History1

             Most people in our society think of the Vietnam War as a tragedy, or a negative time in our history that was later viewed as a misstep. These comments are true and most-certainly conventional. However, does the average person realize how large of an impact it had on the men who fought? When questioned on the Vietnam War, it can be rightly assumed that many Americans would know that it lasted over a decade. Maybe even a few would know that over 14,000 U.S. troops were killed in 1968, alone, (Appy, 7). The reality is that factual information such as this can only take you so far. It is not until we feel the experience through personal accounts, do we fully understand the Vietnam War.
             Since the beginning of time the concept of war has had a negative connotation. Every war in United States history has been directly related to the brunt of the conflict, the front-line, the blood, the gore, and the mounting deaths. Vietnam never escaped, and will never escape from its horrifying side.
             Over the course of the Vietnam War nearly 45,000 men were labeled as K.I.A. (killed in action). In addition to the recorded number of deaths, tens of thousands of men are still considered to be missing in action, (Appy, 29). Today, thousands of books are filled with alleged tales of horror from the war. Among the most common were the U.S. accounts involving the resented Vietnamese villagers.
             We saw them. We saw people with legs hacked off...
             Disemboweling seemed to be a big thing. Literally pull
             a guy's stomach open. But the sad part of it is, he doesn't
             die right away. Women...You know, the sky's the limit.
             As gruesome as you can think of things to do, they would
             do. Schoolteachers were a favorite target, and unfortunately
             a lot of the schoolteachers were idealistic young women, (Santoli, 196)
             Individual acts of horror were incredibly common during the war for United States soldiers. Their hatred f...

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History1. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 09:18, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/55078.html