...The Vietnam War was a very controversial war in American history. The War was infamously known as being a War supported by few if even any Americans. Many people lost their lives fighting in this war, and the people that survived are left with mental scars from the War. Most troops wrote letters home (America) detailing the events that were occurring in Vietnam. These letters allow us the readers to gain insight to a very honest detail of the events occurring in Vietnam. DB Post and Response 3. Jeff Rogers enlisted in the navy after a year at Harvard Medical because he realized he no longer wanted to be a doctor. “In America in 1968, any young man who left school was likely to be drafted in the army” (265), so it was either enlist or be drafted. Jeff Rogers’ father, William Rogers, was Secretary of State and had also served in World War II which might have influenced him to enlist instead of wait to be drafted. 4. Nixon’s Vietnamization policy was a policy brought forth “to advocate a withdrawal from Vietnam” (267). Vietnamization Policy was a combined effort of Secretary of Defense, Melvin Laird, and Secretary of State, William Rogers. The two men were focused on a peaceful retreat from Vietnam. The Vietnamization Policy “meant training and equipping the Army of the Republic of [South] Vietnam to wage its own war for an independent democracy against the Democratic Republic of [North] Vietnam. In reality, Vietnamization meant replacing American casualties with South Vietnamese...
Words: 1792 - Pages: 8
...conflict that each soldier had to bear during the Vietnam War while fighting for their country. Witnessing horrific scenes of war and the emotional and physical burdens that each of them carried, O’Brien unfolds how these men had no choice but to fulfill their patriotic duty. As the leader of the platoon, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross goes through an inner conflict between love and duty, carrying his orders in his mind and Martha in his heart. But how far can war or following orders, impair the human side of compassion and love? Although, soldiers become men at war, O’Brien focuses in a story where war makes men emotionally handicap, leaving mental scars that may never heal. The story is told by a third person’s point of view, however, O’Brien includes a touch of his personal experiences during the war where he spent a year in Vietnam (Hicks). As Josiah Bunting said, “The things he carried into war are very different from what he carried away from it” (Bunting) expressing O’Brien’s experience at war and how his experience as a soldier would convince readers to believe that the different traumatic moments really happened. Although his personal experiences are counted as relevant, some critics consider his storytelling to be “nothing new about trying to tell war stories- that the “truths” they contain “are contradictory”, elusive and this indeterminate”. Kaplan goes on saying that “representation includes staging what might have happened in Vietnam while simultaneously questioning the...
Words: 1662 - Pages: 7
...American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now,” Richard Nixon explained, “Never have the consequences of their misunderstanding been so tragic.” The Vietnam War swallowed the lives of Americans and left a generation full of lost, broken youth. In The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, O’Brien conveys how the lack of an audience enhances the isolation the soldiers feel and the despair they fall into. They are unable to forgive themselves for Kiowa’s death and fall into destructive patterns. O’Brien proves that forgiveness can only be achieved by revisiting your burdens and expressing the emotions you carry. O’Brien recalls events from...
Words: 1185 - Pages: 5
...Dwight D. Eisenhower sent a letter Ngo Dinh Diem, the leader of anti-communist South Vietnam. His purpose was “to assist the Government of Vietnam in developing and maintaining a strong, viable state, capable of resisting attempted subversion or aggression through military means” (Eisenhower). Many consider this letter to be one of the initial communications with Vietnam that led to our entrance into what became one of the most controversial wars in American history. However, most were not directly connected to the war until a draft notice arrived in the mail. This was the case for Tim O’Brien, author of The Things They Carried, who received his draft notice in 1968. Having grown up in small-town Minnesota, O’Brien was able to have a normal, peaceful childhood. He prospered in school and was eventually Harvard-bound, until the Vietnam War threw him off-course. Tim opposed the war just like so many other Americans, and gave serious consideration to the idea of fleeing to Canada. However, he eventually decided to go to war, albeit reluctantly, and it was his first-hand...
Words: 1940 - Pages: 8
...Jasmine Wright Prof. Riveland ENG 102-078 March 4, 2015 War Experiences: Vietnam Between the 1950-1980’s, soldiers were busy with fighting for our country. The Vietnam War had a huge impact on America. It began in 1954 and more than 3 million people were killed. In class, we read three pieces of literature related to the conflict, Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen, and Vietnam: The Loss of American Innocence by Terry Leonard. Two of the literatures giving a feel of what it was like to fight a war or even be living during the time of the war and the last one telling the events that took place during the time of the war. No one that wasn’t living during the time of the war does not know exactly what it was like, but can give an opinion on what it might have been like. In Things They Carried and Dulce et Decorum Est, two stories that convey the experience during the war. Things They Carried conveyed the way of life. The author, Tim O’Brien, kept emphasis on the things they carried, which symbolized things that meant the most to them. He did not incorporate the bad, ugly and terror of the war, but gave an idea when he included Ted Lavender’s death. Family and loved one’s that the soldiers left back home meant the world to them. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was a character that showed how their loved ones were missed. He was in love with a girl back home, Martha, he kept her letters with him everywhere he went. When Lavender was killed they...
Words: 810 - Pages: 4
...Cold War: Postwar Estrangement The Western democracies and the Soviet Union discussed the progress of World War II and the nature of the postwar settlement at conferences in Tehran (1943), Yalta (February 1945), and Potsdam (July-August 1945). After the war, disputes between the Soviet Union and the Western democracies, particularly over the Soviet takeover of East European states, led Winston Churchill to warn in 1946 that an "iron curtain" was descending through the middle of Europe. For his part, Joseph Stalin deepened the estrangement between the United States and the Soviet Union when he asserted in 1946 that World War II was an unavoidable and inevitable consequence of "capitalist imperialism" and implied that such a war might reoccur. The Cold War was a period of East-West competition, tension, and conflict short of full-scale war, characterized by mutual perceptions of hostile intention between military-political alliances or blocs. There were real wars, sometimes called "proxy wars" because they were fought by Soviet allies rather than the USSR itself -- along with competition for influence in the Third World, and a major superpower arms race. After Stalin's death, East-West relations went through phases of alternating relaxation and confrontation, including a cooperative phase during the 1960s and another, termed dtente, during the 1970s. A final phase during the late 1980s and early 1990s was hailed by President Mikhail Gorbachev, and especially by the president...
Words: 1511 - Pages: 7
... The Vietnam War really tested the emotions of the soldiers who deployed there. “The Things They Carried” explained from the physical items carried to the emotional burdens of soldiers fighting in Vietnam. Tim O’Brien, the author had also served time over in Vietnam. This story gives the reader a good understanding of the daily things that can occur. Even if it is abrupt and traumatic, the soldiers have to carry on to continue their mission. Tim O’Brien really writes with a simple style. The sentences themselves were not very long, but more so to the point. He had explained things in detail, but it was not overly done. I thought the style of writing went well with the soldiers mindsets of the checklist of events that go along with their lives over there. From getting one thing done to another, as simple as it is, the sentences complimented the events that played a long. The word choices were with good vocabulary, and they didn’t require anything higher than a high school education. He used several military abbreviations that one outside of the military may not understand (example: PFC stands for Private First Class). The tone of the story is sadness. Realizing the events that happen over in a war zone can be really sad. It is a shock to read about a man, an American Soldier just fall down and die. There was also emotional shock with some of the soldiers who had to just shrug it off, and even the shock of realizing that some of their mindsets were not in Vietnam. “One things...
Words: 904 - Pages: 4
...influenced on much of his writing. Tim O’brien has gone through very tough times in his life which has greatly contributed to the ideas that are displayed in his work. The most important and most popular of his work was “the things they carried”. This was one of his most successful piece of work that skyrocketed his carrier as an author and writer, a successful story about the experience and atmosphere during World War II. Tim O’brien used his experience in combat to recreate a story of himself that goes into the smallest details about war and how it felt to be in it. Many of his other stories and novels that he has written as well talk about War and his experience in it. So what do we know exactly about him, the story that goes behind all his work. This is the story of a man who’s past has shaped his future. A man whose ideas shaped his life, his work, and his success. Tim O’Brien was born on October 1, 1946 in Austin Minessota. His father was was William Timothy O’Brien, a salesman. His mother was Ava Eleanor, a school teacher. Both of his parents served in the U.S Navy during the World War II. Tim O’Brien lived in Austin only to the age of nine. Later he moved to Worthington Minessota. He was enrolled at Macalester college in St. Paul, Minnessota. Here is where he developed his sense for leadership and activism. In the biography of Tim O’Brien by H.W Wilson it states that “he developed a reputation as an activist for social justice and improved education. He campaigned for the establishment...
Words: 1299 - Pages: 6
...Harold Allison served in the military for twenty-three years. Military service is what established him and his friend’s entire life. Before, during, and after his service, the military has influenced his life in many ways. Allison started in the Navy then transferred to the Air National Guard, which he retired from in 2009. When asked why he joined Allison says that he joined the Navy, “because that’s what I was supposed to do.” His father was also in that branch of service, which influenced Allison’s decision. Allison’s father would always tell him “Why walk when you can ride?” meaning to join the Navy or the Air Force because the Army and Marines are ground troops. Allison went to boot camp in the dead of winter in The Great Lakes, arriving on December 3. He says all they did the nine weeks they were there was shoveling snow. Allison was in a number of wars, including Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and Afghanistan. During all these wars he never saw combat though. His time in the Vietnam War started in San Diego on the aircraft carrier Constellation. The ship traveled to Hawaii, then to the Philippines, then finally on to Vietnam. The ship never docked in Vietnam, and the crew was on board the entire...
Words: 779 - Pages: 4
...Vietnam was a questionable War. People either agreed with it or did not agree at all. As people fought over it back in America soldiers got an experience they will never forget. An experienced filled with terror and suffering but also filled with friendship and love. American literature has shown the struggles of the soldiers in the Vietnam War. Often times the literature tries to pull the readers in with stories to help them understand what life was like. Tim O’Brien is one of the most popular when it comes to this. In his novel, The Things They Carried, questioning morality, O’Brien gives first hand narrations of stories which show the impact of the Vietnam War on society. Tim O’Brien’s life is filled with many wonders and success. O’Brien...
Words: 1888 - Pages: 8
...Vietnam War Taylor Davis MLS 2006 McDonough Vietnam War The Vietnam War was a disaster from the start for America. America was outnumbered and did not have a clear strategy going into the war. Technically, congress never declared war on Vietnam, so America nor did win or lose the war (Triebwasser). Neither America nor Vietnam won the war as it is still considered as stalemate. As Stewart said, “Meanwhile, the war appeared to be in a state of equilibrium. Only an extraordinary effort by one side or the other could bring a decision” (Stewart, 2010, pg. 330). This war did not go according to plan and the outcome of this war did not favor America. Many men were killed in this war and other injured from enemy fire and gases that were used during the war. America lost the fight (war) in Vietnam. Between the Government and the landscape of Vietnam made it difficult for America to win the war. There are many reasons why America did not succeed in Vietnam and lost the war. The effect of the Cold War was the Vietnam War. The war was to stop Vietnam from becoming a communist nation. America was out to stop communist from spreading into other countries. The effect of Vietnam becoming a communist country would not affect anyone in the world except Vietnam itself. As Pagel stated, “The actual value of Vietnam as a territory, economy or political presence on the world stage was insignificant” (Pagel, 2012). As an outcome of the war, Vietnam is still a communist nation. America failed...
Words: 1161 - Pages: 5
...something during their service in the Vietnam War. O’Brien expresses these objects in his novel through the perspectives of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and himself, detailing their characters from what they carried both physically and symbolically. Initially, Jimmy Cross, the lieutenant of O’Brien’s company, brought with him memorabilia from a girl he loved named Martha and the responsibility of his men’s’ lives. He writes how Cross’s letters, “Were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping” and Martha who, “had found the pebble on the Jersey shoreline, where things came together but also separated.” Jimmy Cross, being extremely lovesick,...
Words: 478 - Pages: 2
...Norman Bowker and the Weight He Carried in Tim O’Brien The Things They Carried: a Work of Fiction The novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a series that talk about different experiences that soldiers went through during war the Vietnam War. In the 1960’s young men with no experience whatsoever were drafted and sent to fight a terrible war. The worst part of the war for most of these young soldiers was having to cope with the aftermath of all the terrible things they encountered. For example, before going to Vietnam, Norman Bowker had a normal life with his friends and family, but when he returns from Vietnam, he finds himself lost in his own town, his girlfriend married to someone else, one of his friends dead; he feels like a total stranger, and, as a result he is no longer able to call this place home. As can be seen in the chapter “Speaking of Courage” and in “Notes”, Norman Bowker is one of those soldiers who, even long after the war has ended, was never able to recover from the emotional burdens he carried. “Speaking of Courage” tells us the story from Norman Bowker’s point of view of Kiowa’s death in Vietnam. Because of the heavy rains, “the Song Tra Bong overflowed its banks and the land turned into a deep, thick muck for a quarter mile on either side”(136). One night the platoon had settled near the river. Soon they realized they had settled in a shit field, and later that night they took mortar fire. “The field just exploded. Rain and slop and shrapnel...
Words: 1400 - Pages: 6
...Canadian Involvement in the Vietnam War; Playing Both Sides. Although Canada “officially non-belligerent” in the war against Vietnam they were active and played a huge role for and against the war. It is a common belief that Canada’s position during the Vietnam War was strictly neutral but the government was more involved than many Canadians realize. The Canadian government aided the U.S by sending Medical equipment, providing technical assistance as well as diplomatic aid. In 1981, it was discovered that Canada had been secretly involved in testing U.S chemical warfare agents for Vietnam. The Canadian government also welcomed about 30,000 American war resisters and draft-dodgers who did not support the war across the Canadian borders; at the same time about 30,000 Canadians crossed the border to volunteer to help the U.S soldiers fight in Vietnam. Scholars like Jessica Squires spoke on The Canadian Anti-Draft Movement, which “was a network of groups in Canadian cities that actively supported the immigration of War resisters”. This Network was active from 1966-1973 and its activities were seen as a sort of resistance to the American War on Vietnam. At this time in the early 1970s there had been protests and demonstrations in Canada and various parts of the world, which denounced the war on Vietnam and the actions if the U.S Government and this Anti-Draft Movement was one of the ways Canadians were able to influence or oppose the Vietnam War. In 1966, Hans Sinn...
Words: 1733 - Pages: 7
...JKF assassination. After military force service as the leader of the speed Torpedo Boats during the Second World War in the south pacific, John Kennedy stood for Massachusetts eleventh congressional district in the United States House of the legislature from 1947 to 1953 as a democrat. Later, he served in the United States council from 1953 to 1960. John Kennedy crushed the deputy President and Republican aspirant Richard in the 1960 United States presidential voting. At forty three years, he was the most young to have been nominated to the presidential office, the second-youngest President following Theodore Roosevelt, and the foremost person born in the 20th century to become the president. As a Roman catholic, John Kennedy was the only non-protestant president, and was the only president who won a Pulitzer award. Events all through his presidency incorporated the Cuban missile emergency, Bay of Pigs attack, the construction of the Berlin wall, the African American national rights group, the space race, and early phases of the Vietnam warfare. Therein, John Kennedy added the number of military force advisers, helicopters and the special operation services in an attempt to curb the increase of Marxism in South East of Asia. Kennedy’s administration approved the policy of the tactical hamlet program which was executed by the South Vietnamese administration. The policy involved certain compulsory relocation, segregation and village internment of country South Vietnamese from...
Words: 1543 - Pages: 7
