3b+Discussion


 * ~ Name of Contributor ||~ Discussion ||
 * Kindal Smith || "A Piece of My Heart" by Shirley Lauro is a play written from 6 women's points of views about joining the Red Cross as nurses during the Vietnam War. My husband had to read this play for his English 1102 class this semester, and we went to see a performance of the play at the college. This play allowed me to see the war from a totally new perspective not typically offered by history textbooks. For these women, who were individuals in their own rights, the Vietnam War changed them in the same way. They were disillusioned about joining the Red Cross and helping with the war efforts. Quickly, they learned war is not what they expected. They saw things that changed their beliefs, perspectives, and minds forever. The play follows the women years after they return from Vietnam and shows how they have moved on as best as they can from such a horrendous time in their lives. Very powerful and eye-opening; however, I would not recommend this for lower grade levels--mainly 11th or 12th grade (perhaps Honors or AP classes). ||
 * Adam Phyall || After viewing several resources I saw how this war really divided a nation. Unlike WWI and WWII there was not a clear enemy that all Americans could identify. I think that Vietnam change the way that Americans began looking at war. There was a segment of the population that truly resented this war and really treated the soldiers with resentment when they returned. There was also a segment of the population that supported the troops and America's presence in Vietnam. ||
 * A. Ledbetter || After researching the Vietnam War, I think the biggest change in my knowledge was understanding how long the conflict lasted. Like many people, I think, I was focused on the "hottest" portion of this part of the Cold War, when the troops were actively engaged on a daily basis. However, the war was much longer than that, and the length is a contributing factor in the American anger over sending men there. The 16-year war cost the U.S. 58,000 lives and more than 300,000 more wounded. Billions of dollars were spent in financial aid to the South Vietnamese people as well. Much of the "facts" I had before the research were actually related to the time before the war peaked. Reading about the politics behind the war, especially the Vietnamese politics like the National Liberation Front and the personal mission of Ngo Dinh Diem, was very enlightening. Hindsight is 20/20 but it seems that our Presidents ignored some of the facts of what was truly happening in Southeast Asia and only focusing on what they wanted to see. Perhaps there was no good answer, and we really did the best we could. While I try to support our government as much as possible, I can understand why the sentiment against the war existed. Unfortunately, for the Vietnamese people, I don't know that what we did was truly a help, as so many of them were killed in the conflict as well. ||
 * D.Renee Eady || I don’t know that much changed in my overall view of Vietnam or the affects on our citizenry;however, finding additional resources, encouraged me to dig deeper – and self reflect. I have ordered one of videos I found to learn more about the Pentagon Papers. (//The Most Dangerous Man in America// – PBS)

In a current controversy – Wikileaks, my first thoughts were it was wrong of anyone to leak these documents. However, when I really realized what they were/are, it is not so clear cut. These documents may make America look bad but maybe we are acting badly. Maybe Bradley Manning is a hero who is now being kept behind closed doors to break him – thorough a type of tortured – isolation. I know this could bring up very strong emotions on both sides of the issue. When you think about the Vietnam War, people were on one side or the other with very strong emotions. The issues are not so clear cut. When we (as a country or citizenry of a democratic society) hide secret operations of possible unethical behavior (bad) and then whisk away the whistle blower – what does this say about us.

I suppose my searches about the Vietnam War encouraged me to dig deeper, ask questions and think more carefully about what the facts really are – rather than allowing my first emotions to speak before I know more. Our response to the current controversies could be handled “better” if we did more self-reflection and a review of history may encourage us to do just that. ||