When looking back at a war as controversial as America's involvement in Vietnam, it is difficult to understand why soldiers would choose to fight and why they kept fighting for so long. Through a series of letters written by the soldiers themselves, one can see multiple motivations for soldiers in Vietnam, such as believing in the cause, self-preservation, and comradary amongst the men. This is all brought together in Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam, an adequate volume edited by Bernard Edelman for the New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial Commission.
First, there were many soldiers, at least in the beginning, who believed in the cause. The American government began this police action to keep communism from spreading, to preserve democracy in the world; throughout the military ranks, men could identify with this. As Specialist Fourth Class George Olsen wrote to a college friend, "I'm where I want to be, quite voluntarily doing what I think is right" (42). Many GI's were immersed with a sense of mission and purpose. Even if they didn't completely agree with the war, it was their job as a solider. Even though Second Lieutenant Frederick Downs, Jr. is worn, he writes, "
And yet it is my job, and I do it willingly, knowing that war is a constant factor in this world and has been here since the beginning of man" (61). Likewise, "I am a Marine," (81) writes Corporal Kevin Macaulay, who was at the combat base at Khe Sanh during the siege. When Private First Class Richard E. Marks wrote up his Last Will and Testament, he also clearly stated he was in Vietnam due to his own desire, that he had always wanted to be a Marine. He didn't like being over there, but he was "doing a job that must be done" (123). ...
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...re by men who died soon after, especially those in the chapter of last letters. It is important to note, however, that there seems to be two very distinct experiences in the war: one by those in the field, in the jungle, or in the villages, and one by those who remained on base. Without meaning to render their time insignificant, the latter experienced a less traumatic time in the war, with their access to Western luxuries like television and movies. They also had better access to showers, food, and to simplify it: they weren't being shot at all the time. Regardless, these men fought for their country, for themselves, and for their fellow soldier. They would do anything just to get out of the country alive.
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 has become a focal point of the Sixties. Known as the first televised war, American citizens quickly became consumed with every aspect of the war. In a sense, they could not simply “turn off” the war. A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo is a firsthand account of this horrific war that tore our nation apart. Throughout this autobiography, there were several sections that grabbed my attention. I found Caputo’s use of stark comparisons and vivid imagery, particularly captivating in that, those scenes forced me to reflect on my own feelings about the war. These scenes also caused me to look at the Vietnam War from the perspective of a soldier, which is not a perspective I had previously considered. In particular, Caputo’s account of
The Vietnam War holds a different meaning for people both young and old. The longest known US war lasted a solid eighteen years. Some would describe the war as a puzzle since not everyone was for the war. At the age of 21 Tim O’Brien was drafted for the Vietnam War. He states that The Things They Carried is a way for readers to feel what he felt during the war. The key experiences and emotions that he wants the reader to feel are frustration, not being able to find your enemy, having soldiers all around you losing their life, and being upset about being in a war in which you yourself do not believe in. Now forty years later after the Vietnam War first started O’Brien is left with face-less responsibility and face-less grief. He says it best himself “You bring war back home with you. The things you carried in the war are also things you brought back home.”
The Vietnam War to this day is thought of as a grim, long-lasting battle that took place between 1955 and 1975. The American people were never fond of this war, as they polled and constantly spoke out against the idea of being involved in Vietnam throughout the entire duration it took place. This war was fought between North Vietnam (with their Soviet, Chinese and other communist allies) and South Vietnam whose main supporter and ally was the United States. This paper will validate what this war was like for the American troops and all the diversity they were able to overcome. Ranging from the lack of American support, to the physical combat and hardships the soldiers had to face while on the battleground.
Edited by Bernard Edelman, “Dear America” is a collection of letters written by soldiers during the Vietnam War. Their letters are written to love ones back home such as parents, siblings, and spouses but they are a great depiction of the Vietnam War. The soldiers would write these letters to help keep hope alive and to keep sane. Throughout the book the letters are categorize into those who are barely arriving into the war to those who have been there a long time. The stress and anxiety grows more and more as the letters continue and the soldiers begin to contemplate their situation. I’ve learned a lot of factual things about the Vietnam War throughout my life such as how it began and what the outcome was but reading this book was the first time I learned about what the soldiers were experiencing and the cruel reality of this war. A few letters in “Dear America” I found very interesting and are a good depiction of the Vietnam War.
By 1968 the Vietnam War was a time by which Americans saw deep divide, disappointment, and tragedy. Their government had let them down, the figures they could trust had been killed, and their loved ones were scared by the effects of war. Rightfully so, the American people were upset and angry. The dynamic I have explored that made Vietnam such a critical piece in America’s history that influenced and entire party and a nation will only magnify in time not just in 1968 and not just for one primary election, but for all who shared a stake in this window.
The Vietnam War was a very confrontational issue amongst numerous Americans during the 1960’s and 70’s. Many young Americans did not agree with fighting in the Vietnam War. In the essay “On the Rainy River,” by Tim O’Brien explains the struggle of a 21 year old American man who has been drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. The essay proposes the narrators predicament of not wanting to go to war and displays his reasons why. The narrator states that “American war in Vietnam seemed to [him as being] wrong [and he] saw no unity of purpose” (40). One main reason that the narrator and many Americans did not see any importance of the Vietnam War is because know one had a clear understanding of the reasons why the United States of America was fighting it. O’Brien creates a strong argument of why the 21 year old man does not want to go to war because of its strongly supported use of values and emotions, credibility, and logical reasoning.
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.
They try to escape the war and run away, however, they cannot escape the reality of the war. In this time the US was in the cold war and determined to stop communism from spreading anywhere. The US went into Vietnam to stop the spread of communism, but the war was HIGHLY protested in the US and not popular with the soldiers or the people of Vietnam who supported the communist regime. Because of this, the war was nearly impossible for the US to win, and the soldiers endured intense suffering in the jungles of Vietnam. The My Lai massacre was one of the most important events that showed that the distinction between enemy and ally was blurred, and American forces shot at anyone, man woman or child, they saw. This kind of brutality led to the mental breakdown of soldiers like Billy Boy and Berlin. Additionally, the American soldiers didn’t even really understand why they were in Vietnam fighting or did not strongly believe their cause. Vietnam is considered a shameful war in the US so when those veterans returned they were not treated with honor and gratitude, rather with disdain, which further took a toll on several of the soldiers who returned. The book also characterized war in general as not only being external but internal. War is about survival, and maintaining one’s mental stability and sanity. One’s greatest
Most of the soldiers did not know what the overall purpose was of fighting the Vietnamese (Tessein). The young men “carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place” (O’Brien 21). The soldiers did not go to war for glory or honor, but simply to avoid the “blush of dishonor” (21). In fact, O’Brien states “It was not courage, exactly; the object was not valor. Rather, they were to...
Dear America is a collection of letters from the brave soldiers that fought in the Vietnam War (1955-1975). These letters include the struggle of keeping their morality, keeping their sanity, fighting Charlie (Vietnam enemy) and most importantly surviving. These letters are an opportunity to try and comprehend what those young men might have had to face being in a strange country. Most of these soldiers were no more than 18, 19, or 20 years of age when they were called to line of duty. As SP/4 (Specialist Fourth Class) George Olsen said “In [the] distinction lies the difference between those who have luck, and those who aren’t yet sure [if] they have it or not.” These men considered it lucky to receive a “million dollar wound” or a wound that
Barely a decade after the United States withdrew troops from their fight against communism in Korea, Americans would find themselves on the hook for another draft to prevent South Vietnam from falling to the communist menace. President Johnson convinced Congress to authorize a U.S. intervention after the North Vietnamese fired on a U.S. destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 2, 1964. Within a year, U.S. combat troops arrived in Vietnam and would remain in country for another eight years. In that time, over 2.5 million U.S. troops would serve in Vietnam; 58,220 would return home in coffins. Another 2,646 would be listed as prisoners of war or missing in action upon America’s withdrawal; as of April 14, 2016, 1,621 remain unaccounted for. While these numbers are depressing, this paper will focus on the two million who made it home and how they were treated when they arrived. Unlike previous veterans, there were no parades, no fanfares, no love for the
The Vietnam war is such a controversial topic in America’s history. Some veterans that served in the war won’t even talk about it still to this day. The Vietnam war was a war that started in 1954, and lasted for about 20 years until 1975. America decided to join this war because they did not like the spread of communism and wanted to stop it at all cost. During this war, America had 4 different Presidents, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. Many people believe that the United States should have gotten involved in the war, while other people believe that the United States should not have involved themselves in the war. The three topics this essay will discuss are the problems that the United States created in Vietnam and also the
I woke up that Saturday morning eager to get out of bed. The man I admire the most was in town. He had come to see me play football the night before, and I had asked if I could interview him for my veteran’s essay. I sat down on the couch ready to ask the wisest man I know my questions. You could see it in his eyes that he had seen it all. “Why did you decide to join the military?” I asked my grandfather. “Well, it was 1965, I had gone through two years of college and the draft for the Vietnam War started, and I wanted to do something other than carry a riffle in the jungle.” He recalled. “I knew my options were limited. So I figured if I joined the air force, that after my two years they would continue to send me to school.”
The American general response to the Vietnam War, as described previously within the main body of the essay, started out as being largely indifferent to the war (with many supporting it), and then, as time progressed and the war continued, public opinion swayed toward the anti-war viewpoint – in mid-1968, people who thought that the war was a mistake outnumbered those who believed it was not: “doves […] slightly outnumber hawks.”47 The reasons for this general opposition, and its incitement, are many — however, the most major and noteworthy reasons for this can be broken down into set categories: these include the nature of the war itself, the nature of the involvement in the war, use of certain military tactics, use of conscription policies,