Times of Change – Vietnam and the 60s (mondays reading)

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?

First off i would like to say that all of your courageous and unselfish acts will live on in Americas history forever and this great nation will look up to see what you have accomplished for this great country as of today being memorial day. You have probably heard the same note and letter a thousand times that we thank you, but on this day it is more than just to thank you, on this day you should be respected and sought after to its fullest potential. So what i am trying to say is thank you for your great service to this country and way to keep it as nice as it is today.

Times of Change – Vietnam and the 60s (thursdays reading)

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?

These two poems talk about the hardship of the north Vietnamese people had to go through. From having their husbands, wife's and children being killed right in front of them. Also the munks who set themselves on fire in the middle of the street says a lot about how the war had an effect on these people.
Some other ways the war might effect these people is having the decision to go into the war or not and making up the mind to which side you are going to choose.

Times of Change – Vietnam and the 60s (for wendays hw)

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)

Horrible smell when they came of the ship
The possibility of a bullet heading straight into your head at any moment
Annoying grass some as tall as jack
The constant sound of bullets firing no less than 20 feet away
The constant unknowing as i lay there covered in blood if they will find out that i am alive
My friends dieing right beside me as i fire my army issued m-16 at the Vietnamese around me.

How does Smith’s attitude toward war change?

"No matter what people go into war thinking they're fighting for, ultimately when you get into combat you fight for completely different reasons. You fight in order to protect your buddies. That's why you form intense relationships in an atmosphere of death and self-preservation."



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

What is the song asking the “big strong men to do”?

Hes asking the big strong men to pick up a gun and go kill the Vietnamese and have some fun

… the “generals” to do?

Come down here is your chance to shine, kill all those reds, and the only way we will win this war is to put them into heaven

… “Wall Street” to do?

Supply the army with anything that it may need in order to defeat the Vietnamese

… “mothers” to do?

To let their boys go to Vietnam and to fight in the war, and they need all the support they could get.

Write down four specific lines from the song that display sarcasm, cynicism, or anti-war sentiment.

Gotta go out and get those reds
be the first one on your block to have your boy come home in a box
Whoopee! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE
Don't ask me, i don't give a damn, next stop is Vietnam

Times of Change – Vietnam and the 60s (tuesdays reading)

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- means an uncertain outcome ( like a uncertain war)
Crusade- means any war carried on under papal sanction

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?

I think Warren is saying that is it an really unclear war, and war wasn't actually announced during the entire fight. This will relate to the rest of our study of Vietnam because it will show how many lives and other things were lost, with not even a war declared.



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

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

I think the overall theme of Thuong Vuong-Riddicks poem is that now matter how far we look bad there are always instances of people taking sides and killing each other and the displacement of power, and this is just another occurrence in the chain of events.



The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution … by Goldberg 2 pages - complete by Tuesday May 22

What is the main thesis of the essay?

The main thesis of the essay is that when the US destroyer the Maddox was destroyed that's what the mainstream cause of the war was, and it might of even been a rummer.

What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was a resolution that passed congress to defend the United States interest's in the area that was attacked.

What evidence does the author give to support his thesis?

The author gives clear support of his thesis when he says "The Golf Tonkin Resolution opened the doors to what eventually became ten years of bitter fighting in which 55,000 Americans lost their lives in one of the most protracted wars the United States has ever waged."

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

This links to the "Dubious Crusade" reading because it was about the uncertainty of the war in Vietnam and this one is just supporting that argument with an actual occurrence that happened.

KOREA - The Forgotten War

Top 10 important things to know about the Korean War.

1. One of the origins of the Korean War was that Mao Zedong became head of the new informing communist state of China. Many Americans were shocked by the fall of the nationalist party. And they realized that with this new communist leader he would spread communism more.

2. In June of 1950, North Korean forces crossed into the 38Th parallel into South Korea. And when that escalated into the first fighting of the war is was crowned the name the "Korean War"

3. As a result to stop the communist force began to move into Korea, the UN of sixteen different nations provided soldiers.

4. Then when China noticed that the UN was coming in they said that if you advance any father it would force them to enter the war. But the UN ignored there threat and on November 25, 1950 Chinese communist forces moved in and pushed the UN back into South Korea. MacArthur wanted to go and bomb china but Harry S. Truman refused.

5. The war ends in a stalemate- As it went on it became more less popular, and on July 1951, the soviets and Truman suggested a peace talks. The talks went on and they compromised to end the war with North Korea and China. And a cease fire ended fighting in July of 1953. But communism was still contained in Korea.

6. This war was mainly about taking sides, and either you chose the democracy side-the us side- the good side- or the communist side- the bad side- or the North Korea and China side. and if neither of those then you were neutral.

7. During the whole entire war the US supported South Korea and no other country in the war. The South Koreans were the only ones in the middle of the war looking to stop the spread of communism.

8. MacArthur's choice to not retreat from South Korea when the North Koreans seemed unbeatable, was the biggest decision in winning the Korean War. If not for that decision we would have never signed the peace treaty which resulted in the end of the war.

9. The leader of China at the time Mao Zedong, thought our support of the war was only to get more land in the east and expand our territory. Which was not the intention of the Americans in any way. All the Americans wanted to do was stop the war and the spread of communism.

10. The Americans purpose for fighting in the Korean war was to stop the spread of communism in Asia. But even after the peace treaty the Americans occupied South Korea for a long time. 1953 was the year the American troops were finally able to come home.

Has MLK's "dream" been realized?

Hispanics and other minorities median income of house holds has on gone up considerably in the years 1980-2003. Also in the closest year to 2007 that was noticeable in the graphs, 2004, there was not to a very low standard or amount of money for the other races. Also all of the women either black, Hispanic, Asian, or white have generally in the same amount of earnings in the years 1980-2003.
Also there are some very poor issues and noticeable differences in these charts. For one the average income of a whit household in the year 2003 is 45,631 dollars. On the other hand we have an average income for a black household in the year 2003, which is 29,645 dollars. With that kind of amount difference someone should start to ask questions. Finally women on average the white female in the year 2003 earned on average 17, 422 dollars. But a white males' average income for the year 2003 is 30,732 dollars. As you can see based on these statistics something is very wrong.
I think in able to maintain Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s idea of a fair spread of the income i think we shouldn't discriminate just on race or gender. I think no matter what the job is everyone should be looked at as an equal no matter where you come from. And in conclusion making our nation a truly "free world".

Time 100- Martin Luther King Responses

Why does the author feel that whites owe King the greatest debt?

This author feels that whites owe King the greatest debt because he liberated them from the burden of America's centuries-old hypocrisy about race. It is only because of King that we can truly call ourselves the "Free World".

Was King "the right man at the right time"?

I think King was the right man at the right time because the USA in the south was at a time of crisis and they needed someone who could take over and lead the Civil Rights Movement, and if King wasn't there when they needed them we would still probably have as bad of segregation as they did back then.

Would King be upset with the current use of his most often quoted line? Why or why not?

I think King would not be upset of people using his often quoted line because that was his message that he wanted to get out there and to let people hear in if it spreading all around the world and it is even still used a number of times even today, i think he would be proud of what he had accomplished.