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Effects of mandatory military service
Effects of mandatory military service
Ptsd in returning soldiers
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In Soft Spots: A Marine’s Memoir of Combat and Post-traumatic stress disorder, Sargent Clint Van Winkle participated in one of the bloodiest wars in Iraq. Sargent Winkle signed up to protect his country, without truly understanding the reason for the war. He did not know what to expect, what was going to happen, exactly who it was going to happen to, but courageously he was out there waiting on an answer that in fact was never revealed. However, Winkle was a part of that war, which made him agree with the terms that led. He was trained to follow orders, forced to survive, and made a pact to protect the guy to right and to the left of him. Despite being diagnosed with PTSD and the uncertainties of whether the war was worthy or not, he favored …show more content…
Winkle was left to gather his thoughts and rectify them on his own. Despite the fact that he had the blood of others on his hands and once enjoyed it. Winkle realized “If anything the war made him appreciate life more, helped him see what was important” (Wrinkle111). According to the USA News, the war in Iraq was totally worth it. Despite the loss of almost 4,488 American and more than 32,000 Americans wounded, America have to remember that Iraq was out for the USA and had we not freed Iraq from Saddam dictatorship then we would still be today fighting. The facts and the truth may never be truly reveled, but the fact stands that this war had to happen and Iraq needed America to aid them to their freedom and democracy (USA News). In summary, Winkle favored the war because he was a Marine. It was all he had known since he was 18 years old. He loved the camaraderie of being a soldier. He enjoyed carrying a weapon and using it. He loved to blow things up. Winkle was good at what he did. It made him feel alive. He probably would not have cared what war it was or what cause he was fighting for, he would have only cared that he was doing his job and was doing what he loved with those who shared the same feelings. He felt he wasn’t fighting for himself, he was fighting for those soldiers next to him and those that came before him. He felt whether or not the war was justified was not for him to decide, it was for history to
that it wasn't the case. He found out that war wasn't all fun and games. What it actually was
In 1960, at the age of twenty-four, Philip Caputo enlists in the United Sates Marine Corps in hopes of escaping his relaxed lifestyle in the quaint town of Westchester, Illinois. Caputo is interested in proving himself a man and earning respect in response to President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address to the nation. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” are the famous words that pushed many young men into the patriotic world of enlistment, in order to defend American ideals. Caputo’s expectations of the war in Vietnam are to achieve heroic acts, finish his missions quickly and efficiently, get out in one piece, and return home to a supportive country interested in his heroic adventures.
The novel All Quiet On the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, the poem, “In Flanders Field,” by John McCrae and the film, Gallipoli, Demonstrates how war makes men feel unimportant and, forces soldiers to make hard decisions that no one should half to make. In war people were forced to fight for their lives. Men were forced to kill one another to get their opinion across to the opposing sides. When men went home to their families they were too scared to say what had happened to them in the war. Many people had a glorified thought about how war is, Soldiers didn't tell them what had truly happened to them.
It is apparent that the topic of war is difficult to discuss among active duty soldiers and civilians. Often times, citizens are unable to understand the mental, physical, and physiological burden service members experience. In Phil Klay’s Ten Kliks South, the narrator struggles to cope with the idea that his artillery team has killed enemy forces. In the early stages of the story, the narrator is clearly confused. He understands that he did his part in firing off the artillery rounds, yet he cannot admit to killing the opposition. In order to suppress his guilt and uncertainty, our narrator searches for guidance and reassurance of his actions. He meets with an old gunnery sergeant and during their conversation, our narrator’s innocence
These men are transformed into guilt-laden soldiers in less than a day, as they all grapple for a way to come to terms with the pain of losing a comrade. In an isolated situation, removed from the stressors, anxieties, and uncertainties of war, perhaps they may have come to a more rational conclusion as to who is deserving of blame. But tragically, they cannot come to forgive themselves for something for which they are not even guilty. As Norman Bowker so insightfully put it prior to his unfortunate demise, war is “Nobody’s fault, everybody’s” (197).
No matter how well intentioned the invasion of Iraq may have been, it was an act of violence and deception that has left many American men dead for no clear reason.
Norman Bawker’s experience in the war in Vietnam is one that renders him completely helpless afterward. During his campaign, he was a good, quiet soldier, who won seven medals, but he would never forgive himself for the one he didn’t win, the Silver Star...
“You may know principle, Sam, but I know war,” (Collier and Collier 21). Mr. Meeker is trying to tell Sam about the brutality of war because he has been through war and knows the actuality and Sam does not. Sam wants to fight, but does not know the reality of war where as Mr. Meeker does and does not want to fight. “After a few things like that you don’t give a damn for anybody but your friends anymore,” (Collier and Collier 173). Sam’s views on war have changed after he finally experiences a battle for the first time. Sam realizes that his father was right and that, “War turns men into animals,” (Collier and Collier 173). Many people still today face the grim brutal realities of war after being misled about the glories of
Starting with the economic collapse that preceded World War II, Heller describes how profit driven America acts in self-interest, avoiding danger and risk at a much higher clip than their allies. While in the Air Force, Doc Daneeka does not uphold his agreement to the Hippocratic oath: “to remember that he has “special obligations to all fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm” (Hippocratic Oath). The inherent nobility and altruism normally associated with a soldier or a physician is nowhere to be found in Doc Daneeka. Today, in schools and textbooks, the American people laud the United States Armed Forces and government for its honorable motive and deliberate course of action during World War II. Heller views Doc Daneeka and America in the same vein: the altruistic nobility of their perceived positions is misrepresentative and overstated. When asked about World War II, Harry Truman once said, “If you can’t convince them, confuse them” (Truman, 1945). In Catch-22, Joseph Heller masterfully found a way to accomplish
In the Historical fiction, “The Red Badge of Courage”, written by Stephen Crane; a young man try’s to find courage in himself in the time of war. After watching your commander die in war, would you stay and fight or return home and be a coward? Enlisting Himself into war Henry, to be more than the common man to prove worthyness and bravery. With the sergeant dead will Henry lead his men to victory, or withdraw his men in war. Not being the only are faced with the decision Jim and Wilson Henry’s platoons will have the same decision.
speech, Patton also makes the statement, "No bastard ever won a war by dying for his
...turning back. Once they have been robbed of their innocence, they are unable to revert to their previous selves. War and facing the inevitable reality of death can change a person and disturb them for the rest of their lifetime. Many soldiers are naïve when they decide to serve their country; they plan on becoming a hero like their role models of the past. But when one truly experiences war for themselves, they find it unimaginable how people continue to declare war and urge young men to fight and honor their nation and family. One will remain innocent until he experiences the genuine emotional trauma of war.
terrors of Dame Van Winkle." (pg. 406) "Terrors" come to mind when one thinks of war. Van Winkle doesn't
He has not seen the blood or heard the screams of suffering soldiers. He has not watched his best friend die in his arms after being hit by enemy fire. He is an onlooker, free to analyze and critique every aspect of the war from the safety of his office. He is free and safe to talk about ethics and proper war etiquette. The soldier, immersed in battle, fighting for his life, can think of only one thing.
...nd embarrassed with their true desires not to fight. There is no freewill at this point because they feel obligated to be the patriotic men. They are confused not knowing the reason for this war but that it is “to stop the Communists, plain and simple” (O’Brien 45). Unfortunately is it not plain and simple, even a million words would not be able to express the experiences that these young men endure. Unlike the Lone Ranger, the soldiers would rather flee due to the natural human instincts toward a dangerous situation. Yet, they suppress their true feelings and fight with all they have. As we can see, the ones that fight to help people that they hardly know are indeed the regular, normal, and everyday human beings. With this in mind, we cannot count on the Lone Ranger to come to the rescue; rather, the heroes are right before our eyes. They are an “everyman.”