A Rumor Of War By Philip Caputo

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A Rumor of War is a book written by Philip Caputo on his experience in Vietnam and the hardships of being in war. His journey began at the age of 24 when he is diploid, from 1960 until 1965. The book illustrates this image of Caputo of the maturity process he goes through. Caputo explains his main reason for going to war was his experience during the Camelot of the Kennedy era, where like many other Americans, Caputo wanted to know "what he could do for his country," as according to what President Kennedy said in his speech. Many Americans at the time believed that they needed to have that spirit and embrace their country. The images portrayed by the media impacted how Americans responded to the heroism these soldiers accomplished. Caputos accomplishments with the war was completely parallel to those of the American people. In the autobiography A Rumor of War, Philip Caputo shares his experiences of the Vietnam War with the world. Caputo introduces the American people into this world they had never seen. What most Americans considered a "meaningless" war, was changed by Caputos perspective and his accounts. At the time Caputo released his book, most Americans were not aware of the damage it causes every soldier on that front line. The beginning of the novel introduces us to Caputo in his early twenties. Caputo enlists in the Marine Corps because he wants to show off his "meaningless" and find an adventure to get him out of his small town life. Caputo wanted to do something that would make him a hero. Caputo dreams, of returning home as an honorable man, and being applauded for his amazing work in Vietnam as he was a hero for this country. Unknowingly, when he does return he endures kaos of people resenting him and his fello... ... middle of paper ... ...Caputo thought of himself to be something honorable and heroic to fight in a battle for his country. The United States thought the same thing of these soldiers when the war originally started. Not knowing, that in the near future the media and actions taken on by these soldiers would change the perspective of the American public. Eventually causing Americans to resent the soldiers and basically pretend the war never happened. Most of the public never saw the real actions taken by these soldiers and did not accept it as something honorable until years after when the Vietnam Memorial was built in Washington D.C. Caputo expressed his frustration with the war, but regardless of being discharged returned to defend what he believed in the most. To defend the fallen soldiers and eventually realizing that they never were really invincible and his romanticism of war was gone.

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