A Cold War, Indeed
A Cold War, Indeed
Lisa Lloyd
Kaplan University
The Vietnam War, otherwise known as the Cold War, was one of the worst of so many tragic experiences for the United States, (U.S.) during the 20th century. It is odd how differently this horrific war is viewed through various eyes. The following is the account of what comes to the minds of three individuals when asked about the Cold War. Vietnam Vet, Bob Hutson stated “that was the nastiest war I’ve ever been in. It was definitely brutal, and I don’t know of anything good that came of it.” (B. Hutson, personal communication, December 14, 2012). Mr. Hutson discussed and explained in great length and detail, the traumatic incidents occurring in blood shed that he witnessed during the war. During a second interview held with a young coworker, I realized how uneducated younger generations are on the events of our past, to include Vietnam. “I don’t know a thing about the Vietnam War,” was the young man’s reply. (B. Raynor, personal communication, December15, 2012.) He is 26 years old and could not recall actually studying this particular happening in U.S. history, and added that “he was sure it was briefly mentioned.” (B. Raynor, personal communication, December 15, 2012). An expression was presented to me by Rick Harwood, fifty year old nephew of a Vietnam veteran. It was one that I had never heard, but immediately found interesting. Harwood’s Uncle John served in Vietnam, and Harwood remembered him proclaiming, “Better red, than dead.” (R. Harwood, personal communication, December 14, 2012). This meant that it would be better to be dead, than to be a communist. Red was the color of the communist’s flag. Obviously, one of these three men had no clear account of the Cold War, while Mr. Hutson understands the meaning of the Cold War better than most, as it is defined in our overview as “the geopolitical tensions, and proxy wars fought between the U.S. and the Soviet Union”. He
Lisa Lloyd
Kaplan University
The Vietnam War, otherwise known as the Cold War, was one of the worst of so many tragic experiences for the United States, (U.S.) during the 20th century. It is odd how differently this horrific war is viewed through various eyes. The following is the account of what comes to the minds of three individuals when asked about the Cold War. Vietnam Vet, Bob Hutson stated “that was the nastiest war I’ve ever been in. It was definitely brutal, and I don’t know of anything good that came of it.” (B. Hutson, personal communication, December 14, 2012). Mr. Hutson discussed and explained in great length and detail, the traumatic incidents occurring in blood shed that he witnessed during the war. During a second interview held with a young coworker, I realized how uneducated younger generations are on the events of our past, to include Vietnam. “I don’t know a thing about the Vietnam War,” was the young man’s reply. (B. Raynor, personal communication, December15, 2012.) He is 26 years old and could not recall actually studying this particular happening in U.S. history, and added that “he was sure it was briefly mentioned.” (B. Raynor, personal communication, December 15, 2012). An expression was presented to me by Rick Harwood, fifty year old nephew of a Vietnam veteran. It was one that I had never heard, but immediately found interesting. Harwood’s Uncle John served in Vietnam, and Harwood remembered him proclaiming, “Better red, than dead.” (R. Harwood, personal communication, December 14, 2012). This meant that it would be better to be dead, than to be a communist. Red was the color of the communist’s flag. Obviously, one of these three men had no clear account of the Cold War, while Mr. Hutson understands the meaning of the Cold War better than most, as it is defined in our overview as “the geopolitical tensions, and proxy wars fought between the U.S. and the Soviet Union”. He
References: Roush, G., (June 2, 2008), History.com statistics about the Vietnam War, Retrieved (December 16, 2012), from vhfcn.org/stat.html