One does not have to spend much time in a history book to find a recurrent theme of selfishly motivated commanders behind large-scale conflicts throughout time. Of course, the odd justifiable war exists, such as the American Revolution, in which the thirteen colonies “were waging a full-scale war for their independence” from their oppressive mother country. In general, however, one can trace the reasons for military enactment back to a power-hungry leader such as Hitler, a jealous lover like Menelaus of Sparta, a haughty invader akin to William the Conqueror, or some other form of a selfish persona with no regard for the havoc war wreaks on those below them. Those who hold the reins of armies have an incredible responsibility to make ethical …show more content…
Its weapons tear through flesh and stone indiscriminately, rending human souls from their bodies and shattering whichever unlucky part of the world happened to stand in its way. In the Vietnam War, estimated fatalities include “some 1.1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters . . . between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese fighters . . .” and over 58,200 members of the U.S. armed forces who have died or gone missing in the war. These numbers represent human lives and potentials which their country's involvement in the conflict abruptly and brutally cut short. For every body fallen on the battlefield, a country loses another worker, a family loses a member, and a person loses their life, and those people who determine where and when armies go to war would do well to shudder at the thought of the blood which will rest on their hands if they go to war. Nothing less than a country's self-defense constitutes justifiable grounds for these bloody …show more content…
During the United States' wars in the middle east alone, an estimated two hundred and ten thousand civilians have died violent deaths, and the number of deaths caused by inadequate resources and an inhabitable environment is thought to exceed that number. During the Vietnam War “as many as 2 million civilians on both sides” were slaughtered, as well; the destruction of war does not only affect those who wear a uniform. These deadly and unnecessary fights, where hands slippery with blood scrabble to grasp at power, fail to protect anyone, and they consume life and light and peace in exchange for resources that are far less precious – such a trade goes against all of the goodness in human nature. Wherever war goes, ruin, irreparable pain, and need become inevitable, leaving those who have no part in the war to bear the brunt of the burden, so governments should find themselves quite reluctant to employ military
War is a problem that seems inevitable. America was founded thanks to a war, yet many Americans such as Michael Herr and William James do not support it. They both wrote essays to show the negative effects of war and to shine a new light on the subject. The essay, “Illumination Rounds” by Michael Herr, was published in The New American Review #7 in 1969. Herr speaks of his experiences in Vietnam and shares the abundant coping methods the soldiers use to deal with PTSD. He asserts that war is not worth all of the negative effects.
War is a constant in the world we live in. Wars are fought over people, land, religion, ideals, and freedom. A prominent war in America's history is the Vietnam War, which took the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians alike and neither side wanted to keep the violence going. “The Man I Killed” by Tim O’Brien explores the psychological effects of someone in a war setting. While “Military Service, Exposure to Trauma, and Health in Older Adulthood: An Analysis of Northern Vietnamese Survivors of the Vietnam War” by Kim Korinek and Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan further explores this idea by showing how civilians are also affected by the trauma of war not just soldiers. “American Ignorance of War” by Czeslaw Milosz shows American’s
Wars are often glorified in tone to give praise and respect for those on the battlefields. There is an overall understanding that there are sacrifices needed in order to accomplish a larger goal. Excluded from this understanding is the realization that the effects of war
War is easily explained through the lens of social conflict theory, a sociological theory that suggests society tends toward conflict because it is made up of groups with competing interests and unequal resources. The theory proposes that a
The act of war involves conflict between two parties and can be conducted in a civil or violent manner. Though the typical American news stream constantly seems to highlight death tolls, new weaponry, and civilian captives from any country that finds themselves in battle, the media has been making a recent adjustment to the types of battles it narrates to its viewers. The wars that matter the most now are the ones that are happening right inside our country. Right outside of your house. Does a gay person have the right to marriage? Is an African American’s privilege still seemingly less to that of a Caucasian? Are males given more opportunities than females? Is there discrimination against the poor, the physically and mentally altered, or
“What a cruel thing is war: to separate and destroy families and friends, and mar the purest joys and happiness God has granted us in this world; to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors, and to devastate the fair face of this beautiful world.” Said Robert E. Lee. Who actually wins in war? In a sense, war is the killing of our own brothers & sisters. The fact that war is used to resolve political issues is sickening. Our newest generations are being born into this world thinking that war is common and necessary depending on the circumstances when it’s not. It’s obvious what this means, it only means more war is to come
War is many things. It may be many different things depending on each individual. Many soldiers get trained so their mentality is to characterize their opponents as less than human, so their lives lose all worth. Some soldiers however, are not prepared for this, even though they have been trained. One thing is training for it, another thing is actually killing a human being. As they kill more people, it becomes normalized for them. All they have seen changes their mind, while all of their dreams get swept aside by bloody hands of the hypnotized while they carry the cross of homicide. But why kill other strangers? What’s in it for the soldiers? War feeds the rich while it buries the poor. Rich people are power hungry, selling soldiers in human grocery store, using them as their little puppets who obey their master, making them go around killing each other in order to determine who is right, but in the end, war determines who is left. “The Man I Killed” by Tim O’Brien shows how soldiers who commit violence become traumatized and how that changes over time.
In the month of December of 1967, near Tam Quan in Vietnam, troops on a foot patrol from D-1-12 were on their way back to camp. While crossing a vulnerable spot in a rice paddy, the wood-line suddenly opened up with intense small arms fire in an all-out ambush on their position. Low on ammo, and with almost no cover, they radioed for assistance. The small infantry platoon hunkered as low to the ground as possible in what appeared to be the final moments of their lives, when suddenly the wood-line erupted into a cacophony of explosions, and out of nowhere a Chinook appeared. "At first, I thought it was our Admin/Log Bird who 'd tragically picked the wrong time to do re-supply, but that worry vanished when I realized it was coming to a
The Vietnam War cost many Americans their lives in the 60s and 70s. Many were drafted into the war by choice and others selectively chosen to join to help America. The contributions made had a major impact on the American side of the Vietnam War. Though many contributions were made none stand out any more than others. It is sometimes said there is always a hero in the war who helped the victory. Wars, however, do not have war heroes because a hero is making an undeniable contribution to the war and affects the victory when in reality a war is based on outsmarting the opponent and seeing who has more heart. The war does not have a hero because drafted soldiers do not always want war to occur, disorders that get to soldiers affect them for
The Hobbit was written by J.R.R. Tolkien. The book takes you on a journey full of fantasy and adventure. But the most prevalent theme in the book is warfare. Warfare will be the subject of this research paper. The topics that will be discussed regarding war are the effects of warfare on families, the home front, environment, and soldiers themselves. War is a very devastating thing that causes nothing but turmoil. According to the Congressional Research Service, between the years of 1980 and 2010 there have been a total of 48,834 active duty U.S. military deaths. (DeBruyne, Leland 11) Although this is big number, most of these deaths came from the early 1980s. The decline in casualties can be contributed to the advancements in technology and different administrations. The administrations now are not as nearly war mongering as there were back then.
The American involvement in the Vietnam War created widespread division between the American people. There were many United States citizens who believed that the United States was involved in the Vietnam struggle for the right reasons, in order to prevent communism from taking over South Vietnam. There were also other citizens who believed that the United States was involved over there for the wrong reasons, due to the feeling that it was none of our business, and that it was considered another form of American imperialism. These same differing opinions were also seen in various songs written during the war years. During the sixties, songwriters, composers and musicians were all involved in lending their talents towards either support of
All throughout time and history people have been at war with each other at one point or another. War can, truthfully, at times be inescapable and considered by some historians as a natural instinct, an instinct that every human being possess. Throughout history mighty empires and governments have collapsed due to the damages inflicted on by a war, yet in spite of this, some have managed to face the odds and make it through, staggering along as if nothing happened. War is a true test of an empire or government’s determination to move forward, adapting using the knowledge and intellect they have acquired to their own advantage. Nevertheless, not all wars lead to fighting by physical means but
A war can be defined as the greatest catastrophe that can befall human beings. Intermittently, the war is justified, peace-agreements are no longer negotiable when the peace, security, and the freedom of its country are threatened. Through the four literature texts, the readers develop a deeper understanding of the fundamental concepts of war and learn to empathize with the veterans tragic yet perpetuating experiences at war.
War has been a part of the United States for over one hundred year’s beginning with World War I. The United States citizens have been engrossed in the thought, “Is war justified?” The two war that are being focused on in this paper are The Afghanistan War and the Vietnam War. It both wars could have had a peaceful protest to overcome the conflict at hand or have a meeting to talk about communism in the Vietnam War or Terrorism in the Afghan War. The right time for war is a fine line between a just war and an immoral act of mass murder. The Afghanistan war was a just war according to the "The Just War Theory" because on September 11, 2001 the US was attacked by the terrorist group al-Qaeda, but the Vietnam War was not truly justified because there was no direct attack on the United States, the U.S. only went to help stop communism. There might have been a different way to resolve the conflict.
When exploring the question of how has war changed and how has it remained the same, it makes sense to know what governs the definition of war. Policymaker characterized it as the “organized, deliberate political action that hungers for thousands of deaths and eats for twelve months in a table where two, capable of harming each other, sit.” This offers a certain type of criteria to meet the requirements and therefore takes genocides, protests, and even riots out of the picture. Genocides have the capabilities to cause an inflated mass murder of a thousand or more people in a time period of twelve months. It can be organized and deliberate, but they do not hold two actors capable of harming each other. In some instances organized riots have gained the trait to claim a thousand or more life’s in a short period, but neither do riots hold the actors capable of harming each other. We can take a look at today’s international conflicts and what may escalate from them to acquire a deeper understanding of war. Today we face an entity labeled Isis in the middle east. This conflict rose from many variables. The book Essentials for international relations give us some explanations to as why some state may go to war, and the security dilemma explains our conflict with Isis laconically but efficiently. The security dilemma claims that in a states own efforts to protect