We Were Soldiers Once and Young – Ia Drang- the Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam, Shake Hands with the Devil and Fingerprints through Time- a History of the Guelph Police are three books that were written from the popular history perspective. The simple goal of these books were quite simple; they wanted to tell a story, educate their readers about true historical events that little knew about and to further educate them. This was written in chronological order and gives us detailed back ground leading up to the battle and the sobering aftermath.
We Were Soldiers Once and Young – Ia Drang- the Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam, was a result of several years of work that involved incredible research that involved first person accounts of those who fought in the battle, maps and official records, American military and ex-military members, family of the soldiers, former government officials, Vietnamese Military officials and numerous books, articles and supplemental materials.
The book has one simple goal and that is to recognize the efforts of the soldiers who lost their lives in the battle and to those who fought beside them in the Plieku Campaign in October and November 1965. “This story, then, is our testament and our tribute to 234 young Americans who died beside us during the four days in Landing Zone X-ray and Landing Zone Albany in the Valley of Death, 1965. ” The book begins listing the names of those who lost their lives so that their presence is forever immortalised.
Moore’s is very successful in these attempts and immediately engages the reader. He writes in the first person and although there is technical military jargon, he does not bog the reader down. Moore speaks of his men and those around h...
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...ned due to a series of “anti-police” articles and the printing of false information.
One such example was printed in the paper on Thursday, September 17, 2009. The article is not only inaccurate on numerous facts but the author too liberties to sensationalize most of the facts. Further, he did not report that when police jargon was explained such as “without incident”, he failed to accurately reflect that in his article. A simple read of this below article clearly illustrates my evaluation and observations.
On Wednesday, we published a small story about the Guelph Police Service’s tactical unit responding to what it called “a mental health crisis” in the city’s northeast corner.
Preliminary reports suggested the man, with some history of mental illness and what a police dispatcher warned was a propensity to become agitated when the man sees police, may have had
Appy’s book is valuable to its readers in showing how Vietnam became the template for every American war since, from novelties like the invasion of Grenada to the seemingly never-ending conflicts post-9/11. But before all that, there was Vietnam, and, larger lessons aside, Appy’s book is a fascinating, insightful, infuriating and thought-provoking study of that conflict, from its earliest days
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.
O’Brien, Tim. “How To Tell a True War Story.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2003. p. 420-429.
In conclusion, while books, photos, movies and other historical documentation can portray information or a message about wartime events, they will never be able to produce the feelings of those that were personally involved in wars have experienced. Yet, it is incorrect to criticize these writers. The information they reveal is still very important historical information. Even if a reader or viewer of this media cannot feel exactly the same emotions as those involved, they still often experience an emotional connection to the events being depicted. This is important, not only for the historical knowledge gained about wars, but also to understand the nature and futility of their occurrence.
Hynes, Samuel Lynn. "What Happened in Nam." The soldiers' tale: bearing witness to modern war. New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: A. Lane, 1997. 177-222. Print.
O’Brien, Tim. How to Tell a True War Story. Literature and Ourselves. Sixth Edition. Eds.
It is understandable that some Americans strongly opposed the United States getting involved in the Vietnam War. It had not been a long time since the end of World War II and simply put, most Americans were tired of fighting. Mark Atwood Lawrence is one of the people who opposed our involvement in the Vietnam War. In his essay, “Vietnam: A Mistake of Western Alliance”, Lawrence argues that the Vietnam War was unnecessary and that it went against our democratic policies, but that there were a lot of things that influenced our involvement.
...ch I am willing to accept the story as true. I find this article to be truthful because it includes the opposing side and even tries to take all the blame off of them. The aim of this article is not to bash the police officers; it is to bring awareness for mentally ill people in America. There either needs to be more acceptable means of attaining mental health services, especially for people who cannot afford to receive treatment, or restructured procedures for police officers to follow so they understand how to handle these situations. Understanding that this is the aim of the article, I believe that Santos and Goode wrote a credible, coherent news article that created awareness for the audience.
Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is an excellent piece of metafiction. While highlighting the revulsions of the war, O’Brien often times narrates his personal experiences in Vietnam. Line between fiction and actual account of the war is typically blurred. Book is not only quite descriptive but it also perfectly conveys the horrors and realities of combat. For this research paper I will analyze Tim O’Brien’s ‘The Things They Carried’ and examine the transformations faced by young men, lack of support for returning Vietnam veterans and the bias portrayed in the media.
O’Brien, Tim. “How to Tell a True War Story.” The Things They Carried. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990. Print.
Fighting the Vietnam War dramatically changed the lives of everyone even remotely involved, especially the brave individuals actually fighting amidst the terror. One of the first things concerned when reading these war stories was the detail given in each case. Quotes and other specific pieces of information are given in each occurrence yet these stories were collected in 1981, over ten years following the brutal war. This definitely shows the magnitude of the war’s impact on these servicemen. These men, along with every other individual involved, went through a dramatic experience that will forever haunt their lives. Their minds are filled with scenes of exploding buildings, rape, cold-blooded killing, and bodies that resemble Swiss cheese.
General Norman Schwarzkopf notes that, "We Were Soldiers... Once and Young is a must reading for all Americans." And indeed it is. Lieutenant General Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway did a remarkable job writing a historiography that critically examined a variety of authentic sources and wrote an unbiased work that will stand the tests of time. We Were Soldiers is not just a story about the battles of X-Ray and Albany. It tells the stories of Americans and Vietnamese soldiers who endured the atrocities in the Ia Drang Valley. It is an impartial piece of literature that does not demonize the Vietnamese soldier, yet still praises the American soldier. The book is a marvelous account of history, absent of political opinions, detailing the true story of the Ia Drang Valley. And just as General Schwarzkopf stated, it is a MUST read for all Americans.
A series of shots being fired in the near distance can be heard. A crew of ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks are seen speeding down the streets while blaring their sirens to warn people to move out of the way rapidly. Then, crowds of people are seen running down the street franticly. Sounds of earsplitting yells fill the air. Their eyes are filled with tears of fear and terror. They look as if they were running for their lives. There is a wave of worry and curiosity that washes over everyone’s face as they stand there from a distance watching it take place. There was a sense of wanting to run towards the chaos to see what was going on. But the panic of the people running gave off the feeling of “Warning! Do NOT come this way!” What was happening? Later that night, the news reports that another mass shooting took place earlier on in the day. In the 21st century, many crimes involving mass shootings are the main focus of the public eye in the media. With the technology of the 21st century, investigators are able to look more into depth of the criminal’s background to see if they have a history of mental illness.
O’Brien, Tim. “How to Tell a True War Story.” The Things They Carried. Boston and New York: Mariner Books, 2009. 64-81. Print.
O’Brien’s unique verisimilitude writing style fills the novel with deep meaning and emotion. Analyzing the novel through a psychological lens only adds to its allure. Understanding why characters act the way they do helps bring this novel to life. The reader begins to empathize with the characters. Every day, the soldiers’ lives hang in the balance. How these soldiers react to life-threatening situations will inspire the reader. Life has an expiration date. Reading about people who are held captive by their minds and who die in the name of war, will inspire the reader to live everyday as if they are currently in the