Reference no: EM133688637

Assignment:

The Vietnam War was perhaps the most controversial conflict in which the United States has ever engaged. It divided the nation, and its outcome could lead to the reasonable conclusion that the U.S. had lost the war. For many Vietnam veterans returning home, they did not have the same experiences of returning home as veterans of other conflicts. There were no victory parades, no brass bands, no celebrations of victory. Instead, many Vietnam veterans came home to a nation that wanted to forget the war. A number of Americans blamed the soldiers who fought in the war for the conduct of the war by America's leadership or for the war's outcome. In the decades that followed, efforts have been made to honor the service and sacrifice of Vietnam veterans. In the words of retired General Harold G. Moore, who fought at the Battle of Ia Drang, Americans can "hate the war, but love the American warrior who fought it."

Study the documents below related to the process of recognizing the sacrifices of Vietnam veterans, an important part of the war's legacy. Answer the questions that follow each document.

Document A: Poem by Major Michael Davis O'Donnell

Major Michael Davis O'Donnell was a U.S. Army Helicopter Pilot who was killed when his chopper went down on March 24, 1970. After his death, this poem written by O'Donnell was found amongst his possessions.

If you are able, save them a place inside you,

And save one backward glance when you are leaving, for the places they can no longer go.

Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may, or may not have always. Take what they have left, and what they have taught you with their dying, and keep it as your own.

And in that time that when men decide, and feel safe, to call the war insane, take one moment, to embrace these gentle heroes you left behind.

QUESTIONS FOR DOCUMENT A:

1) How does the poem reflect the treatment of Vietnam veterans by many Americans during the war? Explain with evidence from the poem.

2) What is the message of the poem in regards to Vietnam veterans? Explain your answer with evidence from the poem.

Document B: the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Link to web page on Vietnam Veterans Memorial, from Visit Washington D.C.

QUESTIONS FOR DOCUMENT B:

3) Why do you think the wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has become the most popular feature of the memorial? What does it have to say about the sacrifices of Vietnam veterans? Explain your answer.

4) The Vietnam Veterans Memorial has often been called "the wall that heals." Who do you think the wall is meant to heal? Explain your answer.