Vietnam Veterans

Dear Vietnam Veterans
The Vietnam War is often overlooked and frowned upon as a loss for the US. It's a shame that the contruction of the Vietnam Memorial was almost denied. When I looked at the memorial I was so shocked at how many people died. I never really realized how big of a war it was until I saw the thousands of names on that wall. The thousands of men and women who gave their lives for their country need to be remembered. This was a long, long war and on this Memorial Day I thank you for all you did for your country.

Farmer Nguyen, Massacre at My Lai, and a Nun at Ninh Hoa

The war had a huge impact on the native Vietnamese. Many innocent civilians were killed, and many were harmed by both sides like Farmer Nguyen. The VC made him give them rice, and the US made hurt him. The Massacre at My Lai was a big example of the senseless killing of Native Vietnamese. Completely innocent people were killed for no reason. It obviously drove the Natives crazy, like in the Nun at Ninh Hoa, it was enough to make someone commit suicide. Many of their cities were fought over by the two sides which would definetely have an effect on the Natives. Put in simplest form, the Native's home was a war zone.

I feel like im fixing to die rag

It's asking the big strong men to pick up some guns and help Uncle Sam in Vietnam.

It's asking generals to kill some reds, and peace can only be achieved when they are all dead.

It's asking Wall Street to make some money because of the war production, and to cope if a bomb is dropped, it's on Viet Cong.

It's asking mothers to send their boys off to war.




Four specific lines from the song that display sarcasm, cynicism, or anti-war sentiment:

• Whoopee! We're all gonna die.
• What are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn.
• We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.
• Open up the pearly gates,
  Well there ain't no time to wonder why.

Jack Smith

• Booby traps.
• Bombardment
• Artillery
• Napalm
• Bullets whizzing everywhere
• Having to see so many dead bodies.
• Rough terrain
• High grasses
• Ambush
• Friendly fire
• Death of friends
  

At first he was a boy looking for a little adventure in his life, but when he got there he was changed forever. Seeing the body bags, the man covered in dirt, the bodies all over, made him sick of war. Afterwards he hated anybody who had anything to do with that battle. He became cynical and started to have hate for mankind. Years later he realized how good life really is, and that people made mistakes like in other wars, and concluded that it's magnificent what a human can endure. His last thoughts on the war were that the war was pointless, and that because we lost the deaths weren't justified.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

The author's main thesis is that the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and the Maddux could have been fake, and that thousands of lives could have been taken because of a lie. It's very contreversial. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was when Congress agreed to send troops into Vietnam to defend US interests after a ship supposedly attacked the Maddux. Goldberg's evidence is that Lyndon B. Johnson didn't say that the Maddux was attacked under oath, and that he easily could have lied and magnified this fake event to send troops into Vietnam. This links to the Dubious Crusade in that this was another point along the US crusade to contain communism and promote democracy that was uncertain, because it was definetely uncertain if going to Vietnam was worth it, and that all those deaths could have been avoided.

History

This poem does as its title says, give the history of Vietnam. The overall theme of this poem was death and destruction. Vietnam had been fought over for years and years, and it shows that Vietnam was always under the control of someone else. It was a big war zone, and destruction and death was at a high there.

Dubious Crusade

Dubious - Doubt or uncertainty
Crusade - Any vigorous, aggressive movement for the defense or advancement of an idea.

Warren is trying to show that after we surrendered Saigon to the communists our movement to stop communism and promote democracy was doubtful or uncertain. The citizens of the US were upset and didn't trust the government, and our nation was demoralized. I think this will relate to the study of Vietnam because it shows the impact of the war on the Cold War.

Korean War Response

1. Communists took over the government of China and looked to spread further, and when they crossed the 38th parallel in Korea, it sparked the Korean War.
2. When the North Koreans started moving south, the UN made a fighting force, headed by Douglas Macarthur, from 16 nations to push the North Koreans back north.
3. When the UN pushed really far north, China felt threatened and they entered the war.
4. Macarthur was fired by Truman because he didn't like his orders, but when he returned he was viewed as a hero because of all of his work in WWII and the Korean War.
   
5. Waves of Chinese troops pushed the UN forces back into South Korea and started a stalemate.
6. The Korean War, like the war in Iraq right now, became more and more unpopular and truce talks began.
7. In the 1952 elections, Dwight D. Eisenhower won in a landslide because he promised to get us out of Korea quickly.
8. In the talks with North Korea and China, Eisenhower agreed to compromise to end the war, but also said he was ready to use nuclear weapons if necessary.
   
9. The two Koreas were pretty much in the same place they were before the war, and many Americans were upset with how the war ended.
   
10. This war turned out to be an important part of the Cold War because it was part of the containment of communism, and served as one of the "proxy wars" in Asia.
    

Has MLK's dream been realized? - -LABOR

In the past, African Americans had a lot of trouble getting good jobs and wages, but they have come a long way since then. In the span between 2000 and 2004, African American wages have jumped 50$ per week, and continue to grow. Black unemployment rate has also dropped significantly. The Black participation rate of their civilian labor force is equal to that of the whites as well. They are also are able to get better jobs because of their improved education. White and Black percentages are about the same for different academic achievements.

Equality hasn't been reached yet though. Though their statistics are improving, they still aren't equal to that of the whites. The white unemployment rate is 4% lower than the white unemployment rate, African Americans tend to get the lower paying and worse jobs than the whites, and the white wages are still a lot higher than the black wages. Also, African Americans may recieve the same academic achievement as whites, but their unemployment rate is lower in those areas. African Americans are getting better jobs, but they still aren't the same as those of the whites.

There are definetely a few ways that this can be changed. One way is by encouraging blacks to get a higher education. Blacks have a higher unemployment rate than whites in the different areas of degrees. In the statistics it shows a large drop in unemployment for those who achieve higher in education. This is what affirmative action attempts to do, give blacks equal oppurtunity in schools. Unfortunately the unemployment rates clearly show inequality between blacks and whites, and the government needs to get involved and make an affirmative action type program for jobs.

MLK response

The author of that Time Magazine article says that whites owe MLK the most for freeing the US from their hypocrisy. The US prided itself on its diverse population, yet there was lots of racial tension anyway between the whites and blacks. I believe MLK was the right man at the right time because racial tension was growing and he put everything people had done before him together, and helped lead the fight to end segregation. I think MLK would be upset about the use of his most famous quote, because it's being used for completely different purposes, sometimes against what he said. His quote is being use to oppose affirmative action, something MLK would have supported.

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

I don't think I would've been able to use Civil Disobedience and non-violence as successfully as an adult. There are a lot more things that adults are able to make happen compared to a 14 year old child. I wouldn't be able to get adult support, but I think I could get fellow students on my side. I think just like how Emit Till was young, young people protesting would get attention. But I'm not completely sure I would be brave enough because of the cops that would come to stop the protest. I have a feeling i wouldn't have gotten involved.

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

I don't think I would've been able to use Civil Disobedience and non-violence as successfully as an adult. There are a lot more things that adults are able to make happen compared to a 14 year old child. I wouldn't be able to get adult support, but I think I could get fellow students on my side. I think just like how Emit Till was young, young people protesting would get attention. But I'm not completely sure I would be brave enough because of the cops that would come to stop the protest. I have a feeling i wouldn't have gotten involved.

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

I don't think I would've been able to use Civil Disobedience and non-violence as successfully as an adult. There are a lot more things that adults are able to make happen compared to a 14 year old child. I wouldn't be able to get adult support, but I think I could get fellow students on my side. I think just like how Emit Till was young, young people protesting would get attention. But I'm not completely sure I would be brave enough because of the cops that would come to stop the protest. I have a feeling i wouldn't have gotten involved.

Unit 8 Preview

I am looking forward to the Space Race because of my NHD project, it is really interesting. It's going to be awesome using computers so we don't have to organize our binders.