A Boy Called Vietnam

Blood, gore, intense combat, little sleep, death. These are some words that describe the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War had 240 days of combat in one year. World War II had forty days of combat in four years(Interesting Facts). That statistic shows how rough the Vietnam War was. The fighting was constant between the two sides. This war was fought over politics and had many gruesome battles.

O’Brien says the most enduring Vietnam stories are those that are between the absolutely unbelievable and the mundane. “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” is a tale about loss of innocence. Mary Anne Bell, arrives at Vietnam who soon feels drawn to the culture and the thrill of war. The character Rat Kiley tells a story of his first assignment in the mountains of Chu Lai, in a isolated area where he ran an aid station with several men near a river called the Song Tra Bong. One day, Eddie Diamond, the highest ranking man in his company, jokingly suggests that the area is so unguarded and extremely safe that you could bring a girl to the camp. A medic, Mark Fossie, seems interested in the idea and goes off to write a letter to his elementary school

Tan’s grandfather encouraged her mother to understand and help others, and urged her to consider the possibility of escape from Vietnam. Aged sixteen, Mai married a wealthy pharmacist eighteen years her senior. By 1981 she was preparing to escape Vietnam by boat. In early morning darkness, she left with her daughters Tan and Min, her mother, sister and brother, and 161 fellow passengers on a boat disguised as a fishing vessel. At the time, Tan Le was aged 4, her sister aged 3 and her mother, Mai Ho aged 18.

The Vietnam War was first derived from the gradual oppression of the communist party of the north over the region of South Vietnam. The North Communist party was supported mainly by China and the Soviet Union whiles the Anti-Communist party of South Vietnam was supported by United States and France. The communist party group, as known as the Viet Cong, was recognized for their guerilla war strategies within the region of South Vietnam, intended to fully expand and unify Vietnam under Communist rule. U.S. involvement with the Vietnam War starting in November 1, 1955, develops from the theory of the domino effect, stating that if one country falls into communism, a threat that can develop into the encouragement and spread of communism throughout the world in the future. It is basically viewed as a potential harm to the welfare of the United Sates. Therefore, due to the conflicting forces of the historical, political, economic and cultural nature of the war itself, it is known to be the longest enduring war in United States history that altered many lives of the Vietnamese and American community, leading to suffrage and acts of courage.

The political instability in Vietnam from 1950 to 1975 between the communist North Vietnam and anti-communist South Vietnam during the Cold War era has led to the United States’ inevitable intervention in Vietnam. The main motivators for the United States’ incremental decision to intervene and commitment in Vietnam can be viewed as an accumulation of socio-political, political and economic catalysts. In recognition that there were many other factors that may have contributed to the U.S’s involvement in the conflict in Vietnam, this essay will largely focus on these three factors. As the cold war resonates, the American’s crusade was propelled by the fears of the domino theory and perception of Communist threat and expansion affected the

The Vietnam War was a long conflict lasting between 1955 to 1975 between the communist North and the democratic south with help from the United States. More than 3 million people, including 58,000 American troops were killed in the conflict. Tim O 'brien 's short story “The Things They Carried” follows a platoon named alpha company during the peak of the Vietnam war led by first lieutenant Jimmy Cross who is very charismatic but in his mind he is unsure how to lead his squad because his mind tends to wander to a thought of a girl back home. Throughout the story he has overcome with emotions and guilt because he believes he his the reason for some of his squadmates death. “The Things They Carried” Embodies the hardship, reality, and price/toll of war, ultimately Tim O’brien writes this masterpiece as not of a war story, but as a love story and how that love changed a man.

Literature encapsulates the human experience, reflecting facets of our culture, traditions, and beliefs. Literature functions as a tool to develop and explore empathetic links with other individuals and can provide insight into experiences removed from our own reality. Peter Fischl’s poem ‘Little Polish Boy’ is one such text in which we can attain a unique understanding of the horrors catalysed by war. An expression of Fischl’s own Holocaust experience, this poem is set in WWII, and addressed as a letter to an innocent child of the war from a photograph Fischl found years after the war ended. We can also learn of the loss and grief children face in times of war through the picture book ‘a Soldier, a Dog and a Boy’ by Libby Hathorn. The story follows a young boy orphaned by the Battle of Somme and he’s only left to survive with his dog before an Australian soldier comes to his rescue. These texts allow us to reach a better understanding of the different effects conflict has on children.

1...The Vietnam war was a timely and expensive conflict between 1954 and 1975; the war pitted North Vietnam and its Southern Allies also known as the Viet Cong against South Vietnam and the United States. There were five Presidents during this time; Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Multiple things contributed to America losing the war of Vietnam and the fall Saigon. The strongest factors were the fear of communism, the fear of American military failures and domestic instability in America.

As Tim’s hard work, he and his mother receive heartbreaking news that his father had died on a British prison ship (Collier, 1974). The news of his father never coming back made Tim’s coming of age even more serious (Collier, 1974). The countries coming of age continued as Tim and Susannah Meeker found out when Sam came home from the war with his clothes were all ripped, and he talked of both of the sides of the war were short of clothing and hungry (Collier, 1974). When they took an innocent boy Jerry Sanford Tim’s best friend to die on a prison ship was another sign of the countries coming of age. After they boy died all they did to bury him was throw him overboard into the ocean (Collier,

The Vietnam War was a troubling time for Tim O’Brien. He battles with himself over a decision he makes, which makes him feel like a coward. He tells of a personal experience he has shared with no one not even his wife. His short story “On the Rainy River” is absolutely captivating. In this true story he uses a plethora of literary devices that leads the reader from beginning to end to visualize, feel, and sympathize with him as he tells his personal and emotional battle.

The Vietnam War was one of the bloodiest wars in the history of Vietnam. Vietnam use to be a peaceful country until the idea of communism started spreading across Vietnam. Many wanted to stay democratic but saw what happened to the Germans and started to lean towards communism. Many also wanted to stay democratic and still had it hopes high that it will soon get their lives and economy back on track.

The Vietnam War was another United States attempt in containing Communism in southeastern Asia. To this point in the Cold War, containment dominated U.S. foreign policy and already led the U.S. into a war, Korea. In 1964, The North Vietnamese attacked the U.S.S. Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin. Soon after the attack, the U.S. Senate crafted the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave President Johnson the ability to engage in the Vietnam War (Phillips). President Johnson immediately sent thousands of troops directly into Vietnam. The highest amount of American troops committed to Vietnam was 542,000 (Phillips). In January 1968, both sides agreed to a truce during the Tet holidays, which celebrated Vietnam’s new year. However, the Viet Cong organized a massive surprise attack in many cities in South Vietnam. This attacked has been named the Tet Offensive and shocked the U.S.. Even though the Viet Cong suffered many causalities, it showed the inability for the U.S. forces to adequately fight a war on foreign soil. This attack dismissed the fact that the U.S. was winning the war and changed the outlook on the war. Bringing the television into middle class family’s homes changed the way people got their news. This sparked outrage in the U.S. and caused the increased effectiveness of the anti-war movement. The Presidents policies began to change was the war dragged on and this ultimately led to the unification of Vietnam under a Communist government, which was the fear of many because

As many know the United States defeat in Vietnam was colossal and could have been completely avoided by doing a few particular things differently. What took place in the Vietnam War when the United States was defeated by the North Vietnamese forces was a devastation to say the least. North Vietnam was in action for the cause of rolling out communism into South Vietnam. The United States was supporting the opposition of stopping the spread of communism to South Vietnam and the world while also encouraging democracy. Although the United States had what was considered one of the most well built and functioning armies in the world, they fell in the war in Vietnam because they did not have much of the nation’s approval and the North Vietnamese were familiar with the terrain and they were banded together to fight for a cause they strongly believed in, communism.

Many reasons contribute to the lost war in Vietnam. One reason was the lost of motivation amongst the soldiers in Vietnam. The lost of motivation in part was because the government also believed that the war was a lost cause. “The North Vietnamese could see that American interest in the fate of South Vietnam was diminishing; with American troop levels falling from 550,000 in 1969 to 4000,000 in 1970 and to 3000,000 in 1971” (Brands 149). Another reason was the misleading of information by government advisors who stated that everything was fine in Vietnam when in reality it wasn’t. The United States kept deploying troops but the Viet Cong kept doubling their troops. The United States army was not familiar with the area and the geographical

“Bill and I were against the war. We tried to keep you from having to fight in a losing cause, and just because we’re Republicans has nothing to do with how we felt during Vietnam. I’m tired of letting all the minorities run our country.” Sherrill paused to emphasize her last point by crossing her arms under her breasts. She said, “They take all the space in front of the stores, and there isn’t any room for us to walk!”