Dear America Book Review

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Dear America Book Review Dear America is a non-fiction book, edited by Bernard Edelman, about the Vietnam War. The unique style of this book is that it contains letters from soldiers at the war in Vietnam. These letters are addressed to family and friends and give the reader a realistic and personal depiction of the war. The conflict in Vietnam was fought between two dividing sections in Vietnam; the communist North Vietnamese and the, United States allied, South Vietnamese. The United States entered the conflict to halt the spread of communism. The uneducated Americans away from the war protested and did not support the soldiers and government that were fighting the war. Edelman published this book to exemplify the side of the war that is unheard and unseen by many Americans. He pieces letters together to illustrate the true colors of American soldiers who have wandered into an unpopular war. I chose a few letters that struck my attention. One letter was written by 2Lt. Robert C. Ransom Jr. to his mom and dad. He just entered Vietnam and writes that he is finally assigned to a unit. He writes, “For the people I’ve talked to I’ve come up with some new ideas on the war.” He states that nobody is patriotic about the war except for the men that are excited to kill. He has learned that people muster enthusiasm for two reasons. One reason is for self-preservation; if you don’t kill the enemy, he will eventually kill you. Another reason is revenge against them after seeing your friend or fellow soldier die. Lt. Ransom states that he is unaware of what is going on back home in the United States. He also writes that he is impressed with the Vietnamese warfare. He learns about the intelligent tunneling and that their military is the strongest in the world. 2Lt. Robert C. Ransom Jr. died at the age of 28 (39). One letter was written by 1Lt. Victor David Westphall III

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