Vietnam War Diary

In the middle 1960s, every male in America had to register for Selective Service Draft at age 18. He would then be eligible for the draft and could be inducted into the Army for a period of two years. If you were a college student, you could receive a deferment and would be able to finish college without the fear of being drafted. However, once finished with college, a students name would be put to the very top of the draft list and could be deployed at anytime. The anti-war movement was about young men being drafted and then sent into war that most Americans did not believe threatened the security of the US. The Vietnam War was America’s rebellious war, a war without popular support

One thing the mandatory draft seems to be talented at is causing great stress and anxiety for those who are selected. When 18-year-olds go to the mailbox, they expect to find catalogs and advertisements, not life-changing notices. Receiving the alarming letter forcing a young man to go to war comes unexpectedly and changes his life within seconds, in a negative way. As his eyes scan the page and soak in the words, anxiety settles in. Gradually, over time, that anxiety turns into severe mental issues, such as depression. They can enter into a state of not knowing who they are or where they should go in life. In the novel, The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, O'Brien describes his experience with receiving his draft notice. He fell into a state of depression himself, before the war even began. Though he says he "felt no personal danger" (O'Brien 35), he clearly fell into some

Sitting next to his fellow soldiers in his jungle jacket, jungle trousers and his M1 helmet with two ammo belts laid across his shoulders and an m60 in his hands on a very humid and rainy afternoon in Southern Vietnam while surveying the land before they advance forward. He had a lot on his shoulders as a 19 year old kid that is halfway across the world from his family and risking his life for the betterment of our country and our lives. There he sits scared of what to come while he does not know what is in store for his future but not able to show it because if he does it could cost him his life. The Vietnam War has tremendously affected U.S. veterans and Gary Bjornberg has experienced this first hand. Starting with basic training for months on end preparing you to fight and protect yourself, then

Various Americans are addressing whether the draft remains critical in the 21st century. Today's U.S. military is by and large seen as the most built up, the most serious, the best-drove, and the most fit military on the planet. The all volunteer imperative has shown both successful and adaptable since it was set up in 1973, to consolidate the harshest test up to this point of its capacities the latest 15 years of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite the weights of reiterated associations to significantly asking for the fight to come circumstances, it remained for the most part all around controlled and convincing. A couple of people from Congress assume this astounding execution infers that the United States should annul the draft. Rep. Mike

I can remember when I escaped to Canada when the draft first started. That decision will never be regretted by me because if I hadn’t gone to Canada and met the man with the cabins I wouldn’t have been the lieutenant of the Alpha Company and met the great men who were in it. Probably wouldn’t be the person who I am now without the help of those men and my experiences at the war. The way how we all made the best of the situation from when people died to how mistakes were made.

I could not imagine how Tim O’Brien, and the hundreds of thousands of people felt when they received their draft notices. All I can do is imagine the initial panic and disbelief. I don’t believe that I would respond calmly and just accept the fact that the military basically owned me for the duration of the Vietnam War. But I don’t know if I would have the “courage” that Tim O’Brien talks about in The Things They Carried to dodge the draft and flee to Canada.

Through my conversation with Tom Woodard, a family friend, I have been able to see a different side of himself and a different perspective when looking at the memory of the Vietnam War. Through this, it proves that each individual memory has great value, and I feel it is important to listen to our veterans to better understand the war and to further improve our nation’s collective memory of it. Being a white male from the south, it was interesting to listen to his perspective of the war and how he discussed how liberal students protested the war. Mr. Woodard reveals how different demographics can create different sets of memories. Looking at his story, it is evident that he clearly remembers it. It is a memory that greatly affected his life.

"They said that if we won the war for them, we'd be allowed to live. We should have known it was too good to be true."

We Were Soldiers Once and Young is a history book written by LT. GEN. Harold G. Moore (RET.) and Joseph L. Galloway. The history book is based on the Vietnam War, which took place in 1965. The Battle of Ia Drang was said that it was the battle that changed the war in Vietnam. The book is a tribute to all the soldiers in the war and for their great braveness, love, and care for one another. It was a bloody war, but very inspiring to read about the courageous soldiers who put their lives on the line for the United States of America.

How effective were the Vietcong tactics of underground tunnels and booby traps in the Vietnam War?

Derek was ready for it too, he had already said goodbye to all of his family and loved ones the night before. By all accounts they thought that he had already left, they didn’t know. He was about to officially be accepted when there was a slight snag. It turns out that when Derek was 12 years old, he was convicted of Arson and for some reason his recruiter failed to include this information on his paperwork. Next thing you know, his folder is being stamped with bright red ink that spells out “disqualified from entry.” Without any gain, he pleaded with the paper-pushing bureaucratic jarhead and explained the whole thing, especially focusing on how his recruiter is the one who failed to mention that detail not him. Confused and disappointed with how the day is going, Derek went and snagged a pack of cigarettes off of someone’s desk as he walked outside to process and re-evaluate. Taking a cigarette and placing it in his mouth and patting himself down, he disappointedly realizes he needs to acquire fire. After asking a few people for a light, he found one and started venting to this guy about what had just happened while he smoked. The lighter guy turned out to be U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Emery, who laughed after hearing the story and tried to explain to Derek that it is all too common for recruiters to try and sneak by unqualified candidates and make empty promises to them. While Emery was explaining this, he also offered to see if there was anything he could do to help. After accepting is help, Derek sat in the hallway and watched Emery walk alone from the Army offices, straight up to the first Marine he saw and told him, verbatim, “For such a well-respected group, you guys really are trash. Pausing for a moment so they can absorb what he had just said, he says “I’m here for enlistee Brown’s entrance folder.”

"We must keep my father's family safe, however. I'm not trying to be selfish, but if there is any death threat to his friends or family he will immediately resign. This isn't for me this if for the country as a whole."

With the papers handed to him on that Tuesday, telling him that a wife had been drafted for him and that the next day he had to make his way to the town 's center, to the Government Building, to be wedded to the young woman. His face had screwed itself up but there was nothing else to be done. Not going down and agreeing to be married meant losing the family stead and heaping his brothers out on the street to die and he could never do that, no matter what. His family meant too much to him.

I can still picture with clarity his voice as he spoke. He was the bravest man there was. He enlisted right when the war started. Ma was against it, but he wanted to help the country. This was when we had to leave or country life behind and move to the big city. New York was where we were headed and I was pretty bummed about leaving all my friends behind. A change of scenery brought much excitement to me, though. Talk about drive to new york here.

As I lay down on the greenery, I can’t help but indulge myself in pure jubilance. The soft breeze gently caresses my cheeks and everything seem so calming. It’s the autumn of 2016 and all I can think about is how excited I am for college to start. A new world to explore—new friends, an English major to pursue, and an entirely different environment to get used to. However, that was the last time I ever had the privilege to think about it as a letter from the government came—it was a draft letter from the U.S. government, informing me that I, a woman, was needed in the upcoming war. At that moment, I was instantly engulfed with a mixture of emotions: fear, confusion, and sadness. Why was I needed? Is this mandatory? I’ve never been in this situation before; but I was sure about one thing: I am not going to war.