In the article “Young Soldier Both Revered and Reviled” (October 4, 2010), William Yardley, a reporter for The New York Times, explains that the case of Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, who was accused of cutting off fingers of the men he killed at war, has two sides. Yardley lists the ways in that Gibbs was seen as a guilty savage, and the way Gibbs was seen as innocent. He wrote this article in order to inform readers about how Gibbs can be seen as guilty, but also not guilty, and for those interested in finding out more about the case. Yardley’s audience appears to be anyone interested in following the case of Calvin Gibbs.
The court struck “seven of 11 African-Americans, who traditionally do not support the death penalty, in favor of whites vocalizing strong conservative values” when deciding on the final juror pool (McMichael). This blatant disregard for a neutral jury is shadowed by deeply-rooted racial biases that were present in the south even in its infancy. The fact that this trial was handled so poorly is an affront to America’s justice system and suggests that Brannan’s trial is not the only trial handled in this manner. In another political play, “assistant district attorney Craig Fraser repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of PTSD as a medical diagnosis” and Brannan’s disability pay, leading the jury “to believe that Brannan faked his mental illness after the war to live off hard-working taxpayers” (McMichael). Rather than insult and mock Brannan, a man who fought for the nation even in an unpopular war, the district attorney and other people in power should have reviewed the case through an unbiased, professional lense. The degradation of Brannan not only affected him, but also contributed to harmful notions against PTSD and other mental illnesses, as well as
What is it about a book that keeps one reading? One continues to read a book when it is interesting and if they can make a connection to it. But, what makes a book interesting? There are many ways authors attract their readers. Authors use different techniques like, circle chronological order style, evoking strong emotions, and creating complex characters to shock and lure their readers.
The Alabama State Senate reacted quickly by passing a resolution that supported the State Troopers action in Marion and insisted that the claim that troopers did not protect people was “baseless and irresponsible” (p.86). While Jackson was dying in his bed at Good Samaritan, Col. Al Lingo serves him with a warrant that charges him with “assault and battery with intent to murder one of his officers”
A prominent theme in A Long Way Gone is about the loss of innocence from the involvement in the war. A Long Way Gone is the memoir of a young boy, Ishmael Beah, wanders in Sierra Leone who struggles for survival. Hoping to survive, he ended up raiding villages from the rebels and killing everyone. One theme in A long Way Gone is that war give innocent people the lust for revenge, destroys childhood and war became part of their daily life.
Joseph Plumb Martin was born on November 1760 in western Massachusetts. He wrote a book in which he described the life of an ordinary soldier during the American Revolution.”A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier” not only informed about the poor conditions in which the troops lived but also is one of the few soldier's accounts of the Revolution in general.
In the movie, “A Few Good Men”, two types of reactions are shown in response to being part of a person’s wrongful death. Philip Zimbardo in his work, “The Stanford Prison Experiment”, provides the perspective of the guards who initiated a harsh prison environment and how they reflected upon the experience. Meanwhile a real-life scandal is analyzed by Marianne Szegedy-Maszak in “The Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal: Sources of Sadism”. This piece reviews the actions of soldiers in controversial situations shortly after the infamous 9-11 attacks. Repeating the military topic, Herbert C. Kelman and V. Lee Hamilton addressed Lt. Calley’s steadfast belief that he did no wrong in the Vietnam War scandal in “The My Lai Massacre: A Military Crime of
Freedom is defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. The soldiers in the American revolution demonstrated this at the Battle of Valley Forge when facing starvation, disease, and hypothermic temperatures.
Have you ever been too filled with hate and pride to see the obvious truth right in front of you? The year was 1935 in the small town of Maycomb Alabama. During this time an important trial would be taking place. The trial of Tom Robinson, an African and American who had been promptly accused of rape by the one man who had seen the incident. Bob Ewell a despised person throughout the community and the father of the victim, Mayella Ewell, Bob’s abused, lonely, unhappy daughter. Though one can pity Mayella because of her overbearing father, one cannot pardon her for her shameful indictment of Tom Robinson.
Bang! Bang! “At that instant several gunshots, which sounded like thunder striking the tin-roofed houses, took over town. The sound of guns was so terrifying it confused everyone” (Beah 23). In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah conveys his amazing journey through war and hardship as a child soldier. Sierra Leone--a country on the western coast of Africa--was embroiled in a bloody civil war in the 1990’s. Battles multiplied as bloodshed abounded and as a child, Ishmael Beah was forced to survive, find food, and face unimaginable dangers. Running from the battle front was also a routine ordeal. At age 13 Beah was captured by the military and brainwashed into using guns and drugs. As a child soldier, he perpetrated and witnessed a great deal of violence. At 15 he was rescued and taken to a rehabilitation center. With time and continual treatment, Beah was able to recover, to some extent, and reconnect with his Uncle Tommy, who adopted him. He was later chosen to speak to the United Nations in New York City about his experiences as a child soldier. When he returned to Sierra Leone, war broke out throughout the city where he lived, causing many deaths including his Uncle Tommy. Eventually Beah escaped Sierra Leone and managed to reach New York City, where he began a new life. Through the book A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah conveys a central theme of having to survive, at a young age, through the hardships of war with the use of imagery.
The New York Times Bestseller We Were Soldiers Once... And Young was authored by Lt. General Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway. In November 1965, Lt. Colonel Harold Moore commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th cavalry at the Ia Drang Valley-one of the bloodiest battles of Vietnam. He eventually retired from the Army in 1977 after thirty-two years of service. After his military career, Lieutenant General Moore resided as executive vice president for four years at a Colorado ski resort before founding a computer software company. Harold Moore currently lives in Auburn, Alabama and Crested Butte, Colorado.
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.
LTC Moore was the commander of the First Battalion of the Seventh Cavalry, that was the first to engage the enemy in a major conflict. The book does an excellent job illustrating his steadfast courage under fire, and sound use of tactics. Which can be easily argued as one of the key reasons why this engagement is called a battle and not a massacre of U.S. soldiers. Moore constantly anticipated the enemy commander's moves. He concentrated his limited man power, artillery, and air support; exactly where the enemy would attack. As stated before, Joseph Galloway is the co-writer of this book and was the only reporter on the scene during the battle. He literally begged his way onto a helicopter that was doing a return trip to drop off ammunition and other supplies. While there, he not only took some amazing combat photographs, which are illustrated in the book, but also helped tend to the wounded and even picked up a rifle to help hold the line. Moore and Galloway collaborated to write a passionate novel in gripping detail as only people who have witnessed war and their friends dying in front of them could. They have even gone through the trouble of contacting the
I really enjoyed this play as it kept me wondering what will happen next and taught me some life lessons on how people react or make decisions. As I read on this play goes into the man Sergeant Vernon C. Waters personality and who he really was. We learn that Sergeant Waters hates being black and anyone who may exhibit black characteristics or stereotypes for example. For example in Act Two we learn that Sergeant Waters does not really like C.J. as he frames him and provokes him to attack so that he could be arrested for any reason. Sergeant Waters admits to this is Act Two and wanted C,J. arrested so the world would be free of one more simpleton colored boy. In Sergeant Waters’s
Across America, certain states allow their governments to make use of the death penalty for a myriad of crimes. The methods through which it is attained is often as controversial as the act itself. In the tale of The Confession by John Grisham, the city of Slone, Texas comes to terms with the severe ramifications that come with taking someone's life, whether it be condoned by the law or not. In the case of Donté Drumm, a young football player is accused of killing Nicole Yerber, a popular cheerleader who was supposedly dating him at the time. He was forced into a confession by means of psychological torture. After nine years, Donté is killed for a crime he did not commit. The town unearths the reality that taking someone's life is a permanent action which cannot be undone when a mistake is made. The Confession takes a closer look at what the death penalty really means by not only looking at the statistics but the emotional toll it takes on the people connected to it too, explaining how the death penalty is fundamentally wrong and looking at ways to open people's eyes to the truth of it.
In World War 2 over 65 million people lost their lives. The emotional toll on the families of the lost soldiers soon followed. Throughout World War 2 we gained many allies, but because of all the destruction that the was caused, for example, peoples homes and all their precious materials being stolen or destroyed, we lost a vast majority of those them. The taking of so many lives and destroying of countries can cause a lot of hate on the nations that inflicted this destruction. This can cause young kids to grow up hating other nations and that is when conflict can start. The lives that are lost during wartime are undeniably one of the biggest causes of death. One thing that every country has in common is the death toll that they face in war. Conflict arises no matter what the cause. The way to grow as a world is to control these conflicts with verbal communication instead of using war as an option.