The heart wrenching tale of Jason Poole is an evident picture of the lost potentials of all the heavily injured veterans who came back to an entirely different “home”. Grady shows us that life as a veteran, who has put their life on the line to protect their country, after coming home is like having to start from scratch. “‘Jason was definitely a ladies’ man’, said Zillah Hodgkins, who had been a friend for nine years.” (5, Grady) Grady utilizes this quote by previously showing us the current state of
A soldier’s “greatest fear is not death but failure, and the shame that accompanies failure. More than anything else, warriors fear letting themselves down and letting their leaders and friends down at a moment when it matters most. They fear most not losing their lives, but their honor” (Nash, 2007, p. 25).
“War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead,” (80). In the fiction novel The Things They Carried, the author Tim O’Brien reminisces fighting in the Vietnam War and the aftermath of the war with his platoon mates through short stories and memories. He goes in depth about the emotional trauma and physical battles they face, what they carry, and how Vietnam and war has changed them forever. O’Brien’s stories describe the harsh nature of the Vietnam War, and how it causes soldiers to lose their innocence, to become guilt-ridden and regretful, and to transform into a paranoid shell of who they were before the war.
When people think of the military, they often think about the time they spend over in another country, hoping they make it back alive. No one has ever considered the possibility that they may have died inside. Soldiers are reborn through war, often seeing through the eyes of someone else. In “Soldier’s home” by Ernest Hemingway, the author illustrates how a person who has been through war can change dramatically if enough time has passed. This story tells of a man named Harold (nick name: Krebs) who joined the marines and has finally come back after two years. Krebs is a lost man who feels it’s too complicated to adjust to the normal way of living and is pressured by his parents.
There you stand over the body of a fallen friend, a brother or sister in arms. You are asking yourself why them, why not you? What could have I done to save them? That is when you wake up, sweating, panting. It was just a night terror, yet it feels the same as the day they died, even though it has been ten years. This is just one of the many emotional scars soldiers of war face. Though why do we go to war when this is the cost? For many it is because they are unaware of the psychological cost of war, they are only aware of the monetary cost. Tim O 'Brien addresses the true cost of war in The Things They Carried. O 'Brien suggests that psychological trauma caused by war impedes daily life in young Americans drafted into the Vietnam war. He does
War affects people differently, depending on the person’s morals and their position in the war, whether it be a soldier, family member, or a civilian. Robert Jordan was not necessarily eager to enter the Spanish Civil War in For Whom The Bell Tolls but he knew that he was needed
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.
In 1960, at the age of twenty-four, Philip Caputo enlists in the United Sates Marine Corps in hopes of escaping his relaxed lifestyle in the quaint town of Westchester, Illinois. Caputo is interested in proving himself a man and earning respect in response to President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address to the nation. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” are the famous words that pushed many young men into the patriotic world of enlistment, in order to defend American ideals. Caputo’s expectations of the war in Vietnam are to achieve heroic acts, finish his missions quickly and efficiently, get out in one piece, and return home to a supportive country interested in his heroic adventures.
To be a Marine is an abstract, yet resolute privilege. The title “United States Marine” is earned, never given. (Krulak) A Marine recruit undergoes a thirteen week, trial-by-fire process that develops the core values of honor, courage, and commitment in each individual. (Poolee) Brotherhood is developed through team exercises. (Krulak) The cohesion of a unit is essential to its success. (Interview) Marine Corps recruits are also thoroughly ingrained in the history and traditions of the Corps. (Poolee) The history of the Marine Corps includes learning about past leaders, battles, and conduct of Marines during war and tim...
One thing that communities have been able to realize from returning war veterans is that it can be extremely hard for them to return to where they have left off. This is not necessarily because they have no place to return, but because of the emotional reality of the differences between their self’s and the outside community. While their families and friends may be experiencing a miracle and the weight of relief has been lifted from their shoulders, the veterans they welcome home with open arms are likely struggling with emotions. High on this list of emotions is guilt, Survivor’s guilt to be more precise (Sherman, 2011).
Tim O’ Brien’s narrative, How to Tell a War Story depicts the livelihood and experience of American soldiers during the Vietnam War. More so evaluating the life Tim O’ Brien and several other characters in his platoon. The sequences of stories reveals the thoughts and behavior of many post-Vietnam veterans and also can be related to the behavior of many veterans today. Throughout the segments of stories, “How to tell a War Story”, “Speaking of Courage and Notes”, and “The Things They Carried”, O’ Brien illustrates a common theme of guilt and sacrifice among the key characters Lieutenant Cross, Rat, and O’ Brien himself. Each character are presented with an unexpected responsibility and are forced to serve their state. A sense of discomfort
One thing that stands out is the author’s approach to the betterment of the community. Aside from trying to recruit individuals into the service, I believe he might also acknowledge Grossman for what he’s doing to the homeless citizens of Los Angeles. We can assume the author appreciates creating a better and easier life for people. Most importantly, however, it is agreeable to say that the article implies that the military is what the author remarkably values. I feel this way because in all corners of the article, it is touched upon. For example, the author prints, “The qualities you acquire while in the military are qualities that stay with you forever,” and “Today’s Military: See it for what it really is.” Additionally, he informs us that Grossman has been featured in magazines highlighting those who have served in the U.S. Military. He’s complimented the military multiple times in his work. I believe he also wishes to expose some admirable things about the military and shine light to it, in hopes of gaining followers and supporters for the
It is never easy for anyone to be away from his or her own family. Certain situations happen in ones life that forces him to leave his family behind. More often than not, one leave home for a better job elsewhere, keeping in mind that in doing so, he will be able to provide for his family and give a better life. Others, like the ones in the military, have no choice but to do his duty to the country and to help keep the country safe for his family to live in. “Soldier’s Home”, written by Pulitzer and Nobel Prize awardee Ernest Hemingway, talks about the adventure of Krebs, a marine soldier and how his life turns out when he comes back from battle. In analyzing “Soldier’s Home”, I would like to talk about the story’s characters, the theme of
military members who share harsh, traumatic, or even funny events obviously become closer through the bond of a mutual experience. This is particularly true for Marine infantry; many Marine are brought up in different areas of the US, with different values, ages, religious and political beliefs. However different we all might look on the outside, the fact that we’ve all been through good times and bad with each other makes us closer than any civilian could understand. After being a Marine, I find that I’m close to, and always will be, than my civilian friends who I’ve known for years. Along with this, Pressfield talks about how, under all the glory and allure of fighting for one’s country exists the real reason that warriors fight; for our brothers in arms. Political beliefs, government stances, and flags go out the window, only to be replaced by concern for the safety and well-being of the men to our left and right. All of these things are reasons why it is difficult for civilians to understand what it’s like to be a warrior. This is perhaps embodied best in our motto, Semper Fidelis; Always Faithful, to our brothers and those who depend on
...though people believe that, those on the home front have it just as a bad as the soldiers, because they have to deal with the responsibilities of their husbands, there is nothing that can compare to what these men have gone through. The war itself consumed them of their ideology of a happy life, and while some might have entered the war with the hope that they would soon return home, most men came to grips with the fact that they might never make it out alive. The biggest tragedy that follows the war is not the number of deaths and the damages done, it is the broken mindset derives from being at war. These men are all prime examples of the hardships of being out at war and the consequences, ideologies, and lifestyles that develop from it.