I believe that the main impact of the My Lai massacre was that on the US. This is because it affected not only their army, but also the US public. The events in My Lai significantly impacted the US troops that were situated in Vietnam. Some Soldiers were accused of crimes concerning the My Lai Massacre. The most significant of these was Lt.Calley who was found guilty in court of 109 counts of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, he only served three years.
One of the major mental illnesses during the war was shellshock. Shellshock war the reaction of soldiers from the trauma of battle. After a long period of time in the war the soldiers would lose all self control because of the constant bombing, shooting and fighting (Wikipedia). Symptoms of shellshock were tiredness, irritability, giddiness, lack of concentration and headaches (Spartacusschoolnet). From 1914 to 1918 there were 80,000 men from the British army suffering from shell-shock (spartacusschoolnet).
Another large reason Americans opposed the Vietnam war was the casualties. There are 58,193 records of military personnel who died between 1956 and 1998 as a result of the Vietnam war. Majority of these men were between the ages of 19 and 21. More than 38,000 of these men were killed in action. The death toll of the war is estimated to be a total of more than one million people.
A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier In the book, A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier, Joseph Plumb Martin describes his point of view as a soldier in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He talks about all the hardships he and his comrades had to endure during this time, the suffering, the emotional and physical toll it took on the soldiers. Fatigue, Hunger, and Cold were the constant companions of Joseph Plumb Martin, the rest of the Continental Army, and the British forces. These companions were detrimental to the soldiers and killed a percentage of the soldiers. Everyone was accustomed to hearing from the prestigious leaders, and Martin wanted to give another perspective.
521 Australians had died in action and 2400 veterans had been wounded. Veterans suffered horrific injuries, medical problems and even permanent disability. As a result, many veterans found it hard to settle back into their normal life. Some veterans had to adjust their homes because of the their medical problems and some could never work again. Another major physical impact of the Vietnam War on the veterans and their families was Agent Orange (herbicides and insecticides used during the war period).
Also, rookies were warned on their first day to not look over the parapet of the trench into” No Man’s Land”, because many men died on their first in the trenches from a precisely aimed sniper’s bullet. It has been estimated that more than one third of Allied casualties on the Western Front happened in the trenches. Aside from injuries, disease worked a heavy
The Man I Killed 26 February 2015 10:39 Summary This short story is about an American platoon in Vietnam. The main character, Tim, has violently killed a Vietnamese soldier and is now paralysed with chock. He continues to sit and stare at the body, while imagining the dead man's life story. His fellow tries to comfort him in different ways, but isn't able to reach out to him. Important passages from the text Analysis Narrator: It is a 1.person narrator, written from Tim's point of view.
Vietnam veterans and their Families. Approximately 59,000 Australians served in the Vietnam War, and following the conflict many found themselves unable to adequately deal with the physical and emotional scars rendered by their service. The Vietnam veterans were the brave, courageous men who fought for our country on the front line, and survived. This experience was not only a traumatic one for those who participated in the war, but also for their families, who spent days, months and even years wondering whether their loved ones had survived. Although the veterans had extensive training that prepared them for the war, no amount of training could ever prepare them for the emotional consequences that followed the war, including adjustment back into society.
Between 1960 and 1973, 503,926 members of the US armed forces deserted. Many soldiers began to question the morality of the war once they began fighting in Vietnam. One soldier, Keith Franklin, wrote a letter that was only to be opened on his death. He was killed on May 12, 1970: "If you are reading this letter, you will never see me again, the reason being that if you are reading this I have died. The question is whether or not my death has been in vain.
The two biggest concerns that come to mind when you think of homeland security is gun control and immigration. Out of the candidates running this year one stands out to me the most and that is John McCain. He has overcome such great obstacles to get to the place he is today and I can assure you that it wasn’t easy. During the Vietnam War he was shot down in his plane and was kept as a POW for nearly five and a half years, of which three and a half were spent in solitary confinement. While kept in the numerous Vietnamese prison camps, he was repeatedly beaten and tortured defending our country and what it stands for.