How Did The Vietnam War Affect Families
Wars have been fought since the beginnings of humanity to settle disputes, and the core concepts of warfare has not changed for thousands of years. Unfortunately, all wars come with a devastating cost the world must pay - the loss of many lives, the destruction of environment, and a deep wound in society which would take years to stitch back to unity. Between 1955 and 1975, the United States participated in the Vietnam War in order to prevent the spreading of Communism by the Vietcong from North Vietnam. The Vietnam War ultimately impacted both the soldiers overseas and the families back home. Soldiers overseas were both physically and psychologically wounded from the injuries they sustain and the traumatic experiences they witness. Back home,
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citizens who did not go to war held mass protests against the Vietnam War, wishing for peace as they believe that the United States is fighting the wrong war. With all the unrest back home, soldiers began to question why they are fighting this war, making the Vietnam War a “waste of money and lives.” Although many people were against the war, soldiers learned valuable life lessons through the adversities they have overcome. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien defines war as both a grotesque and beautiful moment for soldiers by describing the author’s personal experiences during the Vietnam War, thus demonstrating how war is a brutal teacher and brings devastating aftermaths to the world. The Media is a very influential tool used to manipulate how people think of certain topics. Too often war is romanticized by the mainstream media through large entertainment companies such as Hollywood productions to satisfy the popularity of war films. Although some production companies attempt to make their films realistic, nothing seems to capture the realism of war. War films are merely a form of propaganda for a new batch of enlisted recruits. In the movies, the soldier is depicted as wearing a clean uniform, fighting the bad guys, and coming back home to his family in one piece. These characteristics are commonly seen in many war films to express the ideal war hero. In reality, every single man fighting any war is a hero, as he/she is putting their precious lives on the line to save another life. Films often fail to include the important details of war which stay with a soldier, such as the gore and fear of dying any second. However, “Vietnam literature has sought to move away” from the “heroic, or romanticizing” war narratives from the past, but “privileges gritty realism” and describes the “intimate details of the material and bodily conditions of [a] soldier’s [life]” (Akers and Moore 328). In other words, although past war narratives mainly consist of romanticized, heroic characters, Vietnam literature is attempting to start introducing the intimate details of war which many soldiers must “carry” with them for the rest of their lives. Ultimately, war films do not accurately represent what war has taught soldiers during combat due to a large presence of heroism and romanticism of war in the films for popularity of viewers. Although the media fails to express the soldiers’ emotions and thoughts, authors equivalent to Tim O’Brien more accurately displays the realism of war as personal experiences are directly pulled from the writer to the novel. As soldiers deploy overseas to fight a war, they realize how war has both a “grotesque” and “beautiful” aspect to it. Warfare is a gruesome life-or-death game, where second chances simply do not exist. However, war is man’s most magnificent and brutal teacher when everything goes wrong during combat. Nothing compares to hardening a man through exposure to combat, as the soldier learns valuable life lessons, such as how it feels to take the life of another human being, losing a friend, experiencing extreme trauma, and more. Ultimately, soldiers are split between many different emotions, all mixing together in the constant intensity and confusion of combat. Soldiers deployed in combat go through plenty of preparation to perform at maximum potential during a real life scenario, however, many soldiers fail to kick their training into gear when a mission heads towards the wrong direction. Only when a mission is compromised do soldiers finally meet life’s most brutal teacher -- War. From war they learn unforgettable lessons, both beneficial and damaging to the mental state of men. O’Brien describes how “war is grotesque” but is also “beauty” since “you can’t help but gape at the awful majesty of combat” (O’Brien 77). In the midst of the horrors and terrors of war, soldiers cannot help but gaze at war in awe, as many first time events occur in warfare, from a man’s first kill to the death of a friend in the most gory description possible. In the novel, O’Brien includes an exceptionally precise representation of what soldiers feel after receiving their first kill on the battlefield by stating, “It’s a tough thing, for sure, but you got to cut out that staring” (O’Brien 120). Although some of O’Brien’s stories are questionable regarding authenticity, his description of “staring” at the man he had put down accurately portrays the soldiers’ mental instability afterwards, which ultimately allows the reader to better understand the hardships going through a veteran’s mind on a regular basis. O’Brien also elaborates how “a true war story cannot be believed” as people should be “skeptical” of the “normal stuff” they hear. In other words, the author explains how the stories which sound crazy are true, and the stories which sound normal do not speak of the truth, since “the normal stuff is necessary to make you believe the truly incredible craziness” of war (O’Brien 68). As the months and years in deployment progress, soldiers on the battlefield form a very special bond or brotherhood between one another, which is created from fighting for one another in high intensity, life-or-death situations. War teaches men to create special bonds between themselves which are unbreakable, and is said to summon courage and bravery out of men in order to keep their fellow “brothers” out of harm’s way in combat. Since soldiers become so close to one another in a platoon, a death of one man can lead to unimaginable pain and mixed emotions throughout. In the novel, O’Brien recounts the time one of his friends “Curt Lemons” was “[killed]”; Lemons was best friends with “Rat Kiley” who “lost his best friend in the world” (O’Brien 72). Although having close connections with others is important, there are consequences which follow with them, as death in combat can happen unpredictably at any second, making friendships a gamble in certain ways. Friendship and brotherhood are one of the few ways in which love is portrayed in The Things They Carried, as the affection and love for platoon members is very closely knit together. An exceptional quote which closely ties to the topic of brotherhood is from a play, Henry V, in which a soldier exclaims “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother” (Shakespeare). For centuries, as wars are fought, the core values within the soldiers’ community remains relatively the same in the sense that men who fight together form an unbreakable bond. As a war comes to a close, virtually everyone involved is impacted by the conflict.
The aftermaths of any war is not a pretty sight - most everything in society is shattered like broken glass, with depression and confusion filling the atmosphere. Cities and monuments are left bombarded and casualties of both soldiers and civilians are through the roof. Men lucky enough to survive the war come home damaged both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, the things the soldiers carry in their minds are detrimental to their health after the war concludes. If a soldier is not physically wounded, they still have to often deal with depression, suicidal thoughts, alcohol abuse, etc. which all fall under the category known today as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). By definition, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is “a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.” Recurring symptoms often include vivid flashbacks, nightmares, and frightening thoughts. Fortunately, some PTSD cases can be settled through therapy sessions; In fact, Tim O’Brien is praised as the war stories he writes acts as a therapy for veterans who suffer from the traumatic syndrome. In an article, a veteran claims “[he] [tries] to put everything out of [his] mind” and “want[s] to forget it,” however, the stories “[O’Brien] writes, triggers memories for me” (Hacht 517). One method of therapy for suffering veterans include the act of intentionally triggering the soldiers’ memories from the war in order to prevent them from repeatedly flashing back in their minds. In this case, O’Brien’s novels act as a therapeutic process for many returning soldiers. Sure enough, mental professionals have praised O’Brien for his “insightful depiction of combat trauma” in his stories (Palmisano). Sadly, patients with severe psychological issues can often lead to self-inflicted harm due to overwhelming thoughts, traumatic memories, feeling displaced and useless, or a drastic
change of environment. Writing war stories to help others is a serious part of O’Brien’s career, as he experienced a tragedy involving one of his close friends from the war. In 1978, “Norman Bowker”was found “hang[ing]” in the locker room of a YMCA in his hometown (O’Brien 149). Since the author understands the pain of losing a friend to a psychological injury from war, O’Brien takes his writing career seriously in order to prevent other veterans from commiting a suicide. Wars are what have shaped the world we know today. The hard fought victories and the heartbreaking defeats have forever changed the course of history. It all comes down to the brave men and women who served in the countless wars to save the history of their country for the future generations to come. Tim O’Brien has had many experiences during the Vietnam War, which allows him to write a collection of stories condensed into The Things They Carried in order to accurately represent what war has personally taught him and his platoon. Through his thoughtful writings, he has helped countless veterans settle their traumas, depressions, and stress syndromes.
citizens who did not go to war held mass protests against the Vietnam War, wishing for peace as they believe that the United States is fighting the wrong war. With all the unrest back home, soldiers began to question why they are fighting this war, making the Vietnam War a “waste of money and lives.” Although many people were against the war, soldiers learned valuable life lessons through the adversities they have overcome. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien defines war as both a grotesque and beautiful moment for soldiers by describing the author’s personal experiences during the Vietnam War, thus demonstrating how war is a brutal teacher and brings devastating aftermaths to the world. The Media is a very influential tool used to manipulate how people think of certain topics. Too often war is romanticized by the mainstream media through large entertainment companies such as Hollywood productions to satisfy the popularity of war films. Although some production companies attempt to make their films realistic, nothing seems to capture the realism of war. War films are merely a form of propaganda for a new batch of enlisted recruits. In the movies, the soldier is depicted as wearing a clean uniform, fighting the bad guys, and coming back home to his family in one piece. These characteristics are commonly seen in many war films to express the ideal war hero. In reality, every single man fighting any war is a hero, as he/she is putting their precious lives on the line to save another life. Films often fail to include the important details of war which stay with a soldier, such as the gore and fear of dying any second. However, “Vietnam literature has sought to move away” from the “heroic, or romanticizing” war narratives from the past, but “privileges gritty realism” and describes the “intimate details of the material and bodily conditions of [a] soldier’s [life]” (Akers and Moore 328). In other words, although past war narratives mainly consist of romanticized, heroic characters, Vietnam literature is attempting to start introducing the intimate details of war which many soldiers must “carry” with them for the rest of their lives. Ultimately, war films do not accurately represent what war has taught soldiers during combat due to a large presence of heroism and romanticism of war in the films for popularity of viewers. Although the media fails to express the soldiers’ emotions and thoughts, authors equivalent to Tim O’Brien more accurately displays the realism of war as personal experiences are directly pulled from the writer to the novel. As soldiers deploy overseas to fight a war, they realize how war has both a “grotesque” and “beautiful” aspect to it. Warfare is a gruesome life-or-death game, where second chances simply do not exist. However, war is man’s most magnificent and brutal teacher when everything goes wrong during combat. Nothing compares to hardening a man through exposure to combat, as the soldier learns valuable life lessons, such as how it feels to take the life of another human being, losing a friend, experiencing extreme trauma, and more. Ultimately, soldiers are split between many different emotions, all mixing together in the constant intensity and confusion of combat. Soldiers deployed in combat go through plenty of preparation to perform at maximum potential during a real life scenario, however, many soldiers fail to kick their training into gear when a mission heads towards the wrong direction. Only when a mission is compromised do soldiers finally meet life’s most brutal teacher -- War. From war they learn unforgettable lessons, both beneficial and damaging to the mental state of men. O’Brien describes how “war is grotesque” but is also “beauty” since “you can’t help but gape at the awful majesty of combat” (O’Brien 77). In the midst of the horrors and terrors of war, soldiers cannot help but gaze at war in awe, as many first time events occur in warfare, from a man’s first kill to the death of a friend in the most gory description possible. In the novel, O’Brien includes an exceptionally precise representation of what soldiers feel after receiving their first kill on the battlefield by stating, “It’s a tough thing, for sure, but you got to cut out that staring” (O’Brien 120). Although some of O’Brien’s stories are questionable regarding authenticity, his description of “staring” at the man he had put down accurately portrays the soldiers’ mental instability afterwards, which ultimately allows the reader to better understand the hardships going through a veteran’s mind on a regular basis. O’Brien also elaborates how “a true war story cannot be believed” as people should be “skeptical” of the “normal stuff” they hear. In other words, the author explains how the stories which sound crazy are true, and the stories which sound normal do not speak of the truth, since “the normal stuff is necessary to make you believe the truly incredible craziness” of war (O’Brien 68). As the months and years in deployment progress, soldiers on the battlefield form a very special bond or brotherhood between one another, which is created from fighting for one another in high intensity, life-or-death situations. War teaches men to create special bonds between themselves which are unbreakable, and is said to summon courage and bravery out of men in order to keep their fellow “brothers” out of harm’s way in combat. Since soldiers become so close to one another in a platoon, a death of one man can lead to unimaginable pain and mixed emotions throughout. In the novel, O’Brien recounts the time one of his friends “Curt Lemons” was “[killed]”; Lemons was best friends with “Rat Kiley” who “lost his best friend in the world” (O’Brien 72). Although having close connections with others is important, there are consequences which follow with them, as death in combat can happen unpredictably at any second, making friendships a gamble in certain ways. Friendship and brotherhood are one of the few ways in which love is portrayed in The Things They Carried, as the affection and love for platoon members is very closely knit together. An exceptional quote which closely ties to the topic of brotherhood is from a play, Henry V, in which a soldier exclaims “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother” (Shakespeare). For centuries, as wars are fought, the core values within the soldiers’ community remains relatively the same in the sense that men who fight together form an unbreakable bond. As a war comes to a close, virtually everyone involved is impacted by the conflict.
The aftermaths of any war is not a pretty sight - most everything in society is shattered like broken glass, with depression and confusion filling the atmosphere. Cities and monuments are left bombarded and casualties of both soldiers and civilians are through the roof. Men lucky enough to survive the war come home damaged both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, the things the soldiers carry in their minds are detrimental to their health after the war concludes. If a soldier is not physically wounded, they still have to often deal with depression, suicidal thoughts, alcohol abuse, etc. which all fall under the category known today as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). By definition, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is “a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.” Recurring symptoms often include vivid flashbacks, nightmares, and frightening thoughts. Fortunately, some PTSD cases can be settled through therapy sessions; In fact, Tim O’Brien is praised as the war stories he writes acts as a therapy for veterans who suffer from the traumatic syndrome. In an article, a veteran claims “[he] [tries] to put everything out of [his] mind” and “want[s] to forget it,” however, the stories “[O’Brien] writes, triggers memories for me” (Hacht 517). One method of therapy for suffering veterans include the act of intentionally triggering the soldiers’ memories from the war in order to prevent them from repeatedly flashing back in their minds. In this case, O’Brien’s novels act as a therapeutic process for many returning soldiers. Sure enough, mental professionals have praised O’Brien for his “insightful depiction of combat trauma” in his stories (Palmisano). Sadly, patients with severe psychological issues can often lead to self-inflicted harm due to overwhelming thoughts, traumatic memories, feeling displaced and useless, or a drastic
change of environment. Writing war stories to help others is a serious part of O’Brien’s career, as he experienced a tragedy involving one of his close friends from the war. In 1978, “Norman Bowker”was found “hang[ing]” in the locker room of a YMCA in his hometown (O’Brien 149). Since the author understands the pain of losing a friend to a psychological injury from war, O’Brien takes his writing career seriously in order to prevent other veterans from commiting a suicide. Wars are what have shaped the world we know today. The hard fought victories and the heartbreaking defeats have forever changed the course of history. It all comes down to the brave men and women who served in the countless wars to save the history of their country for the future generations to come. Tim O’Brien has had many experiences during the Vietnam War, which allows him to write a collection of stories condensed into The Things They Carried in order to accurately represent what war has personally taught him and his platoon. Through his thoughtful writings, he has helped countless veterans settle their traumas, depressions, and stress syndromes.