Vietnamerica A Family's Journey Analysis

How the war affected them physically, as well as mentally. Many of the soldiers suffered from PTSD, some were haunted by the terrible things that had happened to them or others while in the war, and some even committed suicide because of the pain they felt after the war. From the perspective of an American this could just be seen as something that is natural that comes from war, and with such a devastating and traumatic war cases like this are to be expected. Although; to look at this from the point of view of the Vietnamese it could just be seen as a way to sympathize with the soldiers who invaded Vietnam. To be Vietnamese and to interpret the text in this way would be outrageous and could probably infuriate them to no extent. The north Vietnamese at the time were trying to raise a new country under communism that would have connected all parts of Vietnam, but because the United States of America was afraid of the spread of communism they decided to invade Vietnam and prevent this from happening. They evidently failed and the war was lost, so this book could be seen as a way to forget about how horrible the loss in Vietnam was and how terribly the U.S. soldiers suffered from having to fight in the

Imagine one day you receive a mail from the government that you been draft to go a war at a different country. How would you feel if you know that purpose of this war is unreasonable in any senses? Angry, anxious or even confused. Vietnam War was “a personal failure on a national scale” (Hochgesang). There are many videos, documents and movies about the Vietnam War that show different angles of the Vietnam veterans’ experience and how the war really changes their life. In “The Things They Carried” written by Tim O’Brien, he argues about how the Vietnam War affect the soldiers in many ways, not only physically, but more important is the psychological effects before, during and after the war.

The Vietnam War, as many know it as the secret war, because the United States consider it an “Extended Military Engagement”. It is the thread that stitch me to Tim O’Brien’s, “The Things They Carried”. The alliance of the Hmong’s to the American troops brought about the deaths of many, including my grandfather. My grandfather help guide the American troops through the jungle and as word got to the Viet Cong’s, they came for the whole village. They came in the still of night and raid the huts. The Viet Cong were after my grandfather and our family to punish them for being traitors. My father, the oldest and at 16 years old was now in charge. My father took my mother, my older sister, his mom, seven siblings and ran. My grandfather stayed

Vietnam, the heart and soul of teenage rebellion to the government for creating a draft that sent over the creative and intelligent youth, was a war that was deemed to get rid of the political idea, communism, which spread as quick as the napalm that blazed over the serene green landscapes. The narrator to the story, Tim O’Brien, repeatedly recounts memories of the war, each with an added detail or an object that carried a significant amount of weight that makes the story seem more factual than what it seems. The soldiers carried loneliness, uncertainty of the truth of war, and the heavy burden of physical and emotion weight; Tim O'Brien uses war related imagery to symbolize the vim of storytelling in his book “The Things They Carried”.

Sitkoff’s secondary source The Postwar Impact of Vietnam includes much more information and effects of the war. Sitkoff includes that the war hurt the economy and “eroded living standards from the late 1960s into the 1990s.” Also, that due to the war the idea of trying “to contain communism everywhere around the globe and to play the role of the planet’s policeman” was no longer justified or even right, so the 1973 War Powers Resolution was created, stopping the president from sending troops for more than ninety days at a time without consent from congress. Sitkoff also describes the effects the war had on the military and how often the United States will get involved in military altercations. Sitkoff also describes the effects on soldiers, discussing anything from sucidese, homelessness, jail time, personal relationships, Agent Orange and PTSD. Overall Sitkoff’s document covers the most information and does not have the same bias as a primary source. Isaacs’ Competing Memories does a better job of including more information from Sitkoff’s document than Hunt’s and has more

Former president Richard Nixon once said “No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now.” The Vietnam War caused many physical and psychological issues with returning soldiers. Tim O’Brien, a Vietnam veteran, tells of his experience with the war, starting from first getting drafted, to his thoughts while writing in his novel. The Things They Carried is full of unique stories of O’Brien’s life after the war as well as his experiences while in Vietnam.

The Vietnam War generates the idea that time in violent environments can impact a person's emotional and physical health causing that person to lose sight of their morals and ethics. This is proven true in Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried. In O’Brien’s novel the author delivers to the reader a variety of war stories from unique perspectives of many American soldiers. By this, the reader can observe that O'Brien's narrations of war stories reveals the difficulties of the war and the purposelessness of it.

During the mid 1950’s, the Vietnam War turned to be the modern pinnacle for battles resulting in the deaths of 58,000 American soldiers and millions of Vietnamese death. It saw the viable destruction of modern technology such as the newly fashioned M-16 rifle and the Apache, a helicopter made for mass destruction. For the soldiers experiencing Vietnam, it was truly an experience which would shape their hearts and minds forever. As evidenced in Tim O’ Brien’s The Things They Carried, The Vietnam War was an emotional tremor for the soldiers as they experienced deaths and created legendary tales which would define their lives, as well as future generations indefinitely.

Previously stated were the effects of war service remain a significant part of those who served. But let us not forget the families of veterans are also involved and impacted as well; dealing with changes and facing new challenges. Henry was struggling with not being able to relate to his family aftertime given to his country. “He jumpy and mean… [And] people got to leaving him alone” (580). In the article, “Impact Of Vietnam War Services On Veterans Perceptions Of Family Life”, Charles Hendrix and Lisa Anelli focused on at the ending of toured veterans dealing with PTSD and family satisfaction. This statement within the article was profound and appropriate, “Many Vietnam veterans returned back to their home countries at the end of their tour,

Through O’Brien’s description of the Vietnamese monks, he highlights the absurdity of the effect of war on the Vietnamese people. Americans find themselves often forgetting the effect of their presence in foreign countries. The Vietnamese people and their needs were affected indefinitely by the Vietnam War. What is also underestimated is how much of an emotional toll the Vietnam War took on the average citizen.

The Vietnam War was the longest war in the United States history. Whether they volunteered or were drafted, one out of ten soldiers did not survive the war. With the average age of the men being just twenty-one, they were not grown up enough nor mature enough to deal with such tragedy, and grotesque, unspeakable encounters. During the span of the twenty-four years that the U.S. helped fight in the Vietnam War; 58,148 men and women died in action. Families, friends, and neighbors all fought for the same cause and each had their own story. Although some of the war stories sound similar, each holds a different meaning and the personal feelings of the individual.

It has been known that the Vietnam War affected many American soldiers who were involved in the war physically and psychologically. The Vietnam War was one of the most memorable wars in history. Many Americans’ lives lost for no objective at all. Chapter 10 informed us about how the Vietnam War started and what really happened during that time. It also gave us background information about Vietnam Veterans and nurses who were involved in the war and what they went through during the war. I had the opportunity to interview a Vietnam Veteran also.

My parents and my grandparents lived through the Vietnam War that occurred from 1954-1975. They overcame struggles that many Vietnamese immigrants faced while fleeing from the war and successful moved to the United States. Both my father’s and mother’s side of their families were devout Catholics, which also became a reason that pushed them to flee from Vietnam. I interviewed my father, Han Tran, and my mother, Holly Nguyen, about the challenges they faced while immigrating from Vietnam to the United States—and the struggles they faced living in the United States.

Before describing the effects of Vietnam, first it is necessary to know how Tim O 'Brien was

Reading through the letters written by soldiers in Vietnam is a heartbreaking experience. It not only helps one gain incredible insight regarding the sociology of the war, but also puts it on a personal level. Many of the letters featured in this book were by men who died soon after, especially those in the chapter of last letters. It is important to note, however, that there seems to be two very distinct experiences in the war: one by those in the field, in the jungle, or in the villages, and one by those who remained on base. Without meaning to render their time insignificant, the latter experienced a less traumatic time in the war, with their access to Western luxuries like television and movies. They