The Vietnam War - November 1955- April 1975.US in The Vietnam War - 1964 to 1973.

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VIETNAM IS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and parts of China.

The North Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong were fighting to reunify Vietnam. They viewed the conflict as a colonial war and a continuation of the First Indochina War against forces from France and later on the United States.

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North Vietnam was communist, supported by the Soviet Union. (USSR)South Vietnam attempted to create anon-communist, democratic government.Communist Common Front: North: People's Army of Vietnam, also known as NVA (the North Vietnamese Army).Guerrilla South: The Viet Cong also known as NLF (the National Liberation Front). Viet Cong decreased as the role and engagement of the NVA grew.

Anti-Communist: South Vietnamese

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The U.S. viewed its involvement as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam. (Domino Theory -stopping the spread of communism.)

The U.S. conducted a large-scale strategic bombing campaign against North Vietnam. They had overwhelming firepower ground forces and air superiority.

The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese Army in April 1975 marked the end of the war, and North and South Vietnam were reunified the following year.

It was the longest war in U.S. history. It is the only war ever lost by the US.

Estimates of the number fatalities:

Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed vary from 966,000 to 3.1 million.

Cambodians: Some 240,000–300,000 Laotians: 20,000–62,000 U.S.: 58,220 and a further 1,626 remain missing in action

effects of the war

isolation and loneliness

rage and fear

adjusting to the reality of death

effects of taking human life and seeing their friends die in front of them.

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they were unprepared for jungle warfare; guerrilla.

encountered problems with racism

too many young and inexperienced soldiers

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many men come back missing limbs, disfigured, and blind

they were spiritually and mentally broken.

Some managed to find jobs, while others had an extremely difficult time adjusting to civilian life.

Many suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

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had to deal with the lack of support at home When the soldiers came home

were met with protesters screaming things like "baby killers," and even had people spitting at them.

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I WANT YOU TO FEEL WHAT I FELT. I WANT YOU TO KNOW WHY

STORY-TRUTH IS TRUER SOMETIMES THAN HAPPENING-TRUTH.

-TIM O’BRIEN. THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

Flower Child – Marc Riboud

The image shows General Nguyen Ngoc Loan killing a Vietcong officer known as Nguyen Van Lem.Rough Justice on a Saigon Street – Eddie Adams

Terror of War – Huynh Cong UtThe picture features a naked 9-year-old girl, Phan Thị Kim Phúc, running toward the camera and away from a

South Vietnamese napalm attack on North Vietnamese troops at Trảng Bàng village.

Hi guys! homework for Thursday

1. What was The Draft 2. Who was drafted?

3. What is PTSD?

"In any war story, but especially a true one, it's difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen”

- Tim O'brien

William Timothy "Tim" O'Brien

Born October 1, 1946 in Austin, Minnesota.

Went to Macalester College in 1968.

later graduate from Harvard.

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was drafted in 1968. He is a Vietnam War veteran.ab

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In writing The Things They Carried, he wanted “to make a person feel something about [what] the characters are going through and to experience the moral paradoxes and struggles of being human.”

https://carolinehymel.wordpress.com/tag/the-things-they-carried/

O’Brien writes and lives in central Texas with his family.

teaches full-time every other year at Texas State University–San Marcos

and gives several workshops in the creative writing program.

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In the book he wanted “to make a person feel something about [what] the characters are going through and to experience the moral paradoxes and struggles of being human.”

the stories from The things they Carried are largely war-based and although fiction, they are based on personal experiences he had during his time in service, as a soldier in the 23rd Infantry Division.

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Describes the burdens each soldier carried throughout the Vietnam War and the memories they carried after the war. collection of linked short stories about a platoon of American soldiers fighting on the ground in the Vietnam War.

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Main character and narrator Tim O'Brien - Do not confuse the character of Tim O'Brien with the author: he tells you from the beginning that this is a story, not a documentary.

Setting: The setting is Vietnam during the Vietnam war and small town in Massachusetts.

Genre: historical fictional war fiction.

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Themes: Courage Physical and Emotional Burdens

POV: Changes: it is mainly first-person - told through the eyes of Tim O'Brien (the character), but changes to other points of view on occasion Sometimes third-person omniscient

Conflicts: Man vs. Man Man vs. Himself

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Tim O'BrienThe narrator and protagonist. While modeled after the author and sharing the same name, O'Brien (within the book) is a fictional character. The author intentionally blurs this distinction.

Lt. Jimmy CrossThe platoon leader. Obsessed with a young woman back home, Martha. He later believes that his obsession led to the death of a soldier.

Bob "Rat" KileyA young medic whose exaggerations are complemented by his occasional cruelty.

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Norman BowkerA soldier who O'Brien says attempted to save Kiowa the night he died. Feels responsible for Kiowa's death after the war. His memories continue to haunt Norman at home.However, O'Brien admits eventually that Norman did not fail to save Kiowa, that was fictional. After the war he hangs himself with a jump rope.

Henry DobbinsMachine gunner. Is gentle and kind. He is very superstitious; as a result, he wears his girlfriend's pantyhose around his neck as a protective “charm,".

KiowaA compassionate and talkative soldier. Native American that occasionally feels contempt and distrust towards white people. Tim O'Brien's best friend in the company. Kiowa often helps other soldiers deal with their own actions, such as taking the lives of other human beings. He is eventually killed when camping out in the “shitfield."

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Mitchell SandersHe is the radiotelephone operator for the platoon. Like O'Brien, he is also a storyteller and is portrayed as a mentor.

Ted LavenderA grenadier. He dies from a gunshot wound to the back of the head. He is notorious for using tranquilizers to cope with the pain of war, and for carrying a (rather large—six to eight ounces) stash of "premium dope" with him.

Curt LemonA young man that frequently attempts to assume the role as a tough soldier. He is also good friend of Rat Kiley. Lemon dies after setting off a rigged artillery shell.

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AzarA young, rather unstable soldier who engages in needless and frequent acts of brutality. He also aids Tim O'Brien in gaining revenge on Bobby Jorgenson, but mocks O'Brien when he's not willing to take the revenge further.

Dave Jensen and Lee StrunkMinor soldiers who are the main characters of "Enemies" and "Friends." Jensen fights with Strunk over a stolen jackknife, but they became uneasy friends afterwards.

Bobby JorgensonRat Kiley's replacement. Terrified, he is slow to aid O'Brien when he is shot in the behind; nearly killing O'Brien after failing to treat him for shock. Filled with rage after his recovery, O'Brien elicits help from Azar to conspire and punish Jorgenson with a night of terrifying pranks; afterward, however, O'Brien and Jorgenson become friends.

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