Vietnam Experiences + Views Today

Can I just say I dislike reading about war novels? Currently we are reading about the many opinions and realitites faced in the Vietnam War and it makes me so miserable reading about soldier's experiences, not to mention how the words of innocent victims that are not written.


In Marita Sturken's detailed history of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, she mentions people leaving objects ranging from letters, photographs, to medals of honor and much more to show others the personal side of the Vietnam War. By others placing their own experiences of this war within the reach of others, shows two sides of war: the pain and also the humanity that soldiers try to hold on to. In Tim O'Brien's  first chapter of The Things they carried, almost read like a poem. He reiterates multiple times to the reader that the items of the platoon vary between soldiers but keep them alive, and (try) to keep them sane.  One carried hope about a love that could never be, another excess rations to curb his sweet tooth, another stored tranquilizers to remove himself from the fear, and possibly pain. Within these objects, the one cannot label these soldiers as just killing machines, constantly ready for battle. With objects presented to the public via Memorial and also in O'Brien's novel, it shows how soldiers tried to distract themselves from the anguish experienced in combat. These artifacts have also shaped our view on Veterans, seeing them now as strong, brave citizens that had the courage to experience what they had to and try to still keep themselves from being completely desensitized from the outside world.


Personally from reading both articles I sympathize with what these soldiers had to face, for I cannot empathize (and this might be my inner hippie coming out) but there should be a better solution to wars, subjecting people to traumatic events and killing innocent people it just isn't right but alas we have not found other ways of making our relations with other countries better...


This weekend was absolutely insane, I worked almost 18 hours this weekend alone and tried to catch up on sleeping, and now I am faced with a mountain of homework. Don't you hate it when all of your teachers think that weekends should be spend doing EVEN MORE homework? Weekends = fun time. I am silently cursing all of my teachers, (no offense Jeramy).


To a better Monday than the last!
A.B