Monday, October 13, 2014

Research Exercise for Vietnam-era topic. Posted by Mike Lohre.




Understanding People, Events and Pictures related to the Vietnam Era

Students, you will research one of these topics or photos/topics for this exercise.  Pick one and work to research the topic.  What do we need to know that will help us understand the Vietnam era and the novel we are now reading?    Seek to answer these basic questions: Who or what is this, what happened, and why is this subject important?
Post your ideas and reflections about this idea on our blog in the Comments section below THIS post.

  1. William WestmorelandAUSTIN
    2Battle of Khe SahnJACOB KELLOR
    3The Tet OffensiveCHRIS
    4The Ho Chi Minh TrailEVAN
    5The Tonklin Gulf incident and the domino theoryPRESTON
    6The DMZ de-militarized zoneSKYLER
    7Jane Fonda and ‘Hanoi Jane’ controversy
    8Abbie Hoffman and antiwar protestsLINDSEY
    9Thomas W. Bennett and one other Medal of Honor winner of your choice from Vietnam era LaCRISTA
    10Ho Chi MinhBRENT
    11Song “Four Dead in Ohio” releasedMASON
    12Song “Fortunate Son” released
    13Song “All Along the Watchtower” releasedKYLE
    14Lyndon Johnson
    15Martin Luther King gives “Beyond Vietnam” speechLYDIA
    16Muhammed AliMATT
    17Richard Nixon and WatergateMICHAEL
    18The My Lai Massacre- ELIANNA
    19Agent Orange  use and effectsJARED
    20The draft for the Armed Services: how likely it was and who got drafted the most, plus ‘draft dodgers’ or those who fled or avoided serviceHUNTER
    21Geography and climate of VietnamALEX
    22Economy and Lifestyle of VietnamKRISTEN
 
SHANNON

ZACH

CHOE

XAVIER

LAUREN


101 comments:

  1. My research topic was the song " All Along the Watch Tower." The version of the song that was released during the Vietnam period was performed by Jimi Hendricks. It was originally written by Bob Dylan but even he said that the way Jimi played it was better. The significance of the song that can tie into the Vietnam War is the illusion that is depicted through the song's lyrics.

    A watchtower is a symbol of security and power, which is believed to represent America. We do not have terrible war and mass killing's in our country, yet we still fear the very thought of it. So we set up a defense, a watchtower, to make sure that these awful things absolutely do not happen to here. We are aware of the abundance of enemies we, America may possess, yet we take part in war on others' homelands. It's hypocrisy at it's finest. Also, during the war the French would erect these towers after they conquered parts of Vietnam.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think is is funny that Bob Dylan thought Jimi Hendricks played the song better even though it was his song originally. I like how you explained the significance of the watchtower.

      Delete
    2. I have never heard of this song before so I find this topic very interesting. The lyrics are very powerful and represent something with individual meaning. This seems to be a very moving song, I'll have to listen to it.

      Delete
    3. This is very well written. I like how you pointed out that this was a symbol and that it is like we just watch from far away. It really puts things into perspective as far as what we should be involved in. Good Job!

      Delete
    4. I have heard this song before but never really put that together. It is very interesting and I can see how this was very influentially at the time.

      Delete
    5. Very interesting topic Kyle. I thought it was interesting to read that the French would erect these towers after they conquered a part of Vietnam. This song shows the true history of what happened.

      Delete
    6. I think it's really interesting, and I completely agree, when you said that even though we don't terrible wars and mass killings in our country; we still fear it. I think that's completely true. Good job.

      Delete
  2. Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay)
    Muhammad Ali arguably one of the greatest boxers of all time takes a huge relativity to our book The Things They Carried and the Vietnam War in general. Muhammad Ali was one of many to try and say that he would not go to war due to his religion making him a "Conscientious objector". As we Read O'Brien looks at a time where he looked for any way out of the war he could find and this was one he had mentioned. People in the time of the Vietnam were either approved or denied their right to be conscientious objectors via the United States government. One of these objectors was Cassius Clay a.k.a. Muhammad Ali. Clay was denied by the U.S. government to not have to serve in the Vietnam war. The U.S. government declined to recognize him as a conscientious objector, however, because Ali declared that he would fight in a war if directed to do so by Allah or his messenger (Elijah Muhammad). He was eventually arrested and found guilty on draft evasion charges and stripped of his boxing title." This all happened three years after he had originally won the title. Ali took a stand and whether or not he fought due to beliefs or opposition he stands not only as an icon to sports but to rights as well. Ali lost out on 4 years of boxing due to this whole situation. This is important because he was one of many and as i said, he took a stand and is an icon in rights and sports alike.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good topic to write about. After reading this I feel angry at the people who denied him the chance to play for four years. All he was doing was give his own opinions about why he didn't want to go to war and they stripped him of his title.

      Delete
    2. This really speaks volumes for how some people felt about the war. Even celebrities and powerful people in society were against it, yet we still went through it. I find your information very interesting and its something I've never heard before.

      Delete
  3. The Tonkin Gulf offensive is the event that really kicked off the Vietnam War for the Americans. The events focus around the USS Maddox, which is a destroyer ship was attacked on august 2 1964. The ship was attacked by four North Viet Cong patrol boats. The Maddox received minimal damage and destroyed 1 Viet Cong boat and severely damaged two others. The on august fourth the USS Maddox again reported being under attack. They believed that they were under attack based on some radar abnormalities that are believed to have been caused by the weather. The second attack is now believed to have never happened. This event is important because it lead to the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which allowed the US to pressure a war in Vietnam.

    The domino theory is a political theory adopted by the US government in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The theory basically states that if one country where to fall to communism then all of the neighboring countries would as well. The idea being that if you push over 1 domino it will cause the next to fall which will tip over the next in the chain and so on and so forth. The domino the US government was concerned about was Vietnam. If the North Vietnamese government won and the south fell to communism, basically tipping the first domino, then other countries like Laos Cambodia Thi-Land and all of south East Asia would fall to communism. The US government used this theory to push their foreign policy and therefore justified there involvement in Vietnam because it would prevent the spread of communism, which was the big concern with the cold war. The US also applied this theory in Europe and the Middle East when they supported Greece and Turkey in their fight against communism. This is important because it explains why we were in Vietnam and why it was so important for the south to win.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How interesting of a theory. To me, it almost sounds brain washing and paranoid. We can see that not much has happened in conquering communism and America still stands as a democratic government and almost seem not even concerned about communism anymore.

      Delete
    2. What I found interesting about the Tonkin Gulf Offensive was that it did not seem to me to be a cause for war. If they received minimal damage from the first attack, and they were not even attacked the second time, then why did we wage a war?

      Delete
  4. Abbie Hoffman
    Abbott, or Abbie, Hoffman was an antiwar protestor and a writer. He founded the Youth International Party, also known as the Yippies. The Yippies became known for their violent and reckless side and believed that street violence was the only way to get the government to do what they wanted. He was a leftist. A leftist is a person who believes in hospital care for everyone, the homeless to be nonexistent, and the redistribution of wealth and power. The most important thing he is remembered for is called one of the “most striking act of guerrilla theater in American History.” Abbie led of group of protestors into the New York Stock Exchange and threw dollar bills onto the clerks and stock brokers below. The activists then went outside, forming a circle and chanting “free” over and over. At one point Abbie lit a five dollar bill on fire. So, to summarize, Abbie founded a group of activists who public pranks to bring attention to their causes. He was arrested in 1973 for selling cocaine and underwent plastic surgery, assuming the name Barry Freed and continued to work as an activist in New York. Abbie was found dead in his home at the age of fifty two and is remembered as a symbol of radical activism.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never heard of the term, Leftist before. I think it's interesting that a group like that exists.

      Delete
    2. I find it very interesting what Abbie did at the New York Stock Exchange. Throwing dollar bills and burning the five dollar bill; I feel like there may have been a more effective way to go about protesting what he beleived in.

      Delete
    3. Ive never heard of a leftist before, but he definately sounds a bit extreme. Sounds like he had a very interesting and eventful life though.

      Delete
    4. I thought this was a very interesting topic to read. I think that this man was pretty crazy in my opinion, but i suppose he did get his point across. I wish I could have been one of the people he was throwing money on.

      Delete
    5. Its not to often that you hear of groups that believe violence is the only way. That seems kind of wierd but it is interesting to know there is a group like that.

      Delete
    6. Considering Abbie Hoffman's fundamental beliefs, I agree that maybe his methods were too extreme, however, he did get his point across, and ultimately I think that was his main goal.

      Delete
  5. This is from CHOE. He posted in the wrong spot.

    Subject is the picture of the burning monk.

    During the war, Buddhists were being persecuted by the south Vietnamese government. In response, Thich Quang Duc lit himself on fire in the middle of a busy street in Saigon as a form of protest. The photo was taken by Malcome Brown and it won the 1963 World Press Photo of the Year. This occurred on June 10th, 1963. Two monks emerge from a car, one lays a pillow on the floor and sits on it while the other one get a five gallon container of gasoline. He then pours the gasoline onto Quang Duc and as he finished Quang Duc lit a match and dropped it on himself. People mostly stood in shock as they watched a man burn himself to death. He just sat there calmly as the fire singes his skin. Quang Duc's final words before he died were, "Before closing my eyes and moving towards the vision of the Buddha, I respectfully plead to President Ngo Dinh Diem to take a mind of compassion towards the people of the nation and implement religious equality to maintain the strength of the homeland eternally. I call the venerables, reverends, members of the sangha and the lay Buddhists to organize in solidarity to make sacrifices to protect Buddhism". That day, Quang Duc became a martyr and the remaining monks and nuns continued to protest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This story has probably got to be the most interesting to me. How someone can go and set themselves on fire just to prove a point is an extremely aggressive tactic to me. Also what was said in class about if Buddhist have a rule about killing themselves is very interesting, I had not even thought that it could be against their religion to kill themselves in a time of war.

      Delete
    2. I like how you talked about his finale words as he is dying. i think that it really gives an insight into what he was dying for and the things that he valued. I also am surprised to hear the people just sat their and watched as he burned to death.

      Delete
    3. I thought that this subject was extremely interesting. It shows the true passion and dedication of these religious monks to burn themselves alive. Before this excerpt, I did not know that the monks did this.

      Delete
    4. I have this picture through high and have had many conversations about it but i still cant believe that this man literally set himself on fire. He must have been extremely devoted to his cause to do so.

      Delete
    5. What is amazing to me is that it took such a horrific event to gain attention, and the fact that the monk was okay with the fact that he would kill himself through self-immolation. The first time I ever saw this picture was in high school in my history class, I was absolutely shocked that somebody would do something like this to themselves. I thought the world he spoke as his final message was very powerful.

      Delete
    6. I find it amazing that someone can feel so strong about their cause that they are willing to inflict that much harm on themselves. That picture sends chills down my body every time I see it. That is the meaning of pain.

      Delete
  6. This is from Mason. He did a new post and put his research in the wrong spot.

    The song "Ohio" was sang by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. This song was written about the Kent State Shootings of 1970. The exact day was May, 4th 1970. On May 4th, 2,000 students gathered to protest the Vietnam war. Around noon that day the national guard arrived and tried to break up the protest. They were met with people throwing rocks and other things at them so the National Guard retreated. After a while they came back and shot tear gas into the crowd. This had little effect because of the wind. More rocks and things were thrown at them. They then had soldiers on foot with guns and bayonets push the students back. The students retreated. Most students left at this point but many stayed and kept to throw things at them. Around 12:24 the shooting began. The reason why they shot is still unknown for sure but they shot and killed 4 college students.

    Niel Young heard about this awful event and wrote the song Ohio. It was released only 10 days after the shooting. This song became a very powerful message for the protesters. This song was not only about the four dead in Ohio but about Nixon and the war. Here are some lyrics from the song. "Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,

    We're finally on our own.

    This summer I hear the drumming,

    Four dead in Ohio"

    http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1124

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This connects very well to my topic of the Kent state shooting and the picture of the fallen student. I had found out the reason why the national guard came to Kent it was because there was a rumor that the students were going to burn down the ROTC building. Despite The song telling the sad story of what happened at Kent i still love that song.

      Delete
    2. This reminds me of what is currently going on in Missouri with police brutality right now, I have also heard the song and it is very powerful.

      Delete
    3. Shocking to think that this happened right here in Ohio. It's almost like the Tianamen Square protest because it started out peaceful. Amazing how the song became a big hit after two days it had been released.

      Delete
    4. For me it is crazy to think that something like this had happened in the way it did. I feel like they could have tried to use a different method to try to calm down the protests but not to actually fire at them. I went to Kent State and saw the area that it happened at and the bullet holes that were left behind it was very powerful.

      Delete
  7. Economy and Lifestyle of Vietnam:

    During the Vietnam War, the United States was heavily affected. Here in the United States, all the money and supplies were being sent overseas to help the people during the Vietnam War. The United States government was trying to take over to help with the budgeting. The Vietnam War was responsible for bringing down the United States economy. The war was an important factor leading to the economic crises in the 1970s.
    http://www.historycentral.com/sixty/Economics/Vietnam.html

    The lifestyle during the Vietnam War was people were scared. During the war, people were scared that all the governments would turn into communist governments. At that time people were just nervous as to what would happen with their nation.
    http://www.glynn.k12.ga.us/BHS/Juniorprojects/Hunt/christyg5664/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it's very understandable that everyone was scared. I'm pretty sure I'd be thinking about it all day if I lived there as well.

      Delete
    2. I bet people were scared. I wouldnt ever want to live through this. Its a very hard tim for everyone. I think that this was is what put us in the economic crises but also including the new introduction of credit cards and "fake money". But this can relate to today with the ebola situation.

      Delete
  8. Agent Orange

    Agent Orange was a mix of gasses used by the United States Military during the Vietnam war to destroy forest cover of the Vietnamese. It was also used to destroy crops that might have been used as food for them.
    The way the military did it, was they used U.S. aircraft's to spray large amounts of Agent Orange on Vietnamese roads, rivers, canals, military bases, forests, and crops. Through all of the time Agent Orange was used, more than 19 million gallons were spread over 4.5 million acres of land.
    Agent Orange was the way for the U.S. to compete in chemical warfare with the Vietnamese, who were also using gasses in battle. Though it was useful for getting rid of cover of the Vietnamese, it was found to cause birth defects, muscular dysfunction, and even cancer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it is shocking to learn how much agent orange was used during the war. I also didn't know that they used it to kill crops, I always thought it was just used to clear tree cover that the NVA was using.

      Delete
    2. I think that it is interesting that the United States used agent orange as a weapon against the Vietnamese but it also affected them. This makes you think that the use of chemicals weapons should be something that you really think about. Not only does it affect the enemy, but it affects our troops as well.

      Delete
    3. Yeah it is also awful about how powerful it is because if you go to vietnam today there are still areas where everything is barren and nothing will go because of how saturated the ground is with chemicals

      Delete
    4. I am not totally sure how I feel about chemical warfare. I feel that it does more harm than good. If you set it out in a village just to prove a point, you will end up killing hundreds of innocent people and not killing the people your government wants you to kill. The side effects of Agent Orange are terrible and the fact that people did not think that this chemical could not harm you is crazy. Pretty much any chemical set out into the world could and probably is dangerous.

      Delete
    5. Ive done some of my own research on Agent Orange before and it's aftermath was absolutely horrific for the people who were exposed, but even more so the pictures birth defects you will find after just Google imaging the subject are disgusting.

      Delete
    6. I remember learning about this in High School. This is one of the worst things i have heard of. It just instantly kills forests at a time and it causes so many problems to people that inhale the chemical. I am really against chemical warefare.

      Delete
    7. I couldn't imagine that Suffering through the exposure to the Agent orange and to think that there are still some Americans who are suffering from today. I surprised this wasn't prevented by the UN because It is a form of chemical warfare.

      Delete
    8. I remember learning about Agent Orange throughout high school, and I think that most of the times, its use was almost unnecessary. I think that the fact that it was being used on people and that it caused birth defects should've been enough to stop using it right away.

      Delete
  9. Fall of Saigon, April 29, 1975

    The CIA helicopter on top of a build not far from the US Embassy is seen picking up a long line of Vietnamese evacuees as part of Operation Frequent Wind. These efforts were apart of the Fall of Saigon and ending the Vietnam War. Operation Frequent Wind was the final phase in the evacuation of American civilians and some “at risk” Vietnamese from South Vietnam in Saigon. This picture shows two meanings. It shows that people were terrified and scared of what was soon to come. Vietnam was about to be overturned to a North Vietnamese communist government. So just think about all the people that didn’t get on that helicopter and escape. There was a little plane that flew back and forth carrying south vietnamese people to a US naval ship off the coast as part of Operation Frequent Wind. This picture shows the last ditch effort to escape vietnam. Second meaning is it shows the US lost the war.

    End of Vietnam War
    http://www.nbcnews.com/id/30755090/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/t/photographer-behind-iconic-saigon-image-dies/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I feel like I would have considered myself lucky if i would have gotten out of there alive. I'm sure that some good people had to have been left behind and that is tragic to say the least.

      Delete
    2. It is amazing that they were so desperate to evacuate the city that they formed a human ladder to reach the helicopter on top of the embassy.

      Delete
  10. The Tet Offensive

    In early 1968, the North Vietnamese announce a temporary cease fire during their most important national holiday, the Tet New Year. This truce was quickly broken by the North by when they launched a huge offensive against the United States that targeted over 100 cities including every provincial capitals in South Vietnam. This action completely caught the US off guard and lead to months of bloody fighting. Some of the worst fighting was in the streets of Saigon and along the boarder in Hue. The goals of the Tet Offensive were to break the bond between the US and South Vietnam and hopefully break the back of the South Vietnamese Army. Even though the North was tactically defeated, they accomplished their mission. The Tet Offensive swung America's public opinion against the war and began the long withdraw of American forces from Vietnam. This was a turning point of the Vietnam War.

    http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/tet-offensive

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How cruel. They announced that they would pause on fighting only to turn around and create more destruction. I could see why America would want to pull out, the war was unfair and who know what else North Vietnam could pull, plus they had home field advantage.

      Delete
    2. The worst part about this whole event really was that the North broke the peace, especially on such an impotent day for Veit Nam. I also think it was truly sad that the soldiers in the NVA had to be sent to cities where they were more then likely going to die.

      Delete
    3. I did not know that the it was a holiday on which they wanted a cease fire, and i thought it was interesting that even though tactically it was a win for the US, it was really a win for the NV because that offensive is when we decided to pull troops out.

      Delete
    4. I find this to be what id expect from a communist government, especially during war. Sure they lost the battle but they got what they wanted and that was the US dropping out.

      Delete
  11. Thomas W. Bennett

    Thomas was born April 7, 1947 in Morgantown, West Virginia. He was a U.S. Army medic in the Vietnam War. He was only the second Conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Conscientious objector means that he claimed the right to refuse to perform military service because of thought, conscience and religion. On the night of February 9, 1969 his platoon was under very heavy fire and he risked his life to pull a lot of the injured out of the battle grounds. Later, because of his act of bravery his platoon sergeant recommended him for The Silver Star. On February 11th while he was trying to save the wounded again, he was shot down and killed. His parents were then awarded with Bennett’s posthumous Medal of Honor.

    Richard A. Anderson

    Richard was a Lance Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. The reason why he recived the Medal of Honor is because when he team was being slaughtered and shot out, even though he was extremely wounded in both of his legs, he still fired his weapon at the enemy. Soon a grenade landed between him and his fellow Marine, Anderson jumped for it and covered the grenade with his body, protecting the others from the blow by using his body as a shield. That is how Richard A. Anderson recived The Medal of Honor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it's interesting that even though he was a conscientious objector, he still decided to join the army. Most people would just back out if they had the chance.

      Delete
    2. The other medal of honor winner you chose is one that I didn't expect. In all the movies and stories, they talk about people diving on grenades to save their fellow soldiers, but here is an actual soldier who sacrificed himself to save his friends. I am glad you chose him because he is someone, that you do not expect to find.

      Delete
    3. It is sad to think that Thomas was killed even when he was an objector because although he was he just jumped right on in to the action and saved the lives of his fellow soldiers. Interesting to read how both of these men had received the Medal of Honor for doing very brave things.

      Delete
    4. I had no idea you could even be awarded the Medal of Honor if you were a Conscientious Objector! This is and amazing story and very interesting that he actually did receive the Medal of Honor and even be nominated for the Silver Star.

      Delete
    5. It's incredible to me that these two men could risk their own lives to save others. They definitely deserved the medal of honor, it's just unfortunate that they weren't living to receive it.

      Delete
    6. I like Hunter did not know you could be awarded the Medal of Honor if you were a Conscientious objector. His bravery to put others before himself is amazing.

      Delete
  12. Ho Chi Minh

    Ho Chi Minh was the president of North Vietnam, a highly communist country. H was wanting to join together South and North Vietnam under a communist rule. The United States went to war with North Vietnam in an attempt to stop the spread of Communism.
    Ho Chi Minh, while he was alive, made himself into a symbol of unification and liberation. This blinded the North Vietnamese people into thing that he was trying to do the right thing when in reality he was working to spread communism into South Vietnam.
    Ho Chi Minh was a very key player in the Vietnam War. He was the leader of the communist North Vietnamese people and worked behind the scenes as an icon who encouraged civilians to fight for him for a cause that they thought was right. If Ho Chi Minh was not in the picture, there very well could not have been a Vietnam War.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like the fact that you said if Ho Chi Minh was not in the picture there might not have been a Vietnam War. I feel like this really shows how big of a role he played in the war.

      Delete
    2. I wonder how he made people think they should fight for him. It would be interesting to see how things would have gone if Ho Chi Minh wasnt in power during this time.

      Delete
    3. I think your last statement poses a very interesting point. what would the Viet Nam war have been like with out HO Chi Minh? people always talk about what the US did or didn't do but they never talk about North Viet Nam and Ho Chi Mihn. it is a really interesting thought.

      Delete
    4. It really shows how big of an impact Ho Chi Minh had on the war when you said that if he was not there, there proabably wouldnt of been a war.

      Delete
    5. He must have been extremely good at persuasion to be able to persuade an entire country to help him unify the two territories. I guess they must have seen something they liked in him or they would not have decided to fight. I wonder how he convinced North Vietnam to follow him.

      Delete
  13. Picture 27: "The Napalm Girl"

    Napalm is a mixture of plastic polystyrene, hydrocarbon benzene, and gasoline. The temperature of napalm can range from 1,500 °F to 2,200 °F. It also creates a jelly like substance that when ignited can burn up to ten minutes and will stick to anything. The effects that napalm has on people is that it is unbearably painful and will almost always cause death. The original purpose for the use of napalm was in flamethrowers (used by the U.S troops) to burn down portions of forest and bushes to try to eliminate guerrilla fighters. However later on in the war B-52 bombers dropped napalm bombs. A single bomb could destroy around 2,500 square yards and in total eight million tons of napalm bombs were dropped over Vietnam.

    The picture called "The Napalm Girl" was taken by Associated Press photographer Huynh Cong "Nick" Ut in Trang Bang, Vietnam. Kim Phuc is the little girl in the picture, today she is 51 years old. When Kim was 9 years old she heard a South Vietnamese Skyraider plane dropping napalm canisters down onto her village. She felt an immense amount of pain as the napalm stuck to her skin and muscles as it began to blister (getting covered in 3rd degree burns); she eventually lost consciousness while running. Ut then drove Kim to a nearest hospital to make sure that she got treatment. Kim's face was unharmed however she had to take burn baths to take all of the dead skin off and she also had to get skin grafts and surgeries.She spent a total of 13 months in the hospital. What many people never knew was Kim's story of what happened after the picture. Today she is married and has two boys, she also received and education in Cuba through arrangements by the Vietnamese prime minister.


    http://vietnamawbb.weebly.com/napalm-agent-orange.html

    http://goo.gl/KjI0Ff

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it's amazing that the girl lived through such a terrible attack. I'm glad that she did too because she can speak first hand about what happened that day.

      Delete
    2. Lauren, your research was very interesting! I couldn't imagine all the deaths because of it. It's amazing that the bombs could destroy approximately 2,500 square yards. That's a lot of area!

      Delete
    3. I think it's amazing that she managed to live after a napalm strike. The mortality rate of those are incredibly high.

      Delete
    4. I like how you included a few facts from her life today. I think it shows that even though Vietnam was a terrible war, some people came out of it survivors. It plays well into "The Things They Carried," because it shows the story of how each man was a survivor in his own way.

      Delete
    5. I can not imagine the world today if we still used napalm. That would be horrible. I like how you mentioned that the girl grew up and is alive today. Kinda gives some light in such a horrible situation.

      Delete
    6. Napalm was very nasty stuff. If I remember correctly, it would burn through all the way to the bone. I find it amazing, that she even survived this incident, let alone live a normal life after it. It is miraculous that she even made it to the hospital.

      Delete
    7. I had heard of Napalm Bombs and flamethrowers before, but I did not realize exactly how dangerous they were and how unlikely you were to survive from them. So, in that sense, it is very truly amazing that the little girl ended up surviving after that attack.

      Delete
    8. I find it interesting that they originally created napalm to burn down the forest and clear bushes. But as the war went on they started using as a weapon and not a tool.

      Delete
  14. Picture 23: Saigon Execution

    This photo was taken by photographer Eddie Adams on Febuary 1st, 1968. This is a graphic image of General Loan shooting a Vietcong guerilla at point blank range. Apparently, the man had murdered 12 civilians on the day he was executed. However, when looking at this photo you are so struck by the image that you don't think about what the man may have done to deserve such a permanent punishment. Therefore, this photo became a symbol of the brutality of the war, wrongly depicting General Loan as a savage killer. Photographer Eddie Adams won the Pulitzer Prize for this particular piece but never spoke about this photo in full because he felt a sense of guilt for what the image had become.

    http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/04/22/the-execution-of-a-vietcong-guerilla/

    http://www1.newseum.org/exhibits-and-theaters/permanent-exhibits/pulitzer/videos/1969-spot-news-edward-adams--the-associated-press.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did not know that the photographer felt guilt for taking the picture. That is a viewpoint that I never have considered before.

      Delete
    2. I completely agree. When I first saw the picture my reaction was anger towards the officer, but you explaining the depth behind that picture really made me look at it completely different!

      Delete
  15. The DMZ

    The DMZ stands for the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea. Despite its name, it is one of, if not, the most militarized border in the world. The dmz crosses the 38th parallel on the Korean Peninsula. The 38th parallel was once the division between the once soviet controlled north and the US controlled south. after WWII and after the war the states heavily depended on their sponsor state until the Korean war broke out and which the DMZ was formed which they both agreed in the Armistice Agreement which they moved their troops back and they created a 4 Kilometer wide buffer zone. Up in to this day, the zone is heavily patrolled and guarded 24/7 by both counties in their respective zones. If the countries want to have a face to face talk, they meet in a joint building the is used only for that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How sad. It is almost like America fought in Vietnam for no reason and nothing was solved. I can see why citizens were bitter about the war. America was even convinced they could play World Police and stop Communist control. And and weird name for the 38th parallel if it is so controlled.

      Delete
  16. Richard Nixon

    Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the United States. After winning the 1968 election he started he a move known as vietnamization, which would withdraw US troops from the war in Vietnam where the South Vietnamese army would take over for their own defense. After a peace agreement with North Vietnam in 1973, the last American troops left the country. This then resulted in North Vietnam capturing South Vietnam and to bring the country back together under communist rule. Other than Vietnam, Nixon was also president at a time when women wanted equal rights and racial violence was going on in America.

    In 1972, members of Nixon's campaign broke into the Democratic National Convention headquarters located in the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. Members of Nixon's administration knew about what had happened. Nixon denied involvement, but secret tapes of White House conversations where he tried to cover up criminal activities. Under pressure from the Watergate Scandal, Nixon finally decided to resign from office on August 9, 1974. He became the first president to ever resign from office.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nixon mad me really mad when I read this article. He said that he wasn't a liar and that he did not send his men to go break into Watergate but there is evidence and tape recordings that show that he did have something to do with it. He was our president and he lied to the country for his own good.

      Delete
    2. The fact that he resigned from office just shows how guilty of this scandal he was and how much the American people could trust him. I think on one of the tapes that was supposed to hold a lot of the information as to why they were there was taped over with no sound as well.

      Delete
  17. Kent State Shooting picture 26

    In 1970 at Kent State, In response to Nixon's public announcement that the war is expanding to Cambodia, the Kent state student body had a demonstration to protest the expansion. Then the protest began to increasing in its intensity causing the mayor to call a state of emergency. The Ohio's National guard arrived to Kent States Campus . In May 1970 the Ohio's national guard fired into a crowd of Kent state demonstrators killing 4 students and wounding 9. This American tragedy that occurred triggered a nationwide student revolt forcing colleges and universities to close. This event really showed the social tension between the generations of people.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like this post and it ties into what I learned about. The song about the shooting. I think this alone was a influential event but getting the song out there so everyone knows about it pushed protesting harder, faster.

      Delete
    2. Now that I am in college I find this event even more disturbing and alarming. Ohio State was undoubtedly going down the same road as Kent State. Thankfully nothing had happened on our campus.

      Delete
    3. The Kent State shooting was terrible. They should not have brought The National Guard in, the students were not being violent towards each other or anyone for that matter and did not need that Nation Guard to come in. The fact that the Mayor called this a state of emergency is crazy, no one should have gotten hurt that day and by no means should anyone have gotten killed, let alone 4 students.

      Delete
    4. I agree with Chris. A couple years ago, I wouldn't have thought much about a situation like that happening but now that I'm in college myself, the thought makes me really nervous.

      Delete
  18. On April 4th 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech about his feelings towards the Vietnam War. King announced that he felt as though the "war was an enemy of the poor" and that it took money and time away from his fellow Americans; and that the poverty programs, that once had hope, were now being ignored due to the build up of the war. Not only did King see this as an issue, he also saw that sending "sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and to die in extraordinary high proportions" was wrongful. King was also frustrated that black and white men where being forced to fight and die together for another countries liberations when America wasn't even able to send black and whites to school together. King described it as "cruel irony". And I see his point. Why fight for something we really should not be getting into, when we had so many problems of our own at that current time. King’s third reason was that he has preached to his fellow brothers, for some time now, that acting out in violence is not the answer, but his brothers would stand there, confused and say "what about Vietnam?" There were so many issues with how that war was being handled, and it made American been seen as a hypocrite. King expressed his deep concern for his soldiers and how he was basically annoyed with the current American government. King also felt sorry for the natives in Vietnam, "they move sadly and apathetically as we herd them off the land" and "they watch as we poison their water as we kill a million acres of their crops". The true enemy was government. This speech shows that not only were the citizens of both countries were confused why they were at war, but that a very influential political leader was as well. I'm glad King gave this speech and expressed his true feelings, it probably made the soldiers and their family feel a bit of appreciation that someone that significant felt the same about the war.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I want to discover more about Martin Luther Jr.'s speech after reading your research. It was very well written and I believe he had excellent points in his speech. I really like that fact that he noticed that people that were fighting for our country couldn't even vote. It amazes me all the struggles that have been overcome through the past years. Nicely done.

      Delete
    2. I agree with what he said about the whites and blacks have to go fight and die together for other countries, when they can't even go to school together in their own country; that's absurd. We should have been trying to fix our own problems before trying to fix someone else's.

      Delete
    3. I think that this subject was intriguing. He clearly makes a valid point when he says that why should my brothers fight for freedom when they do not have freedom themselves. I found that to be a very true and powerful statement.

      Delete
    4. I absolutely agree as to what he had to say. The fact that we are trying to deal with issues that are outside of our country instead of the ones that are inside are ridiculous. Also the fact that blacks and whites still cannot go to school together but they can fight a war and die with each other as being okay is completely wrong.

      Delete
  19. My subject was General William Westmoreland.
    General William Westmoreland was in command of the Military Assistance Command in Vietnam (MACV). He was in charge of most of the strategies throughout the Vietnam War. His main strategy throughout the war was of attrition which meant his objective was to quickly eliminate enough of the enemy troops that the communist party could not replenish them. He felt if they killed enough troops the enemy would give up. He aimed to accomplish this with the United States superior firepower. This resulted in an expensive war that required many troops. During his time in the war he was the main advocate for more troops and initially grew the number of deployed troops from 16,000 to 500,000 over the course of four years. His way of helping to convince the public of his success was with a body count of enemy soldiers killed. The problem soon arose that the more enemy soldiers killed, the more the enemy retaliated. This resulted in a large number of U.S. casualties. Westmoreland sought to replace his lost soldiers with even more man power in Vietnam, but due to the public’s speculations he was eventually removed from command in Vietnam.
    Sources
    www.history.com
    www.biography.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Austin, your research topic was very interesting to read. I don't know if I could handle being in charge of all the strategies of a major war like that. I also couldn't deal with the thought of my soldiers dying under my "ruling" per say. Nice job.

      Delete
    2. I think this was a surprising topic to read because it really seemed like the U.S. could win in battle but there would be lots of casualties and the enemy could retaliate. Westmoreland had a good idea of killing off many of the enemy soldiers, but there seems to be a cost to it. Good topic!

      Delete
  20. My subject for research was the Battle at Khe Sanh combat base

    between the 21st of january and july 9th in 1968 the NVA laid a massive siege upon the base which was occupied by marines and the 7th air force that was staitioned there. The primary reason for the attack was to distract US forces while a large amount of VC (viet cong) troops gathered in strength for the Tet Offensive. During the siege the US launched large bombing campains as a part of operation niagra to keep attacking Vietnamese divisions from advancing. Also during the siege the US lost ground in key areas like the Fall of Lang Vei. The result of the siege was the sadly the destruction of the Khe Sanh Combat Base and the withdrawl of US troops from the Khe Sanh region.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the amount of planning on the NVA and VC has to be respected. WE were not at all ready for these attacks obviously and it cost us a great deal.

      Delete
  21. The Ho Chi Minh trail was a large network of trails that ran from north Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia to south vietnam to supply the north vietnamese soldiers with munitions and reinforcements. It was originally built in 1959 and was named after Ho Chi Minh, The dictator of north Vietnam.The system developed into an intricate maze of 18-foot wide dirt roads, foot and bicycle paths, and truck parks. There were numerous supply bunkers, storage areas, barracks, hospitals, and command and control facilities. This was all concealed from aerial observation by an intricate system of natural and man-made camouflage that was constantly expanded and replaced.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can just imagine what it would be like to construct this trail. Making it nonvisable from the sky; I feel like this would take some serious planning and many years to execute. Making it large enough for trucks to drive on must have been difficult considering is had to be concealed from aerial observation.

      Delete
  22. The My Lai Massacre-

    My topic was the My Lai Massacre, which is known as one of the most horrific acts of violence against civilians during the Vietnam War. In this event, a company of American soldiers killed the majority of the population of the South Vietnam in March of 1968. It's believed that about 500 people, including women and children were killed. Although US Army officers managed to cover up the event for a year after it happened, a soldier who had heard of the massacre brought the issue up, which led to a special investigation. I think this event is important because it really shows the humanity of the Americans throughout this time of war in Vietnam. Many Americans were outraged at the brutality of the My Lai Massacre, and this event led to a further divided nations as to whether or not continue to support American presence in Vietnam.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a sad event. It amazes me that when war occurs, people/soldiers do things they would have never thought about doing before. I'm glad the solider a year later brought it up and exposed the massacre. American citizens have a right to know what their troops were up to in such a controversial war, and thus create a point of view on the topic. Sad but true.

      Delete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.