Analysis Of ' Hell And Back Again ' By Danfung Dennis

Black Hawk Down develops Nationalism through its perspective of the armed forces. Bowden’s book demonstrates how our soldiers fight for us, as citizens, and Black Hawk Down gives the frightening details of battle other books would not. It’s intense details bring to life “the heroic efforts of American soldiers in Mogadishu’s maze of streets and alleys to survive the attacks of Somalis speeding past them in pickup trucks with assault rifles blazing” (Matray). The pure hell of the battlefield is depicted, giving the reader an image of what it is like to risk your life for your own country. Although we made mistakes in Mogadishu, our nation has built upon them. Nation-building in Somalia was a mistake and “Bush undoubtedly hoped that American voters would remember not only the disastrous results of U.S. “nation-building” efforts in Vietnam but more recently those in Somalia where Americans watched on television an angry mob drag the body of a dead U.S. soldier through the streets of Mogadishu” (Matray). However, we have built upon our mistakes and changed our foreign policies due to ours faults in Mogadishu. Since, Black Hawk Down is nonfiction, it also gives the student academic lessons to draw upon.

When fighting the Vietnam War many did not think it possible for the United States to loose. Those fighting underestimated the power of the Viet Cong. With a foreign land and foreign customs Marines struggled to get accustomed to the way the war was fought. Philip Caputo addresses these learned lessons in A Rumor of War. Lessons that were learned in Vietnam also have relevance to the current war in Afghanistan. The men in both wars fought against an enemy that blends in with the locals. Philip Caputo’s first hand account of the Vietnam War shows the mistakes that were made and how those lessons taught the United States not to make the same mistakes in Afghanistan.

“The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.” – John F. Kennedy. The American troops have always lived by this type of mentally and Kennedy is absolutely correct to say that Americans have to pay for it, especially our troops. Ever since the both World Wars, there has been an elevation on Traumatic cases within our soldiers regardless of their nation. However, the United States has become more aware of this on-growing situation, but just being more aware is not enough. We keep seeing a rise in the amount of these cases, and we are wondering, “When is this going to be fixed?” In order to understand this issue we need to go to the

Once war enters into town, Americans freak and panic, not knowing what to do, where to go, or where to even begin? Where will they hide? How will they survive? They were never exposed of what do in a situation like this, they had never heard of such “war” or even seen it, let alone experience it for themselves. They had been kept away from images of war, said to be protected from the reality of it, the blood, dead bodies, and dangerous weapons. “The case for showing gruesome images is not merely democratic; it is strategic as well,” (Kushner, 2004). War images help Americans make smarter decisions in how to react to the fighting, for they are exposed to what war is like, what they will be expecting and how to better prepare themselves so that they may not suffer the consequences. “How are viewers supposed to understand, and make smart decisions about how to react, if they are not even allowed to see images of war?” (Kushner, 2004). The viewing of these images, help the public to better understand, make smart decisions about how to react, after being kept away for so long from the truth.

During an attack or a battle, there may be bombs falling, bullets flying, blood, pain, and the death of soldiers and civilians. It takes bravery to live through that. Years later, when veterans are safely home, nightmarish scenes are often still vivid in their minds. The soldier, the veteran, does not complain. When young men and women enlist in the armed forces, they know the dangers they face. They still enlist and are willing to risk their lives for the freedom of their country because they believe. They feel proud. Soldiers leave home, go overseas, fight for our country, and either die bravely or come home proudly. That is

The American soldiers fighting in foreign lands create a high cost of war. The multiple factors related to the high cost of maintaining America’s vast military bases in foreign lands is not sustainable, but the human cost of families coping with injuries suffered in war by home coming vets from foreign wars is not acceptable either. The foreign and political sides are the cost of maintaining a large military presence here and abroad is not feasible. Whereas, the concerns of war over domestic issues must be a balance between military spending and infrastructure was in America’s best interest. The main focus on key issues like causalities, political, foreign, and lobbyist and much more topics

Before I read this book, I had a limited understanding – it’s still limited due to the fact that I’m not a soldier, nor have I fought in a war – of how those who fight these wars for us are truly affected by the actions required. When we think of a soldier returning from war, we think of them as a hero, which they are, but we fail to think of how they’re could be feeling about the things they had to do. We fail to understand that PTSD is real and common in many soldiers; we fail to understand that we shouldn’t treat them as a “ticking time bomb” , but rather a fellow citizen that needs our help and understanding. We fail to see them as anything more than a soldier; we fail to see their humanity. This book opens up this disconnect a little more. Though the characters are fictional, we are still able to see real feelings that soldier face during and after the war, thanks to O’Brien’s experience. Though there still isn’t a perfect understanding of these feelings that soldiers face after war, the book has helped me to understand just how big this disconnect is. Though these feelings very well could be felt after any war that the nation has fought in, I feel like disconnect between veterans and civilians was broadened after soldiers returned from Vietnam. Civilians had seen on the television, for the first time,

People tend to forget that it is going on when it is not happening outside of their home. The years of 1939 through 1945 was World War II. When the soldiers came home after fighting for our freedom, some came back with visible battle wounds, some with invisible wounds, and some with both. Our freedom has always and will continue to come with a price. For some, that could mean their life, physically and/or emotionally. Some of the World War II veterans came back with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder but was not treated for it, instead, they all were given a hero’s welcome. Kaiman (2003) writes about World War II veteran Morris Aronson and how “he witnessed six buddies burn to death in an explosion and felt tremendous survivor guilt because his brother downed while drowned while in the military, also in WWII” (p. 37). Veterans tend to acquire post-traumatic stress disorder from having such a strong guilt of be a survivor while they have witnessed their unit member(s) get killed in front of them. Aronson later had symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and was then diagnosed with PTSD. He was able to join a group for group therapy with other WWII veterans and he became less anxious and felt less survivor

Colombia has endured vicious conflicts throughout its country for the past 36 years. It is considered to be the one of the most violent places in the world, with a murder rate of eight times greater than the United States. Colombia’s army troops, consisting of the 12th Brigade, rebels, guerillas and paramilitaries, have not made the horrendous war any better. Washington has singled out the 12th Brigade for it’s severe brutality towards civilians to the point of U.S aid suspension. The Colombian people constantly live in fear, not only from criminals, but their own troops as well. In the article, “Columbian Army to Push Human Rights” armed forces commander General Fernando Tapias says, “Civilians should find, in a soldier, a defender of

America the beautiful, land of the free, but at what cost is that freedom attained? Freedom is usually attained through war and suffering. Many soldiers lose their lives fighting for their country. Even though many returned physically healthy, some of the men and women are fighting a new battle on the home front of their own minds. Living with something as mentally tormenting as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is something many veterans have to deal with on a daily basis. Not only do these men and women have to deal with the regret of their own actions, but they have to deal with the horrible treatment of those around them. They are living a life of torture knowing there is no cure; however, some people have found natural and positive ways to treat the symptoms. Even though many skeptics believe this disorder doesn’t exist, tests have been run proving the nightmare is as deep as

In 2014, the release of U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl from Taliban forces in Afghanistan made headline news across the world. Initial reports were celebratory but were short lived in the United States, as controversy exploded with Republican officials vocally challenging the narrative and worthiness of President Obama’s executive order in facilitating Bergdahl’s release in exchange for five senior Taliban officials being held at Guantanamo. Bergdahl’s character was called into question as both he and President Obama were vilified in the shifting chorus of media coverage, with many news outlets playing up the “controversy” of the President’s action and Bergdahl’s supposed ignoble character.

The willingness to put one’s life on the line to defend the lives of others is not a quality that many possess. Military personnel make up a mere one percent of the population and protect an infinite number of freedoms average citizens utilize daily. Within the last few years veterans have been returning home in record numbers and are facing transition challenges such as homelessness, unemployment, mental illness related issues, and physical disabilities.

Marsella, A.J. (2011). The United States of America: “A Culture of War.” International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35(6), 714-728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2011.09.007

Although the government’s intentions to provide security and protection to the Vietnamese was positive, ultimately, it behaved as a disadvantage. Not only did the refugees have to assimilate into a new culture, but they faced challenges from citizens who held discontent for them. Yet, the refugees still prospered even with the odds against them. Since then, however, a new crisis that appears to be similar has occurred. America yet again has found itself caught between joining a war with Syria or abandoning the war to focus on issues afflicting its citizens. Though the President has already sent attacked Syria, he has yet to announce officially that America waged war against the President of Syria. While Americans argue against going to war

Throughout the course of a relatively short history, military intervention by the United States (US) in foreign conflicts has been a calculated and intricate process. Unlike despotic nations or one party regimes whose leaders are often unelected and whose authoritarian style rulers face little political fallout from foreign military interventions, elected officials in the US are faced with prescribed rules and regulations which hold government officials liable in their desire to engage in a foreign military conflict. Even if the legal threshold to send the US military to a foreign conflict is met, elected officials in the US are still insistently consumed with how the decision is conveyed and received by the American population. For these