The Vietnam War started in 1945 resulting in almost 60,000 American deaths and nearly two million Vietnamese deaths, according to Mintze. The United States became a financial backer to Vietnam and tried to assist South Vietnam from the communist North. The Viet Cong, a communist led guerilla group, began to fight South Vietnam in 1958. This led to American soldiers being sent into Cambodia to destroy communist supply bases. The Vietnam War is also known as the longest battle in American history (Mintze).
The bloodshed has left numerous Americans wondering if the war was necessary. Air strikes and napalm attacks killed and scarred innocent civilians. Years after combat countless Vietnam veterans suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder in every aspect of their lives. Posttraumatic stress disorder is an illness that happens to anyone who has gone through a traumatic experience. PTSD can have a serious impact on how one lives their life.
In recent research findings, four out of five veterans struggle with PTSD twenty to twenty five years later (Price). The very ‘unpopular’ war left behind Vietnam veterans with major psychological problems (Mintz). The affect of such cruel attacks has made it difficult for veterans to adjust to life post war. This illness can happen within 3 months to years after the unpleasant event. Frequently, veterans and victims of war suffer relentlessly from PTSD. Many poets and authors write to portray the lasting memories that cause one to suffer from such a scary illness.
In the poem titled “Song of Napalm” words capture the images of the horrific scenes the warfare presented. The emotion of someone suffering from PTSD is obvious through out the poem. This narrative poem uses end stopped and enjambmen...
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Hakansson, Bjorn. “You and I Are Disappearing.” Neon Vernacular: New and Selected Poems. Ed. Yusef Komunyakaa. Hanover, NH: UP New England, 1993. Print.
Mintz, S. “Learn About the Vietnam War.” Digital History. 18 June 2011. Web. 18 June 2011.
Price, Jennifer. “Findings From the National Vietnam Veterans’ Readjustment Study.” United States Department of Veterans Affairs. 1 January 2007. Web. 18 June 2011.
Turco, Lewis. “Burning the News.” From Both Sides Now: The Poetry of the Vietnam War and its Aftermath. Ed. Philip Mahoney. NY: Scribner, 1998. Print.
Weigl, Bruce. “Song of Napalm.” From Both Sides Now: The Poetry of the Vietnam War and its Aftermath. Ed. Philip Mahoney. NY: Scribner, 1998. Print.
Lawrence’s purpose in writing this book was concise and to the point. In recent history, due to the fall of the Soviet bloc, new information has been made available for use in Vietnam. As stated in the introduction, “This book aims to take account of this new scholarship in a brief, accessible narrative of the Vietnam War… It places the war within the long flow of Vietnamese history and then captures the goals and experiences of various governments that became deeply embroiled in the country during the second half of the twentieth century” (Lawrence, 3.) This study is not only about the American government and how they were involved in the Vietnam conflict, but highlights other such countries as France, China, and the Soviet Union. Lawrence goes on to say that one of his major goals in writing this book is to examine the American role in Vietnam within an international context (Lawrence, 4.) Again, this goes to show that the major purpose of Lawrence’s study included not only ...
E-History (2012, N.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2012, from http://ehistory.osu.edu/vietnam/essays/battlecommand/index.cfm.
Fussell, Paul. "Vietnam." The Bloody Game: An Anthology of Modern War. Ed. Paul Fussell. London: Scribners, 1991. 651-6.
The war was also known as the American War (in Vietnam, as opposed to the Vietnam War in America), the Vietnam Conflict, the Second Indochina War, and also the War Against the Americans to Save the Nation (The History of the Vietnam War). It started on November 1, 1955 and ended on April 30, 1975 (At a Glance June 2012). The main conflict that started the war was the aspiration of North Vietnam to unify the entire country under a single communist government that was modeled after the ones seen in the Soviet Union (now Russia) and China (Vietnam War |
In the twentieth century, many young adults and many other men were chosen/ drafted to enter the war. The Vietnam War started during the time period of 1959 and this brutal war ended in 1975. It started with the United States sending aid and military advisors to the Southern part of Vietnam. The U.S helped the southerners of Vietnam because the northern part of Vietnam was a communist state, so the south wanted to end Communism in the north. Also, this war was said to be one of the bloodiest wars that took place in the twentieth century.
"Overview of the Vietnam War." Digital History. Digital History, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. .
A Vietnam War veteran experienced many gruesome and horrifying events during their time of serving the army. Seeing such horrifying things affected their mental and emotional thinking “PTSD is defined as a re-experience of a traumatic event, for example, flashbacks. Anything can trigger a flashback a click, a movement, anything associated with the past event” (Cruz). Seeing such horrifying things affected their mental and emotional thinking. A soldier was told to forget what they saw and basically move on from it, but it only made it worse. Having everything “bottled up” makes it even harder to treat PTSD. U.S. soldiers had to live with the disorder on their own without any help. “The veterans experience combat related nightmares, anxiety, anger, depression, alcohol and/or drug dependency, all are symptoms of PTSD” (Begg). The symptoms occurred over long periods of time when that person has been in certain situations that he or she was not ready to be in. Some of these situations including the Vietnam veterans not feeling like their unit was together or united. “Soldiers were sent into replace other soldiers, which caused the other members of the group to make fun or haze them. The unit never developed as much loyalty to each other as they should have” (Paulson and Krippner). “Many of...
The United States has faced many conflicts throughout history. World War II and the Vietnam War are two of the many wars that the United States has fought. World War II began on September 1, 1939- 1945 when 1.5 million German troops invaded Poland. Germany's superior air power and technologically advanced armored and motorized divisions overwhelmed Polish forces (“World War II, US History in Context” 1). “By September 20, Poland had been overrun by the German blitzkreig (lightening war)” (World War II, US History in Context 1). The United States did not officially enter the war until December 7, 1941 when the Japanese bombed the U.S naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The following day Congress declared war on Japan (“World War II…” 1). The Vietnam War was a continuation of the Indochina War of 1946-1954. The United States first became involved with Vietnam in 1957 lasting until spring of 1975. The Vietnam War began as a battle against the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) supported by the United States and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) according to The Dictionary of American History. The United States supported South Vietnam’s anti- communism (Cosma 1). This resulted in The United States and France joining forces to defeat communist Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh (Buzzanco 1). Although both conflicts involved the United States, both the Vietnam War and World War II can be compared and contrasted by their political, military, economical, and international factors.
Brigham, Robert K., and E. Kenneth Hoffman. "Battlefield:Vietnam | History." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 19 Sept. 2011.
Imagine living in despair after coming back home, dismayed from a war that got no appreciation. Robert Kroger once said in his quote, “The brave men and women, who serve their country and as a result, live constantly with the war inside them, exist in a world of chaos. But the turmoil they experience isn’t who they are, the PTSD invades their minds and bodies.” Eleven percent of Vietnam Veterans still suffer with symptoms of the terrifying disorder of PTSD (Handwerk). Vietnam Veterans struggle with the physiological effects of PTSD after war, which leads to despair and many deaths.
The book, We Were Soldiers Once... And Young, begins at a pivotal point in American history. The year was 1965; the year America began to directly interfere with the Vietnam affairs and send our young men to defend the notion of "freedom." During this year, Vietnam interested and concerned only a few Americans. In fact, the controversy of American involvement in Vietnam had hardly begun. But this all changed in November 1965 at the Ia Drang Valley in distant Vietnam. The Battle at LZ X-Ray and LZ Albany was the first major battle of the Vietnam conflict; a conflict that lasted decade and caused American turmoil for many more years.
In Brian Turner’s poem “Jundee Ameriki” (American soldier), he gives gruesome details of a situation that triggered posttraumatic stress disorder in a soldier of war. The poem, written in 2009, addresses a suicide bombing which occurred during the War on Iraq in November of 2005. At first the poem shares the events of his doctor’s visit. While getting the shrapnel fragments removed, the soldier is quickly reminded of the horrific events that led to the injury. The poem then begins to describe the emotional effects of posttraumatic stress disorder. The narrator uses symbolism and the structure of the poem to demonstrate how the emotional pain of posttraumatic stress disorder is much greater than the physical pain it causes (even if the emotional
Bullets flying through the air right over me, my knees are shaking, and my feet are numb. I see familiar faces all around me dodging the explosives illuminating the air like lightning. Unfortunately, numerous familiar faces seem to disappear into the trenches. I try to run from the noise, but my mind keeps causing me to re-illustrate the painful memories left behind.
Post-Traumatic stress disorder is a psychiatric disorder that may develop after one has been a victim or witness of a traumatic event (What is PTSD). Men and women who served in the Vietnam War were vulnerable to many acts of violence and death such as guerilla warfare. After being discharged from the Armed Forces, they may experience flashbacks when a trigger brings back a memory or they may also suffer from nightmares or insomnia due to specific rattling experiences (Riley, Julie). Not being able to sleep can have some deteriorating effects on the body which can make life after war very hard to adjust to. The transfer of the Armed Forces back home life can be somewhat of a culture shock. However, anyone can develop PTSD. A person who has been a victim of abuse, an unexpected death/accident, or even a survivor of a natural disaster is at risk of being diagnosed with this disorder (Mental Health America). They may experience some symptoms of; depression, irritability, insomnia, flashbacks, they may complain of headaches or stomach pain, and may become reserved (Riley, Julie). These indicatio...
War is cruel. The Vietnam War, which lasted for 21 years from 1954 to 1975, was a horrific and tragic event in human history. The Second World War was as frightening and tragic even though it lasted for only 6 years from 1939 to 1945 comparing with the longer-lasting war in Vietnam. During both wars, thousands of millions of soldiers and civilians had been killed. Especially during the Second World War, numerous innocent people were sent into concentration camps, or some places as internment camps for no specific reasons told. Some of these people came out sound after the war, but others were never heard of again. After both wars, people that were alive experienced not only the physical damages, but also the psychic trauma by seeing the deaths and injuries of family members, friends or even just strangers. In the short story “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” by Bao Ninh about the Vietnam War, and the documentary film Barbed Wire and Mandolins directed by Nicola Zavaglia with a background of the Second World War, they both explore and convey the trauma of war. However, the short story “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” is more effective in conveying the trauma of war than the film Barbed Wire and Mandolins because of its well-developed plot with well-illustrated details, and its ability to raise emotional responses from its readers.