Imagine if your team was struggling in a game would you quit or help fight to win. That is what happened to the soldiers at Valley Forge they were sick and dieing some chickened out and some stayed. If you were at Valley Forge would you have abandoned the others? I would stay because they need my help,help may be coming, and I would stand up for what is right.…
In the book, If I Die in a Combat Zone…, Tim O’Brien, a Vietnam veteran, gives us his raw, personal story on what it was like to be a soldier in a controversial war. O’Brien was/is a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War and yet he completed his one-year service. He does not shy away from his negative opinions about the war and how in a way the government had let him down. O’Brien leads his story from the beginning in 1968 where he is drafted in Minnesota through 1969 with his homecoming. Throughout the book he is keen on the recognition of his comrades’ deaths, the Vietnamese residents, his daily internal/external battles, and the contemplation of what is bravery/courage.…
The Vietnam War was a place of death, destruction, and confusion. Not only was the war a failure, but many soldiers were forced to fight. This lead to many negative effects that I must bring to your attention in this paper. The negative effects on soldiers during and after the war were depression, regret, desensitization, insanity, and the loss of friends.…
The United States strategy in Vietnam from 1965 to 1968 went through various changes and revisions as leadership tried to find a feasible plan of action. US Army General William Westmoreland and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara were two of the major forces in US leadership that would shape the war effort. They devised a military strategy of attrition through tactics of search and destroy, covert operations, and other factors in hopes of wearing out the enemy. While their strategy found some success on the battlefields, the ineffectiveness of search and destroy missions, the over emphasis on body counts, and the disconnect between everyday soldiers and their superiors about defining success would doom the US war effort.…
“Give me liberty or give me death!” In December of 1777, George Washington decided to set up a winter camp at Valley Forge. The area was about eighteen miles northwest of Philadelphia making it a good place to stay and watch over the British troops. The men had to build huts for twelve men to live in. Sadly, the men slept on the straw and mud floors while being exposed to the cold weather. Many men would run off during war other would simply just desert the camp, unable to fight their living conditions. This raises the question: “Valley Forge: Would you have quit?” To quit would be to not really be an option for me, my loyalty to our government and country will stay at the camp. Many men were dying in this camp. Maybe from disease or simply lack of supplies the main thing is that they stayed until the end of their lives. They believed in this cause enough to never give up and had pushed through the horrid conditions as much as one possibly could. About half of the men were far too sick for battle. (Doc. A) Every soldier was needed and haven been stricken with illness made every healthy soldier a necessity. Approximately 1800 to 2500 men had lost their lives to the wide spread disease so even the smallest attempt to help fight the war was very much appreciated. (Doc. A) My loyalty and commitment to our government would also inspire me to continue on in those harsh conditions. While still living in the make shift town, the Committee of Congress had come to meet the valiant soldiers who were fighting for independence. (Doc. B) The fact that these men showed interest in their soldiers was very heart warming. Seeing as how they were being thought of as heroes instead of...…
This documentary about life and the era in which the former Secretary of Defense of the United States, Robert McNamara refers to the concept of “Fog of War “ to describe the level of ambiguity in knowledge of the situation experienced by the participants in military operations. Robert McNamara was a great man, because although he made mistakes major in his position as Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War, his intentions were to do the right thing for his country.…
In Philadelphia, the winter of 1777, the situation was harsh and rough. General George Washington wanted a place where he could keep an eye on the British, and he decided to go with Valley Forge. Valley Forge was the turning point for the Revolutionary War. It was a place that men were starving to death, dying from sickness and diseases, and dying from being shot. George Washington decided to make a camp at Valley Forge with his troops and soldiers. He had a lot of dying, but kept going on to fight for our country, but the question is, would I have quit? I would re-enlist, but I don’t want to risk my life fighting for my country. I have decided to not re-enlist for three reasons which are death, diseases and sickness, and because George Washington has better stuff.…
The war in Vietnam in the 1960’s was an extremely controversial topic among the American public. America’s role in the war was questionable, and thousands of young men were drafted into the army against their own personal beliefs. In If I Die in a Combat Zone , author Tim O'Brien argued that the Vietnam War was unjust through his depictions of violent events during the war, how the war affected both the soldiers and innocent civilians, and the inhumane duties required of the soldiers.…
Vietnam war was the longest war in American History which fought between 1964 to 1975 and the most unpopular war for the American of the 20th century. This is the only one war that United States lost the war but no one knows the truth because the US government had not told about this war yet. The resulted in nearly 60,000 American deaths and in an estimated 2 million Vietnamese deaths. It seemed like the American won the war but actually they were not. The experience for the American soldier in Vietnam was long and painful one for the nation. During the war, the Vietnam is spilt in the two groups; the South which was Capitalism and the North which was Communism. To support the South Vietnam’s government, the American sent the soldiers…
Tim O’Brian had a bright successful future. Then the letter came. What would happen if someone was drafted for war? On the Rainy River by Tim O’Brian is about his experience upon being drafted for the Vietnam war on June 17, 1968. Through the psychoanalytic lens, the story will be evaluated and proven that Tim O’Brian dealt with his feelings of being drafted using three defense mechanisms; denial, repression and suppression. Through college, he was politely against the war. He didn’t believe that his country was fighting for any freedom and viewed the fighting as pointless. The Vietnam war was hard for him to understand. He would go door to door and speak his views of the war in which most people disagreed but he saw no point in the killing and fighting and the killing again. Himself as a person could not kill a man looking straight down the barrel of his gun. While trying to make a decision about going to war he stated, “There were times when I thought I’d gone off the psychic edge” (O’Brian 77). Tim O’Brian went through a descent into madness after being drafted for war.…
2.What is the narrator's attitude toward war? Does his attitude differ from the attitudes of the soldiers he is describing?…
The protest against conscription in the Vietnam War was on a much larger scale and violent level compared to the previous protests in WWI and WWII. McLuhan (1975) stated that ‘Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America, not the battlefields of Vietnam.’. The invention of television enabled people to witness first hand of the horror of war at home. Using rational choice theory to explain, the idea and benefits of staying alive were more appealing than dying in a foreign land, even if they had to pay the cost of being punished for not obeying the…
Haven’t seen you and dad for a long time. I still remember that day I went to the army to train and be ready to go to Vietnam. Not really sure why we were doing this. But that’s what America offered for us. I wish I could go to college with my best friend Jeff. Do you remember him? The guy who usually came to our house to play with me. I can still remember when we were kids, we broke the flower vase you just bought. You were really mad at me, you almost wanted to punish me. And Jeff said that it’s all me. That’s a good memory for me. But you know what, he died. He just died this morning. Like 3:00am. I couldn’t, I just couldn’t. He was ordered by me. I killed him, our captain ordered ask to patrol the village. And I asked him to do it for me. Like I don’t know. It just happened. He saved me, he shouldn’t die. The vietnamese fired all the village. I could not even find his body. This is really ridiculous, he died for me. But he got nothing, except he will get a name imprint on the memorial.…
First off, trip to Vietnam was truly a blessing. I did not expect so much of the trip until the first day I arrived Vietnam. On my first day, I got an opportunity to meet many great people who were selfless; those who cared more about others rather than themselves. It took approximately 14hours in total to arrive at hotel. Even though the plane ride was only about 5hours, since it was a group trip, it took extra time to ensure everyone is in right place. Despite the exhaustion and drowsiness, no one complained but encouraged others. I was already touched by grace of God before we even began our mission trip. On the second day, I volunteered for the medical service. There were two activities including the medical service, and house painting…
Zachary Scott-Singley wrote an essay called “A Soldiers Thoughts”. His essay was based on his inner thoughts and questions, how he should and shouldn’t feel about war. Is war right or wrong? Are these people truly the enemy? What would you do to stay alive? I feel war leaves these questions open to discussion and defiantly can change based on the person and the involvement; but the work of war can change a person’s values and morals.…