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Gambone’s introduction was a nice overview of what we have learned during this course. He really emphasizes the fact that many veterans go on to play important roles in politics. I personally find this interesting because when I stop to think about it, I really do see veterans in a different way than other politicians. When there is a candidate for president who has served in a war, I automatically have more respect for him than the other candidates. This is both good and bad. The respect I have for them often covers other qualities in their personality that I might not agree with, and I, therefore, expect them to basically act honorably and do nothing wrong. This is not always the case, and I feel like many of them use this cover for such a purpose.

The epilogue basically sums up what we have already figured out from the entire course—that if they only remembered the consequences from past wars, the veterans of the recent wars would be treated better. It is the ignorance that makes it so that veterans are never treated as they should be. The Revolutionary War veterans should have been the first eye-opener to society, but society would rather just let the mistakes fade away without doing anything to fix them. There was improvement with the World War II veterans, but then we relapsed when it came to the Vietnam veterans. I think it is so sad that the Vietnam veterans are still having trouble even after all the movies that have been made to portray the veteran’s plight. I feel like now, more people know about it and that it is wrong, but we still do not do anything about. It was really nice to see Severo and Milford make an overall summary of the Veteran’s Administration, though I do think they were a bit harsh about the way they went about doing it.

The very end of the epilogue was very well done. For the first time, I saw a new reason for why Severo and Milford wrote Wages of War. I expected them to end glorifying the veterans, but they actually focused more on how we should take their experiences and learn from them. Then, what surprised me the most was the fact that they used it to show people that we should not make war unless we are completely sure that it is necessary. It really just made me think of Iraq, which I am sure they were not intending on since it was written long before it. I really just want to hand our government a copy of it and see if anything changed. I am not really sure anything would.

Since she was so entertaining and interesting, I decided to listen to the rest of Frances M. Liberty’s interview. What struck me was the fact that she could joke about her war experience when so many others would choke up or be unwilling to talk about it. I think that the fact that she was in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam was part of the reason that she was able to. Since she was a veteran of World War II and got to receive all that attention, I think this made it a bit easier on her to be able to remember Vietnam and laugh about it. Plus, since she had been in the service for so long, I think she became so used to it that it was not so bad for her after a while. Still, there were points during the interview where she would talk about something that was difficult. One such example was when she was talking about the attack and how they had killed 85 men who were already wounded. She briefly touched on how mad she was about this and after a short pause, immediately changed the subject to how Vietnam was actually funny. This is more evidence to prove that humor was her way to get past all of the emotional stress her service caused.

She was not the only one with a good sense of humor, though. Through the stories she tells, especially the ones in Vietnam, it sounds as though the people around her were also showing humor. I suppose they would joke to ease the tension and lighten up the mood, which is completely understandable. It just seems really weird to see it in Vietnam the most out of all the other wars. All in all, I think it is very admirable and shows a lot about Frances’ inner strength that she was able to serve in three wars and appear not to be that emotionally damaged by it.

The first interview that I listened to was the one with Rhona Marie Knox Prescott who served in the Army Nurse Corps. I found her interview to be very interesting, and I really admire her for her strength in what she had to do. I do not know if I could ever triage the people she did. She basically had to decide who would live and who would die. I am sure that was no easy task. One part of her story that really struck me, though, was the fact that she had to care for the enemy, even though a lot of the time, they were trying to kill them. I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to go up to a patient and try to treat them with the fear of them suddenly trying to strangle me. The fact that she continued to treat them despite this made me really respect her. I could not believe that when she came home, though, her step mother yelled at her for trying to tell the truth. She was willing to believe the news over her own step daughter who had actually been there. The only reason I can come up for this is that perhaps she just did not want to believe that it could be that terrible.

The second interview I listened to was with Violet Hill Gordon who served in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. It was interesting to see, not only an account of a woman during this war, but of an African American woman as well. Again, the GI Bill came in to help her out a lot, as it did with many of the other veterans of World War II. It is really nice to listen to somebody who was able to go to college and get a job fairly easily, compared to veterans of the other wars who had so many employment problems. I feel like I am able to get a better idea of just how great the GI Bill was—something that I did not really understand at first. Now I completely understand why there was such a big deal made over it by so many people. I really think it was a great idea.  

This week’s reading was interesting in that it gave us a look at other wars that we were not able to go into more depth on. The first thing that struck me was from the Wages of War chapter about the war with Spain and Philippine Insurrection. Apparently the government just really does not like it when soldiers get sick. The soldiers who were located in Cuba were getting really sick and the Army decided that it was because of “homesickness” and “nostalgia.” I am pretty sure my mouth actually dropped when I read this. It was like reading all the chapters on Agent Orange all over again, only I think this was a little more incredulous than Agent Orange. At least for Agent Orange they just basically tried to ignore it, but their reasons were just ridiculous. I cannot believe how much they try to cover up diseases that the soldiers contract during war. I just want them to realize it and find a way to make it better instead of ignore it and try to make up excuses.

The first part of chapter 22 from the Wages of War reading really shocked me. I cannot believe that William Mayer actually said the things that he did about the soldiers who were captured and held prisoners in Korea. What he said in the report was terrible! He basically blamed the American prisoners for dying and said that it was their own fault they did not try to escape and gave up. Of course, it could not be the governments fault for sending the soldiers to Korea in the first place that made them become prisoners of war. I seriously was outraged when I saw this. Of all the low things that we have read about, I think this is by far the worst.

As for the Greatest Generation reading, I found the fact that the military had declined so drastically really interesting. It was almost as if everybody just moved on after World War II and there were no steps taken to make sure that they would have enough men and supplies for another war. When I think about it, it sort of makes sense though, since many people were convinced that World War II would be the “war to end all wars”. I just never thought that the government and army would not make sure that they were covered for any more conflicts. I feel like it was a lapse in judgment on their part, especially since after other wars, such as World War I, they were practically frantic in making sure that they had enough information and supplies for another conflict.

What I found really interesting about the second reading for this week was the reluctance of the government to call the fighting in Korea and Vietnam a war. It was almost as if these could not be considered wars because America did not win them, and the government was too prideful to admit this, and so chose to call it a “conflict”. In the case of the Korean War, they decided that it was actually a “police action”. They used this to try to cover up the fact that it really was a war without congress’ consent. What I would really like to know, however, is how the veteran from these wars felt about this. They would not have Korean or Vietnam War written on their headstones, but conflict instead. I imagine that they were probably angry because, though it is sad to say it, war sounds so much more dignified and heroic than conflict. I think that they would feel cheated upon returning home and the government telling them that they had not actually fought in a war.

I never really thought that the idea of building a memorial would be so challenging until I read this reading. It seems as though we are really good at making a big deal out of things that really are quite simple. In this case there were arguments over the design of the memorial, where it should be located, who it should include, etc. I found it interesting that they just could not complete a national military museum. The American people did not want to see themselves as militaristic. To me, there is a difference between seeming to be militaristic and honoring the history of the military. As long as the museum took more time to honor the men that served in the military than to promote romanticism, I think it would have been fine. As for not being able to construct a memorial involving the atomic bomb, I think people need to just accept the fact that it was done. They need to embrace the past, no matter if they agree with it or not.   

The first thing that struck me about the reading this week was the fact that Severo and Milford were very sarcastic. I personally think that their sarcasm was a cheap ploy to get the reader onto their side. To me, it is not the author’s job to force his audience to one side of the issue or the other. The good author will convince his audience that one side is right and the other is wrong, and I think sarcasm is a cheap shot at doing this. When I would read over their sarcastic remarks, especially around page 394, I would find myself automatically agreeing with them, and that without any logical evidence. Also, Severo and Milford use sarcastic phrases directed at the people. They said such things as, “When he was not concerned with interior decoration, Nimmo continued to work as hard at his job as he ever did” (394). When I read this, I automatically have disdain for Nimmo whereas without them using this, I might have before thought he was working hard at his job. I just really lost a lot of respect for the authors when they had to use sarcasm to prove their point.

Five chapters on Agent Orange is a lot to digest. After a while, I just basically jumped on anything that did not have to do with Agent Orange because I was so sick of reading about it. I was really hoping that we would be able to read more than just that, but it seemed to just go on and on. I am sure that there were other difficulties that the veterans were facing, but they either were not in there, or I missed them when they were stuck between Agent Orange facts. Still, I did not like the way that the Veteran’s Administration and the government handled this. They, once again, ran from the issue and were unwilling to admit their mistake. I could see how they could ignore it if there were just a few men who complained about effects from it, but when you had what seemed like half the veterans of the war complaining about the effects and health issues they were having, I think it was the governments job to pursue their line of thought, and the Veteran Administration’s job to make sure the government did this. I liked the Australian’s way of dealing with this matter better. For them, the government had to prove that pesticides were not causing people health problems, whereas the United States government had to prove that it did.

 In my opinion, the way that Ron Kovic saved his experiences in Vietnam until the end of the book created a powerful conclusion. For the whole first part of the book, the reader is forced to try to find a reason behind Kovic’s hatred of the military that did not focus around his experiences in the war. In this way, I think it really helps to add credit to why Kovic does get himself into protests and makes speeches. The way people respond to him, though, is really quite sad. They just do not seem to care at all that he is partly paralyzed because of a war that seemed like it should never have been fought. The public almost seems to blame the soldiers who fought in the war for the problems that had started to occur.

One of the parts that struck me was when they went to Washington to protest and the government had lined up thirty or forty buses in front of the White House. Kovic says, “Was the government so afraid of its own people that it needed such a gigantic barricade?” (139). I wondered this back when the Bonus March was taking place, and was glad that somebody else thought it too. What did the government really expect a bunch of protesters to do to the White House? They would have lost all public support if they had attacked the president, and would have gotten themselves into a lot of trouble. I feel like the government used this as a ploy to show the rest of the public that the protesters were dangerous and should be expelled at all costs. I really do not like the way that the government handled any protests that were made by the veterans. They never once seemed to care about what they were protesting for, and were more fixed on the best way to get them to go away. This to me is just really sad.

So far, I have found this book to be extremely interesting, if not a bit indecent at a few points (I was trying to read it on the train with a very old woman sitting next to me who kept glancing at the book while I tried to cover it with my hand). Still, I think that it is because Ron Kovic does not hold back on anything that makes this book so much more powerful than others we have read. In those, there was an underlying sense of restraint on the author’s part, but in this, I feel like he really is just putting everything out there on the table for the audience to judge as they wish.

What I noticed right away was the fact that some chapters were in first person and then others were in second person. Instead of automatically condemning him for inconsistency, I actually thought it made the book that much better. When he writes in second person, it is almost like the scene that he is writing is so painful for him that he has to actually step out of his own body and pretend like the man he is righting about is somebody else entirely. I thought this literary technique was extremely powerful and moving. An example of its usage is the whole chapter on his boot camp experience, and his first look at military life. The way he talks about himself from another point of view really helps to give the audience a look at just how alien boot camp was for him and how his whole world was changing. It also helps to define the line between soldier Ron and civilian Ron, something that none of the other books has ever really tried to do. Therefore, I do believe that this is one of the more powerful readings this year.

There were some parts the movie that I felt dragged on a bit, but it did have its moments. I really wish it had not had that much emphasis on the romance, though, but I suppose they had to put it in there. What really struck me about the movie was the different ways they were portrayed in their arrival home. Usually when one thinks of the homecoming of the soldiers, we think that they came home to open arms and everything was swell. However, in Fred’s case, he could not even find his wife the day he got home and it was not until the next day that he actually found her. Fred’s wife also helps to show how much Fred himself has changed. She loves going to parties, dressing up, eating out, and generally just having fun, which the audience assumes Fred used to like also if he married her. When he comes back, though, there is a definite hesitation on his part to go out every night and it is clear that he would just rather eat at home.

Homer’s story really had a significant impact on everybody. I thought it really showed how difficult it was for wounded soldiers to readjust to civilian life. It really shows how, though people were trying to treat them the same, they still unconsciously did things. An example of this was when Homer’s father stopped cleaning his pipe because he felt guilty that he had hands and his son did not. Homer of course thinks that his sweetheart will not love him anyway because he finds himself damaged and does not think that she will want somebody who is damaged. It is sort of hard to believe that she did end up marrying him because I am sure that there were many cases where the girls were horrified and did not want any part of the returning veteran. Other than that, I found the movie believable and interesting. 

For the first parts of reading, there was a lot of emphasis on women and minority veterans. For the most part I was basically able to guess the way that they would be treated. I figured it would be better than past wars, but still not perfect for them. I was somewhat surprised that some women did hold esteem with men who had served with them while in the military. I also found it interesting that the marines were basically the first branch to let women into their ranks. For some reason I think that the marines would be the last branch to recruit women.

What I thought was particularly interesting about the readings was the chapter on film and wars. I have seen a lot of the movies that the author was talking about, so it was really easy to make the connection and know what he was talking about. I think it would be really interesting to watch a movie with a veteran because I would like to see how they would react to certain parts, and then compare that to how I react to it. I know that I probably would not grin at some of the more gruesome jokes put in the movies, but supposedly they would. I cannot even begin to imagine leaving for war with one taste of movies, and coming back home to find that they no longer entertain me at all.

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