Essay about Post War Impact of Vietnam - 1717 Words

Post War Impact of Vietnam Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is an excellent piece of metafiction. While highlighting the revulsions of the war, O’Brien often times narrates his personal experiences in Vietnam. Line between fiction and actual account of the war is typically blurred. Book is not only quite descriptive but it also perfectly conveys the horrors and realities of combat. For this research paper I will analyze Tim O’Brien’s ‘The Things They Carried’ and examine the transformations faced by young men, lack of support for returning Vietnam veterans and the bias portrayed in the media. Vietnam war has been one of the most deadliest and expensive wars to date. Not only it resulted in massive casualties and financial losses,†¦show more content†¦Jimmy Cross is also in love with this girl named Martha. He constantly dreams about her during the day just to escape the reality of war. Martha often sends him letters and photographs of herself. â€Å"They were often signed Love, Martha, but Lieutenant Cross understood that Love was only a way of sighing and did not mean what he sometimes pretended it meant.†(O’Brien 2). This shows us another facet of people back home, who somehow felt obligated to communicate with the soldiers. Many soldiers upon return discovered that women that they were in love with had left them for someone else. As the story progresses we read that Jimmy Cross is so occupied with thoughts about Martha that it results in death of one of his men, Ted Lavender. He is riddled with guilt, which later on he confesses to O’Brien back in the US. Its not entirely clear if Ted died due to Cross’s negligence, yet like many veterans he constantly blames himself. Although Jimmy is smart, he is not a great leader and oftentimes questions his own decisions. He like most of other young men follows commands from HQ even if he doesn’t necessarily agree with them. â€Å"The filth seemed to erase identities, transforming the men into identical copies of a single soldier, which was exactly how Jimmy Cross had been trained to treat them, as interchangeable unit of command.†(Obrien 156) In this paragraph we get a glimpse inside the military officerShow MoreRelatedHistory Course Outline787 Words   |  4 PagesAustralia in the Vietnam War Era * Changing Rights and Freedoms * People Power and Politics in the Post-war Period * Australia’s Social and Cultural History in the Post-War Period Australia in the Vietnam War Inquiry questions †¢ How did the Australian government respond to the threat of communism after WWII? †¢ Why did Australia become involved in the Vietnam War? †¢ How did various groups respond to AustraliaÂ’s involvement in the Vietnam War? †¢ What was the impact of the war on AustraliaRead MoreZiek Sanchez. Massie And Perry . Pd. 3. April 12, 2017.1113 Words   |  5 PagesZiek Sanchez Massie and Perry Pd. 3 April 12, 2017 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder From The Vietnam War The Vietnam war was one of the most alarming and dangerous wars to fight. Every step in the Vietnam jungle was taken cautiously. The guerrilla warfare used by the Vietcong was frightening to anticipate. The majority of the United States army was only that of young men who had been chosen through the draft. Young men going to school and living a life at home in safety all the sudden having to makeRead MoreAmerica ´s Hostile Response to the Vietnam War and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 1630 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Vietnam War contribute to the high number of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder victims? Plan of Investigation In this investigation, the personal side of the soldiers who fought in the Vietnam war will be examined- particularly the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that were most common in veterans, and the different experiences in the war or after returning home that could have caused them. The types of warfare, deaths, and differences from methods used in the Vietnam War willRead MoreThe Vietnam War Essay1701 Words   |  7 PagesSummary Like any other war the Vietnam War had a lot of devastating effects after the war ended. It also had many causes that changed many things after this war. The Vietnam War was fought between 1964 and 1975 on the ground in South Vietnam and bordering areas of Cambodia and Laos, and in bombing runs over North Vietnam.1.There were two opposing sides. On one side it was a coalition of forces including the United States, the Republic of Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea. AndRead MoreThe Vietnam War Was A Long And Bloody1502 Words   |  7 Pages The Vietnam War was a long and bloody one. The war began on November 1, 1955 and ended on April 30, 1975. The war lasted nearly 20 years. Over this period, 9,087,000 men from United States were deployed, 58,220 were killed and more than 300,000 were wounded. The war also killed an estimated 2 million Vietnamese civilians, 1.1 million North Vietnamese troops, and 200,000 South Vietnamese troops. The Vietnam War was the first war America ever lost and this lost would lead to a heavy impact on theRead MoreThe Vietnam War: The Mental, Social, and Physical Effects on the Soldiers1402 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1961 the worst war ever fought by America had just started. The Vietnamese of the north also known as the Viet Cong had invaded the south to take control of the entire country. America and other democratic countries felt the spread of communism to this country would be a stepping-stone for other communistic countries around the world, also known as the Domino Effect. America, as cocky as they were, invaded Vietnam to help the southern Vietnamese. Although America is one of the most powerful countriesRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder1149 Words   |  5 Pagesfirst taken seriously when the Vietnam veterans returned from the war. Combat experience is the most commonly linked to this disorder. However, studies have shown that there are many different causes. These studies were applied to a wide variety of traumas that people have experienced in various horrific events. According to The National Institute of Mental Health, â€Å"about 4% of American adults ages 18-54 suffers from PTSD in a given year. These people have served in wars, have been raped or mugged,Read MorePsychological And Emotional Effects Of War On Soldiers1500 Words   |  6 PagesEffects of War on Soldiers We have all seen or read about the political and social upheavals caused by war. Some may have even experienced it first-hand. Throughout history war has had negative psychological implications on those effected. However, there is no greater negative impact of war than the psychological and emotional turmoil that it causes individual soldiers. To narrow down the scope of these psychological effects, I have chosen to focus on the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was, in myRead MorePolitical And Social Upheavals Caused By War1533 Words   |  7 Pagescaused by war. Some may have even experienced it first-hand. Throughout history war has had negative psychological implications on those effected. However, there is no greater negative impact of war than the psychological and emotional turmoil that it causes individual soldiers. To narrow down the scope of these psychological effects, I have chosen to focus on the U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War during the period 1962 to 1973. The Vietnam War was, in my opinion, the first war that reallyRead MoreThe Vietnam War And The Cold War1494 Words   |  6 Pages When examining the Vietnam War you must first understand the involvement of the events surrounding the Cold War. The ‘Vietnam War’ as it is known is a product of the cold war era, by this I mean that events in the Cold War led to the US’s involvement and creation of issues causing the conflict. â€Å"The Vietnam War was a long, costly armed conflict that pitted the communist regime of North Vietnam and its southern allies, known as the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United