Entry Of A Soldier: A Letter From A Vietnam Soldier

1. What is the purpose of the title? What connotations does this title hold? What do you expect to find in the letters that will follow?

The Vietnam War that commenced on November 1, 1955, and ended on April 30, 1975, took the soldiers through a devastating experience. Many lost their lives while others maimed as the war unfolded into its full magnitude. The book Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam by Bernard Edelman presents a series of letters written by the soldiers to their loved ones and families narrating the ordeals and experiences in the Warfield. In the book, Edelman presents the narrations of over 200 letters reflecting the soldiers’ experiences on the battlefield. While the letters were written many decades ago, they hold great significance as they can mirror the periods and the contexts within which they were sent. This paper takes into account five letters from different timelines and analyzes them against the events that occurred in those periods vis a vis their significance. The conclusion will also have a personal opinion and observation regarding the book and its impacts.

upon the men along side me. Some of the men so I have been told have

Vietnam was so significant to the United States partly as it would be the first war they would lose. It also had a tremendous financial impact on the country and the casualties were also more in the public eye than ever before due to the media. They learnt that: "a long war for limited objectives, with its steady stream of body bags, will not be supported by the American people" (Martino, 1996, p37). Some suggest that the US should have avoided any involvement in the war.

In the novel The Things They Carried and the documentary Regret to Inform, people that were involved share their recollection of events that occurred during the Vietnam War. Consequently, both works also share the underlying idea that people are affected by the war even after it is done. They convey this meaning through the stories of mental and physical harm each witness deals and dealt with because of the war.

Wars are fought for freedom and independence and usually when soldiers come home we receive them with open arms ready to praise them and thank them for putting their lives on the line. If you were asked to describe a soldier, you’d probably say heroic, brave, courageous, or honorable. After the Vietnam War, parades weren’t the welcoming soldiers got; instead, they were shunned and booed at.

The first American troops arrived in Danang, South Vietnam on 8th March, 1965. The troops’ mission was to defend the American airfield from the Viet Cong insurgents. However, their mission gradually extended to defensive patrolling and later on taking the offensive. As such, the number of US troops swelled to 184,300 by the end of the year and by1969, the number of American soldiers had swelled to 543,000. Correspondingly, opposition against the mission, which was previously minimal, rose magnanimously. In April 1967, a crowd of over 100,00 people marched from Central Park to the United Nations Buildings to ask for the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam. By this time, over 8,000 American troops had been lost in the war. Following the protests, six Vietnam Veterans, among those who had returned home formed the organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). They wanted the government to “bring their brothers back home.”

After the Vietnam War, soldiers suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder in countless numbers. The trauma they saw, endured, and witnessed forever changed and scared their lives. Men, like Tim O'Brien the author of the novel The Things They Carried, suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder and it took them years to regain their lives after their return home. In the excerpt from his novel, O'Brien shows the reader how the men endured this mind-altering experience in the jungles of Vietnam through the details of all the items the men carry.

I was given an assignment to choose a soldier who sacrificed his life during the Vietnam War. I had the privilege to study the service and untimely death of your beloved husband. The postings of his friends clearly show that he was a kind man who is greatly missed by all who loved him. I can’t tell you how much I admire the fact that at such a young age, he was willing to stand on the front lines to serve and protect the United States. I owe the freedoms and liberties that I enjoy to his sacrifice. I can’t begin to understand how you must have felt to learn of his death so soon after your marriage. I imagine he went to Vietnam full of hope that he would be able to return home to you. I’m so very sorry that he wasn’t able too. If there is anything I can offer in support, please know this: Learning about his military service and his death in battle will not be forgotten by me. I thank you for the sacrifice you have paid and I will always be grateful for your husband’s sacrifice on behalf of this great

Having the ability to foresee the future is having a visionary outlook. In the book “Medal of Honor, A Vietnam Warriors Story” by MSgt Roy Benavidez and John R. Craig. Master Sergeant Benavidez was a visionary leader in his career as an Army airborne ranger because he embodied idealized influence and to emergent leadership further his military career.

Birdy understands why his Uncle Richie did not talk to people about his time in Vietnam and that Birdy had gained a different form of respect for his uncle is that Birdy understands the reality of war and how it impacts a person on the last page of Birdy's letter he said "Now I understand how light the words seem" this means that the words about the war leaves emotional scares and mark on a person in Birdy's experiences in war when Pendelton was killed he could not get the vision out of his head and when he went to the vehicle the thing he smelled that he remembers was blood of that event and I don't think Birdy wants to remember that event again .And Birdy has images of body bags and Jonesy death in his head and other experience. Birdy had

I wish to invite you to the first Veteran’s Club Meeting of the semester. The Meeting will be held on the Logan Campus in the Veteran’s Lounge on September 1st beginning at noon. The event is still two weeks out; however, this will help you plan. I have attached the flyer for this event, if you wish to view.

A close family friend of mine, by the name of Federico “Fred” Garcia recounts his experience and memories of the Vietnam War era. Fred was born on September 11th, 1949 in Mission, Texas. He attended all four years of high school and two years of college before making his decision to join the United States Air Force, at the age of twenty one. He began his service to the Air Force on June 8th, 1970 until January 1993, a total of twenty three years, although the Vietnam War lasted five years until 1975 while he was in service. After the Air Force, Fred joined the United States Postal Service for years until he retired. The Vietnam War influenced Fred in

Recently your student read a fictional story about a Vietnam veteran. Students were able to research the Vietnam War and then get a first hand account of the war from a local veteran. Students then used their research and conversation with their veteran in order to create a unique product to give to their veteran. On Monday, October 17th, students have the opportunity to make the 15 minute walk to the Veterans Freedom Center in order to give their products to the veterans. If you do not want your student to walk to the Freedom Center they will have an alternative assignment to do in the library. Please return the permission slip below by Friday, October 14th.

The heartbreaking photo of an American soldier comforting an Iraqi girl, as she vigorously fights for her life. Her pink sweater sleeve saturated with blood on the right side of her arm captured my attention as a child in despair. The solider safeguarded the irreparable child as he exhibits empathy in her time of need, after being separated by her family during the Iraqi war. The distressed looked upon the perturbed soldiers face with his eyes close, as if he is praying for the well-being of the injured child. While he sits in the desert, with his backpacks on the ground surrounding him and his fellow soldiers standing in the scenery with combat gear, holding assault rifles.