Times of Change – Vietnam and the 60s - Pt. 4

Born on the Fourth of July by Ron Kovic
Stop the Sun by Gary Paulsen
To Heal a Nation by Joel L. Swerdlow

For your final readings of Times of Change, I would like you to set aside some time on Monday (Memorial Day) to read the choices above. Once you are done, I would like for you to post in your blog a note to the men and women on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. After what you have learned over the past few days, and what you saw when we went to D.C., what would you want to say to them?

Dear Vietnam Veterans,

I would like to begin by telling you that I have a great deal of respect for everything you did, and how you handled all of the adversity. While some may call you stupid and wrong, they have no idea what you went through. It is wrong that you not only fought the war in Vietnam, but had to fight another when you got home with the same people that you were trying to protect. Even though we don't have much to show for it, you are true heroes, and you should never be forgotten.

Times of Change – Vietnam and the 60s - Pt. 4

Times of Change – Vietnam and the 60s - Pt. 3

Farmer Nguyen by W.D. Ehrhart
Massacre at My Lai by Hugh Thompson
A Nun at Ninh Hoa by Jan Barry

What do these two poems and the article say about the impact of the war on the native Vietnamese? Can you think of any other ways in which the war will impact the native Vietnamese?

These are all saying that the native Vietnamese almost always ended up as the victims. Numerous civillians were murdered, which caused every Vietnamese person to fear and hate the US. Obiously as our tavtics grew more inhumane, the Vietnamese would use equally cruel techniques. Also the disgust of the Vietnamese people may have carried over to Americans, which led to protests and marches.

Times of Change – Vietnam and the 60s - Pt. 2

Jack Smith by Ron Steinman

What challenges does Jack Smith face as a soldier in Vietnam? (a bulleted list is fine)

• An overall lack of combat experience in his unit
• Had to avoid mines and other North Korean booby traps
• Forced to witness the deaths of his closest friends
• He had to survive the ambush on his camp
• Forced to face the "ruthless" North Koreans - had to play dead
  
  

How does Smith’s attitude toward war change?

He became "misanthropic", meaning he began to hate mankind. He didn't understand why we fought the war, if we lost, and the result was pretty much the same. He felt like everything his unit did, and all of his friends deaths, were in vain.

I Feel Like I’m Fixing To Die Rag by Joe McDonald

What is the song asking the “big strong men to do”?
To help Uncle Sam - enlist in the Army.

… the “generals” to do?

Move fast and kill all of the Communists - to win peace.

… “Wall Street” to do?

"Don't move slow." - Keep making money and supplying the Army.

… “mothers” to do?

"pack their boys off to Vietnam." - enlist their sons

Write down four specific lines from the song that display sarcasm, cynicism, or anti-war sentiment.

What are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn.

Whoopee! We're all gonna die.

Be the first one on your block, to have your boy come home in a box.

So put down your books and pick up a gun, we're gonna have a whole lotta fun.

Times of Change – Vietnam and the 60s- Pt. 1

A Dubious Crusade by James A. Warren

Look up both words in the title of the short essay. What do they mean?
Dubious : of uncertain outcome, doubtful
Crusade : any war carried on under papal sanction.

Relate the title to the reading. What is Warren saying? How do you think this will relate to the rest of our study if Vietnam?
Vietnam was a controversial war, in which many Americans had their doubts.

History by Thuong Vuong-Riddick

What is the overall theme of Vuong-Riddick's poem?

This poem is essentially explaining all of the allies and sides taken of the Vietnam conflict. It shows that a lot of the allies were confusing, and didn't make any sense at all.

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution … by Goldberg

What is the main thesis of the essay?
Lyndon Johnson lied to the public, and ended up doing what he promised he wouldn't.

What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?
It was the congressional approval to defend the US interests in Vietnam.

What evidence does the author give to support his thesis?
His main promise in his campaign was that he would not send troops to Vietnam, and he did. But, in his defense, he did not say anything under oath.

How does this link to the theme of the first reading, “A Dubious Crusade”?

In Vietnam, there was a lot on controversey and doubt, a lot of it related to Lyndon Johnson

10 important things everyone should know about the Korean War

China became Communist in September 1949, and Mao Zedong became the head of the new Communist state.

Korea had been a Japanese colony, until the end of WWII, when it was divided up amongst the Allies.

The border between North Korea and South Korea was the 38th parallel, and later became the point of stalemate.

The war began when North Koreans crossed the 38th parallel, and pushed the South Koreans all the way back to Pusan.

General MacArthur landed his troops at Inchon, which led to the retreat of the North Koreans, which led to the invasion of North Korea.

Communist China saw the movement of UN forces into North Korea as a threat to China's security, so they warned the UN to stop, but it was ignored.

General MacArthur, the commander of all UN forces, wanted to blockade and bomb China, but Truman refused. This disagreement eventually led to Truman firing MacArthur, and he was forced to come home.

Americans became more and more frustrated with this indecisive war. Everyone just wanted it to end.

The war coincided with the election of 1952, and Dwight D. Eisenhower ran mainly on ending the unpopular war. He won in a landslide victory.

The war ended, and not much had changed - the border was still the 38th parallel, with North Korea being Communist, and South Korea having a Democracy.

Has MLK's "dream" been realized? - Labor

While MLK's "dream" is not quite a reality, it is definitely getting closer and closer. Many jobs are still split up by race and ethnicities, with blacks and hispanics for the most part holding less desirable jobs, and asian people and white people having the better ones. One example is blacks make up 30.4% of Postal Service Clerks, while asians make up 24.2% of Computer Software Engineers.
One of the less reassuring statistics is the unemployment rate. The rate for whites is 4.8%, while the same rate for blacks is 10.4%, and 7% for hispanics. This is an obvious way to tell whether all of the social equalities have worked themselves out, but when nearly three times as many blacks (compared to the total) are out of work than whites, you know something is wrong.