time between these events. It is in these large gaps that little action occurred and most of the soldier’s time was spent waiting as Caputo depicted in this scene. In connection with
Fussell, Paul. "Vietnam." The Bloody Game: An Anthology of Modern War. Ed. Paul Fussell. London: Scribners, 1991. 651-6.
His months in Vietnam were filled with bloodshed and human atrocity, and from this, no man could feasibly return the same person. Yet beneath what John endured throughout the war, he suffered many unkindness’ and tragedies that shaped him into adulthood. It was not only the war that made John Wade, but it was John Wade’s existence; his whole life that made him who he was. John Wade craved love, admiration and affection. All his life, all he wanted was to be loved, and his father’s constant taunting hurt him immensely.
"Overview of the Vietnam War." Digital History. Digital History, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. .
War has been a consistent piece of mankind 's history. It has significantly influenced the lives of individuals around the globe. The impacts are amazingly adverse. In the novel, “The Wars,” by Timothy Findley, Soldiers must shoulder compelling weight on the warzone. Such weight is both family and the country weight. Many individuals look at soldiers for hop and therefore, adding load to them. Those that cannot rationally beat these difficulties may create Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Tragically, some resort to suicide to get away from their insecurities. Troops, notwithstanding, are not by any means the only ones influenced by wars; relatives likewise encounter mental hardships when their friends and family are sent to war. Timothy Findley
Ever since the United States had gained its independence from Britain in 1776, we have prided ourselves upon the courageous military personnel that have devoted their lives to guaranteeing freedom and protection to citizens of this country. However, what happens when our sole protectors and guardians experience severe mental anguish and are the ones that need help to simply go about their daily lives? Little by little there has been one woman who has provided that comfort and assistance to the military men and women, and who has realized the severity of the effects that combat has on the mental states of these men and women and their loved ones. Barbara Van Dahlen has become a prominent and notable leader through her consistent effort of aiding those who fought or are fighting in wars and supporting the families and communities impacted by the military troops.
Seal, Karen H., Daniel Bertenthal, Christian R. Miner, Saunak Sen, and Charles Marmar. "Bringing the War Back Home: Mental Health Disorders Among 103 788 US Veterans Returning From Iraq and Afghanistan Seen at Department of Veterans Affairs Facilities." Archives of Internal Medicine 167.5 (2007): 476-82. Print.
Seal, K. H., Bertenthal, D., Miner, C. R., Sen, S., & Marmar, C. (2007). Bringing the War Back Home: Mental Health Disorders Among 103 788 US Veterans Returning From Iraq and Afghanistan Seen at Department of Veterans Affairs Facilities. Archives of Internal Medicine, 167(5), 476-482. doi: 10.1001/archinte.167.5.476
...f his stay in Vietnam, he had wished he had never heard that word. He became horrified by this war. The once proud American was no longer so proud of his country. The Vietnam War was not like the movies he saw as a child; “the screams were real, and when men fell down they didn’t get up, and the sticky wet substance splattering against your leg was somebody’s intestines” (Ehrhart, 246). Although he had his family and friends around him upon his return home, it seemed that Ehrhart was alone in “The World.” Unless someone was there, they could not possibly understand the thoughts and memories he had to live with. The gruesome memories from Vietnam had permeated him completely; they engraved into his mind and would undoubtedly scar him forever.
Anderson, D. (2002). The Columbia guide to the Vietnam War. New York: Columbia University Press.
As we got further and further into the Vietnam War, few lives were untouched by grief, anger and fear. The Vietnamese suffered the worst hardship; children lay dead in the street, villages remained nothing but charred ashes, and bombs destroyed thousands of innocent civilians. Soldiers were scarred emotionally as well as physically, as
Willbanks, James H. "The Real History of the Vietnam War." ARMCHAIR GENERAL Nov. 2007: 54-67. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.