Note to Vietnam Troops

Born on the Fourth of July by Ron Kovic
5 pages - complete on Monday May 28
Stop the Sun by Gary Paulsen
7 pages - complete on Monday May 28
To Heal a Nation by Joel L. Swerdlow
12 pages - complete on Monday May 28
For your final readings of Times of Change, I would like you to set aside some time on Monday (Memorial Day) to read the choices above. Once you are done, I would like for you to post in your blog a note to the men and women on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. After what you have learned over the past few days, and what you saw when we went to D.C., what would you want to say to them?

To all men and women who served in Vietnam: Your bravery is tremendous. To serve in such an unpopular war is amazing. Being yelled at and insulted after returning from Vietnam fighting to defend the same people who had the audacity to tell a veteran with no legs they deserved it is horrible. We will never understand the terrible things you went through.

Farmer Nguyen by W.D. Ehrhart
1 page - complete by Wednesday May 26
Massacre at My Lai by Hugh Thompson
2 pages - complete by Wednesday May 26
A Nun at Ninh Hoa by Jan Barry
1 page - complete by Wednesday May 26

What do these two poems and the article say about the impact of the war on the native Vietnamese? Can you think of any other ways in which the war will impact the native Vietnamese?

People who where known to have helped the Vietcong were beaten or killed, even if it was just a rumor. Entire Vietnamese villages were killed, including the elderly, women, and small children. They were led into a ditch and shot at. People protesting the ban of some religions set fire to themselves. The war devastated crops and livestock. People, unable to make food or make money starved and died.

Times of Change Questions 2

Jack Smith by Ron Steinman
9 pages - complete by Wednesday May 23

What challenges does Jack Smith face as a soldier in Vietnam? (a bulleted list is fine)
-being shot - napalm -booby traps -snipers -mortars -grenades - friendly fire -land mines.

How does Smith’s attitude toward war change?
At first, he thought there probably wouldn't be any fighting and it would be a fun adventure. After fighting, he realized how horriffic it is and hated mankind for the mistakes that led tons of deaths. Soon, he realized that life was a good thing and realized that people make mistakes.


I Feel Like I’m Fixing To Die Rag by Joe McDonald
2 pages - complete by Wednesday May 23

This song by Country Joe and the Fish became one of the first protest songs of the Vietnam Era. Read the lyrics to the song, and then respond to the following:

What is the song asking the “big strong men to do”?
Enlist in the war.
… the “generals” to do?
Kill the comnunists.
… “Wall Street” to do?
Supply the Army with military goods.
… “mothers” to do?
Send their boys to Vietnam
Write down four specific lines from the song that display sarcasm, cynicism, or anti-war sentiment.

Be the first on your block

to have your boy come home in a box.

Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

The only good commie is the one who's dead.

Times of Change questions

A Dubious Crusade by James A. Warren
2 pages - complete by Tuesday May 22

Look up both words in the title of the short essay. What do they mean?

Dubious crusade means a questionable military expedition.

Relate the title to the reading. What is Warren saying? How do you think this will relate to the rest of our study if Vietnam?

The war was considered a bad move for America. The public disaproval will be a big theme in the war and will maybe impact some of the military decisions.

History by Thuong Vuong-Riddick
2 pages - complete by Tuesday May 22

What is the overall theme of Vuong-Riddick's poem?

The overall theme of the poem is death and side-switching.

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution … by Goldberg
2 pages - complete by Tuesday May 22
What is the main thesis of the essay?

The short-term cause of the war may have been based upon a lie.

What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?

Congressional approval Congress gave President Johnson to defend the U.S. interests in the Gulf of Tonkin.

What evidence does the author give to support his thesis?

Senator Fulbright, then the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was interviewed saying that the supposed attack was a lie.


How does this link to the theme of the first reading, “A Dubious Crusade”?

The fact that the war could have been based on the lie is questionable at best.

10 things everyone should know about the Korean War

• Korea was divided into two parts after WWII, the North being controlled by the Soviets with a Comnunist government and the South being controlled by the U.S. with a non-comnunist government
• In June 1950, North Korea forces crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea. This began the Korean War.
• Truman used this oppurtunity to try his containment policy and asked the UN to stop the comnunist move in South Korea.
• 16 nations provided soldiers for a UN force, but the U.S. did most of the fighting. Douglas MacAruther served as commander of the forces
• In early fighting, South Korea was being pushed back to the south-east tip of the island. MacAruther mad a daring move and landed troops at a city behind North Korean lines.
• Squeezed by forces in the North and South, North Korea retreated across the 38th parallel back to North Korea. Hoping an invasion of North Korea could unite the two koreas, Truman agreed to South Korean troops invadin North Korea.
• North Korea was pushed back and China warned if South Korea didn't stop, they would enter the war. South Korea ignored the warning, and on November 25, 1950, hundreds of thousands of Chinese Comnunist troops pushed South Korea back to the 38th parallel where they were deadlocked.
• MacAruther wanted to bomb China, but fearing a global war, Truman said no. MacAruther went over the president's head and told press about the decision. Truman promptly fired him.
• As the war dragged on, the war became unpopular and truce talk began. The next election, Truman decided to not run again. General Eisenhower from WWII, a republican, promised to end the war and won in a landslide.
• Duering talks with North Korea and China he agreed to a compromise but secretly warned he was ready to use nuclear arms against China. A cease-fire ended July 1953. The two Koreas didn't really change and Americans were frustrated by the indecisive war

Has MLK's dream been realized?

In many ways, MLK's dream has been realized. Now, black enrollment school rate is higher or equal to whites in almost every age category. The percent of black high school graduates is almost equal to whites. The percent of black children ages 3- 5 who have basic kidergarten skills have grown drastically from 1993.
In other ways, MLK's dream has not been realized. With whites and blacks with the same degree, whites tend to make 10-50 thousnad more dollars. Blacks tend to drop out of high school a lot more. Blacks are enrolled in college around 10 percent less than whites. The gap between the amount of white degrees earned and black degrees earned is huge.
There are many things that can be done to improve education. Affirmative action could be used more often. High school drop out penalties could be used. If a company is seen to be paying blacks less, they leaders could be fired. These solutions, sadly, will not end the problems of racism in education.

MLK Blog

Whites owe MLK the greatest debt. He freed them from the burden of hypocrisy about race. He was the right man at the right time. King's most quoted line, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," has been used in ways he wouldn't have liked. It has become the slogan for opponents of affirmative action, who say that had King lived he would agree with them. It has become a "hallmark" phrase preaching brotherhood instead of the words of a wise prophet demanding justice.