In 1959 the drawn out battle between Vietnam and America had begun. This war was started based on preventing the spread of communism throughout the world. It was said that the United States soldiers fought a “jungle war.” Millions of men and thousands of women called upon their courage during this era and drafted into the war.
Throughout American history it has been necessary to call upon the draft, The Vietnam war was one of these many different times (“Protests against the Vietnam War”). The draft was a big necessity during this war. And it has also been estimated that around 9,087,000 military men and women served on active duty during the Vietnam War” (“Vietnam War Statistics & Exclusive photos”). Millions of these soldiers were men, but there were indeed thousands of women included also. Many of the soldiers involved were not done by choice. However, as shocking as it sounds, near two-thirds of the American men serving the war was voluntarily. Out of the 9,087,000 military personnel that served in the war, 58,156 had died. 47,359 of these deaths were caused by hostile deaths, the rest were the opposite. Along with death came injuries. 303,704 were wounded and around 153,329 were hospitalized (“Vietnam War Statistic”). There were many different kinds of men and women who deployed into the Vietnam War, but there is definitely one thing that all of these soldiers shared, and it was their courage. Without this trait, the men and women who came out alive would have never survived the mental aspect of the war. Courageousness is key when it comes to facing as giant as big as war.
Out of the millions of men that drafted into the Vietnam War three men, Tim O’Brien, Scott Sexton, and John McCain were significantly important. Tim ...
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Tim O’Brien begins his journey as a young “politically naive” man and has recently graduated out of Macalester College in the United States of America. O’Brien’s plan for the future is steady, but this quickly changes as a call to an adventure ruins his expected path in life. In June of 1968, he receives a draft notice, sharing details about his eventual service in the Vietnam War. He is not against war, but this certain war seemed immoral and insignificant to Tim O’Brien. The “very facts were shrouded in uncertainty”, which indicates that the basis of the war isn’t well known and perceived
Being a young adult between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five can be very difficult. I know this because I am twenty-two years old. At this age, there are many concerns about the future and a career. Making many important decisions which will affect the rest of your life is common during these ages. This is the age when the majority of people are getting married, having families, and buying houses of their own. Many young men and women of this age group are graduating from college and ready to start their careers. Being a young adult can be very challenging; however, it can be the best time of life. These aspects of a young adult's life were not that much different during the Vietnam time period. Unfortunately, many of these men were not able to make these decisions. Millions of men were forced, drafted, into a battle that many "considered to be illegal and immoral (Maxwell 37). It's hard to imagine basically being forced to put life on hold, leave family, and risk life fighting a war. Some men were opposed to the draft, and were determined to find ways to avoid it; on the other hand, many men accepted the terms of the draft. I believe a person has a right to make his own decision about fighting in a war. In the Vietnam time era, the concerns of a man who was getting drafted went from bettering his and his families’ life to deciding to go to war or find an alternative. Going to war meant personal hardships, loss of income, leaving family, and potential of losing one's life. I can understand a person’s determination to avoid the draft. Whatever choice the men made, the consequences were dangerous and sometimes deadly. Until 1973, the choices of draft age men were to serve in the military, receive a deferment if qualified and ava...
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.
The Hardships Facing Vietnam War Soldiers in Tim O'Brien’s Going after Cacciato and In the Lake of the Woods
Tim O’Brien finds himself staring at his draft notice on June 17, 1968. He was confused and flustered. O’Brien does not know how or why he got selected for the draft. All he knew was that he was above the war itself, “A million things all at once—I was too good for this war. Too smart, too compassionate, to everything. It couldn’t happen” (41). He was also demented on the fact that he, a war hater, was being drafted. He felt if anyone were to be drafted it should be the people who supported the war. “If you support a war, if you think it’s worth the price, that’s fine, but you have to put your own precious fluids on the line” (42). His draft notice was when he first carried his thought of embarrassment. He instantly thought if he does not support the war he should not have to go to war. The only way not to go to war was to flee the country so the draft council could not find him. He had a moral split. “I feared the war, yes, but I also feared exile” (44). This quote is so true in young adults, not only then, but also now. Peer pressure, the thought of being embarrassed if we do not do something, pushes many young adults to do things they do not want to such as pushing Tim O’Brien to enter the draft. The thought of being judged ...
On August 7th 1964 the United States Congress passed into law the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which, for all intents and purposes, officially brought the United States into the Vietnam War. Following this resolution, a draft was instated to increase the number of men that could be sent to war. Shortly after men started to be signed into conscription for the United States Military, a public outcry started over the use of a draft to increase military size. The draft was found to be unfair to American Citizens because certain groups of men were severely disadvantaged, the draft was illegal in many ways, and veteran’s future lives were harmed, among other reasons.
“Here’s a little riddle for you. What's the difference between the army and the Cub Scouts? Cub Scouts don't have heavy artillery!” Adrian Cronauer tried to bring a kind of relief to the people of the war through his radio show. Cronauer was a United States Air Force sergeant and radio broadcaster who inspired the movie Good Morning, Vietnam. The Vietnam War, which was by far the longest war the United States has participated in, went on from 1945 until 1975. Even though the United States was involved with the war since the 50’s, by aiding France, they did not send troops until 1965. The Vietnam War began because North Vietnam wanted to combine both parts of Vietnam into one big country, but South Vietnam did not want this. The United States helped South Vietnam from keeping the countries separate and keeping communism out of their country. The war seemed like it would never end so a cease-fire was arranged in January 1973; although the war did not officially end until April 30, 1975. In this war, almost 60,000 Americans died and about 2 million Vietnamese died. The United States only got involved because they wanted to prevent communism from spreading throughout the rest of the world. Good Morning, Vietnam is not historically accurate because it did not portray Adrian Cronauer or the Vietnam War in the correct way.
Many people in the 1960s and early 1970s did not understand why the United States was involved in the Vietnam War. Therefore, they had no desire to be a part of it. The Selective Service System, which was used to conduct the draft, had aspirations of directing people into areas where they were most needed during wartime. However, people took advantage of the draft system’s deferment policies to avoid going to war. Others refused induction or simply did not register. There were also people who left the country to escape the draft. The Vietnam War proved to be an event that many Americans did not agree with, and as a result, citizens took action to elude the draft entirely or to beat the draft system.
Men in the Vietnam War did not know why they were there fighting in Vietnam and what their purpose was there. The United States justified their involvement in the war by asserting that they were combating communism and preventing communistic North Vietnam from taking over the more democratic South Vietnam. This affected the soldiers because they did not know why they were there killing the innocent villagers and civilians. They destroyed land and crops to combat the Viet Cong and the effects of Agent Orange, the toxin used to destroy the vegetation, are still prevalent today. A second reason the United States (U.S.) justified their implication in the Vietnam War was to prevent the spread of communism across Asia. The U.S. came up with the Domino Theory and said that if Vietnam became a communist country then so would the countries around it and so on and so forth (Herring). This war on communism did not bring any solutions because even today Vietnam is still a communist country; therefore, the soldiers do not feel they had fought for a real cause. No one received anything that was satisfactory to him or her from the war. The men ended up going home scared for life at the violence and deat...
“In July 1965, Lyndon Johnson chose to Americanize the war in Vietnam.” Although Johnson chose to enter America into the war, there were events previous that caused America to enter and take over the war. The South Vietnamese were losing the war against Communism – giving Johnson all the more reason to enter the war, and allowing strong American forces to help stop communism. There were other contributing factors leading up to the entrance of the war; America helped assist the French in the war, Johnson’s politics, the Tonkin Gulf Incident, and the 1954 Geneva Conference. President Johnson stated, “For 10 years three American Presidents-President Eisenhower, President Kennedy, and your present President--and the American people have been actively concerned with threats to the peace and security of the peoples of southeast Asia from the Communist government of North Viet-Nam.”
Tim O’Brien served in the Vietnam War, and his short story “The Things They Carried” presents the effects of the war on its young soldiers. The treatment of veterans after their return also affects them. The Vietnam War was different from other wars, because too many in the U.S. the soldiers did not return as heroes but as cruel, wicked, and drug addicted men. The public directs its distaste towards the war at the soldiers, as if they are to blame. The also Veterans had little support from the government who pulled them away from their families to fight through the draft. Some men were not able to receive the help they needed because the symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) did not show until a year
There were many events that lead up the Vietnam War, it started in 1945 with the hostilities between the French and Vietminh. “Geopolitical Strategy, economics, domestic US politics, and cultural arrogance shaped the growing American involvement in Vietnam” (Anderson 1). As a matter of fact, the Vietnam War was several wars, but it was not until 1962 that America had their first combat mission, however, Americans were killed during ambushes by the Vietnamese before the first combat mission. There is much controversy over the reasons for the Vietnam War, supported by the several different books and articles written about the war. “The most famous atrocity occurred in a tiny hamlet called My Lai in March 1968” (Detzer 127). History shows that the reaction of many Americans to the attack by US soldiers on the village of My Lai during the Vietnam War was opposition, and the actions of the US soldiers during the My Lai Massacre will be forever remembered as a significant part of the Vietnam War and American History.
It was a cold morning in Oklahoma, not too cold for a jacket but rather a day where you wish you could stay in the oceans of your warm blanket. The year, 1962; a time of war and unrest between the nations but that never seemed to bother Peter because in his mind he was off to college. The bats went off to sleep while Peter proceeded on with fetching the mail off the icy doorstep. After analyzing all the letters he received, one peculiar piece of mail stood out for youthful peter. Slowly and steadily opening the bright yellow letter his eyes widened and his body stood numb as he read the words, “You have been drafted to serve your country in the Vietnam War”. His world fell silent whilst the sun arose above the frosty trees.
The soldiers who fought in Vietnam showed courage. They were not impervious to fear. They had the same fears of pain and death as the draft dodgers. They feared communism. However, their sense of duty forced them to fight instead of run away because they did not agree with the war. Only a select few have the specific mindset to show courage.