Reflection Paper
On September of 2016, I did an oral interview with Vanna Moore about her military past and Vanna’s ties to Texas. Over the whole interview, I asked her questions about her experience in Afghanistan and how it shaped her views of her state of Texas. Through her interview, Vanna touched on her feelings about Texas, the military, American culture, and life after military. At times, she seemed comfortable and at ease sharing her thoughts, and other moments seemed more difficult to get through. This interview helped me to understand that military service can really shape a person’s world view, both abroad and at home. Additionally, after this oral interview experience I feel like I know how to effectively use oral histories in my future classrooms. During the beginning of the interview I asked Vanna “What do you think the difference is between West Texas and other regions of the state?” At first, her answers consisted of a lot of “umms”, but after she got more comfortable, she said, “So, it’s kinda like our own little world. … The people are like, are more like small town people, they’re…more like hospitable.” Vanna described West Texans as hospitable and having small town behavior. The small-town mindset, that Vanna referred to is what Hollywood has portrayed time after time. Also, in the same response she said “Well, obviously, we’re nothing but oil field, mesquite trees and it’s dry, and you go to East Texas, and there is humidity, and green grass, and
There are so many history stories in history books and on the internet, but the source from people who were actually there is so much better than reading the nonsense. It’s better to hear stories from people who have actually lived and witnessed it rather than just read stories about it. Most students listen better than they read. When you listen to stuff, it sticks in our mind way longer than looking at a book trying to figure out what’s going on. Veterans are an example of this. They tell us stories about the times they were in the training and when they battled, if they did or have already. They have always been an important part of our nation’s history, present, and future. Everyone who went into the military or is currently planning to join has or will have a story to tell. It will be a part of them that they will always remember, the good times and the bad times. So many veterans love telling all the experiences they have witnessed. Thinking of it, it’s not a bad thing; it’s a great thing to be able to say they were actually there. Many students ask what the training is like when they first join the military, although it’s really tough, many still consider going, some even make the commitment to join right after they graduate. Those who do make it, the commitment, are the reason our nation’s history and future is how it is and how
We originally chose our topic off of the Cold War standards because that is what we were currently learning in class. We decided on our specific topic (Vietnam War drafting) for two reasons. The first one was because Ellie’s Grandpa, Steve Pomerleau, was drafted into the war in 1969. We thought it would be a very interesting experience to interview him because he had a personal connection to the war and what happened. The second reason was because we knew very little about the vietnam war and wanted to know what happened and how it affected the world. We eventually narrowed down our topic to Vietnam war drafting because many people did not realize how it affected the soldiers.
There are a lot of people in this world with different perceptions of how others act that don’t live in the same country. Ivins’ uses certain stereotypical assumptions of Texans and how they act rather than realizing that they are all misconceptions. Stereotypes aren’t always correct they are well known ideas or images that a lot of people think are right, but in reality they are incorrect. There are a lot of people in this world with a lot of falsified ideas about Texans, which is proven in Molly Ivins’ “Is Texas America?” article.
However, Moore chooses to de-emphasize a few things. Such as how he went to school while his soldiers went to fight, and that he got into trouble when he was younger. All he says is how he lacked the combat tour patch, he often thought about his soldiers fighting, and that he caused trouble when he was young so his mother threatened to send him to military school. Despite this avoidance, Moore is still convincing. As Moe tells his own story, he builds his ethos or personal credibility. The listener knows Moore is knowledgeable in the subject of veterans because he is a veteran. Moore also uses the emotional appeal to cause his audience to think deeper and to take action. Here, Moore tells the stories of two other veterans. One veteran, Taylor Urruela, who lost his leg, but still tries to achieve both of his dreams and creates a group called VETSports. The other veteran Moore tells a story about is Tammy Duckworth. She is an ex-helicopter pilot, who lost both of her legs while serving, and now is a congresswoman who advocates for veteran’s issues. Both stories are powerful as they both give perspective on what a veteran has gone through while serving. That perspective is not one an average American knows or has for themselves, which causes the listener to think deeper about veterans, their experiences, and what “thank you for your service”
The person I interviewed was the daughter of a Vietnam War veteran. The interview was conducted where I gave her questions about the life her father had and how it felt when she was in the United States going to elementary, high school, and college. She was not a veteran but the effects of her father’s participation in the war affected her greatly throughout her school and personal life.
During the beginning of the interview I asked Vanna “What do you think the difference is between West Texas and Texas from other regions of the state?” Her answer consisted of a lot of “umms”, but I think she answers the question “Who are these people, these Texans” in this statement “So, it’s kinda like our own little world. And. But the people, the people I don’t know. I guess it’s. The people are like, are more like small town people, there umm. I guess more like hospitable.” Vanna describes West Texans as being hospitable and having small town behavior. I should not have to explain small town behavior, because Hollywood has done a wonderful job at giving us a “great” idea of what small town people act like. Also, in the
In Texas, we have two different culture and type of people. We have the type of people that are very dedicated to the old lifestyle and old ideals. They believe that farming is what makes a man a man, and that art is a waste of time. Even though they consider themselves a Texan, they consider themselves as a tougher breed. These are the ones that live up North.
37. Was their anything that your brothers or sisters said when you saw them that stands out?
Ms. Joan Keenan visited the Middle School to share her work with the students. Ms. Keenan has done extensive interviews with local veterans about their experiences. In 2008, she began recording the stories of Virgin Islands World War II veterans and with the help of a volunteer crew, produced the hour-long Telly Award winning documentary: Proudly We Served: Virgin Islands Veterans of World War II. This video documents the veterans’ experiences with racial segregation in the United States and the armed services. It explores their contributions to the war effort and the effects it had on their lives.
I decided to interview my current coworker Michelle Razo. She works in probably one of the most valued and needed occupations in the world. Human Resources is the fast growing occupation and is growing above average ( bls). The Bureau of Labor Statistics has a growth of 9% between 2014-2024. As well as being one of the highest growing job, it has a very well median annual wage of $104,000 (bla), an Hr. manager is practically needed in every industry. A few of the responsible of an HR is hiring, termating, helping companies comply with State and Federal Laws, as well as helping employees fight for their rights. Wikipedia description for a Human resource consultor “the human resource consulting industry has emerged from management consulting and addresses human resource management tasks and decisions” (Wikipedia) “Core practice include employee engagement, compensation, employee benefits, actuarial, retirement, mergers, acquisitions and talent mobility” (Wikipedia)
This interview has taught me that I don’t know a lot about what really went on throughout history. There are things such as textbooks but, they don’t tell how an individual felt or what it was like for each person to experience certain things during the same time period. For example, it is easier to generalize about how people felt during a major historical event or just living during a certain time period, such as the Great Depression, but it is another to actually get to know how it actually affected people. Everyone reacts to things differently and by generalizing it, it does not allow us to fully understand things that went on throughout and how the people were possibly changed by an experience.
The veteran I selected to research for this paper is Carl D. Beck. He was born in Avondale, Missouri on November 21, 1925. Mr. Beck served in the US army during WWII and the Korean war, with the 501st parachute infantry regiment. It is unclear what his rank was at the time of his service, but by the end of his military career, Mr. Beck’s rank was master Sergeant.
In 1963, when my grandfather was only nineteen-years-old, he was drafted into the United States Army. He was sent to boot camp in Fort Ord, California where he spent six weeks training to become a soldier. Then, he went on to complete military police training in Augusta, Georgia. After graduating and finalizing his training at the “Advance Independent Military Training” as an SPC4, he was assigned to Fort Meyers, Virginia. There, along with his other duties, he had the honor of standing guard at President Kennedy’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery.
Ms. Moore is an outsider; she is isolated from the rest of her community. The narrator says, “This lady moved on our block with nappy hair and proper speech and no makeup. And quite naturally we laughed at her…” (Bambara 1). Ms. Moore does not incorporate the significant influence of the white community in her everyday life, unlike others in her community. For example, she wears her hair natural and does not try to tame it. Her knowledge and her peculiar look caused people to think strangely about Ms. Moore. The narrator states, “Which is just one of the things the grownups talked about when they talked behind her back like a dog” (Bambara 1). This infers that the adults are most likely intimidated and jealous of Ms. Moore’s refinement; however,
Eleanor Roosevelt once said,“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself." That has always stuck with me. And it is what entered my mind when I went to The Glen, a senior living home, to interview Ann Malkani for a school project.