The atrocities of war and colonization have left indelible marks on history, with the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War and the Sand Creek Massacre amid the American Indian Wars standing as two harrowing examples. While occurring in vastly different contexts, these events share haunting parallels in their brutality and the ethical questions they raise. By examining the circumstances leading to each massacre, the events themselves, and the prevailing attitudes and beliefs that enabled such atrocities, a deeper understanding of human capacity for violence and the importance of accountability emerges. The events leading to the My Lai Massacre were deeply entrenched in the complexities of the Vietnam War. Amid the backdrop of a controversial conflict, American troops faced challenges such as guerrilla warfare tactics and unclear enemy identification. Fueled by a combination of frustration, fear, and a dehumanizing perception of the Vietnamese populace, soldiers found themselves in a climate ripe for violence. Conversely, the Sand Creek Massacre stemmed from the expansionist policies of the United States government and the desire to assert dominance over indigenous populations. Broken treaties, encroachment on tribal lands, and economic interests drove settlers and soldiers alike to …show more content…
American soldiers, led by Lieutenant William Calley, indiscriminately killed hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians, including women, children, and the elderly. The massacre unfolded with shocking brutality, as homes were destroyed, and families were torn apart by senseless violence. Similarly, the Sand Creek Massacre on November 29, 1864, witnessed the Colorado Territory militia, led by Colonel John Chivington, descend upon a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho camp. Despite assurances of safety, the soldiers launched a vicious assault, slaughtering over 200 men, women, and
In both Things and Forrest Gump the main character goes to the Vietnam War and leaves their family. In both of the stories the main character creates a strong bond with their fellow soldiers. Tim O’Brien, in Things, becomes friends with Jimmy Cross, Mitchell Sanders, Kiowa, Norman Bowker, Henry Dobbins, and Rat Kiley. In Vietnam, Forrest Gump becomes friends with Bubba and Lieutenant Dan. Both stories tell how close friends died and how the main character reacts. Along with the sad memories there are happy memories as well. O’Brien says that in their free time they played checkers and told stories to get their minds off the war. In Forrest Gump, Forrest played ping-pong and would play in front of his friends to entertain them. Him and Bubba
Laws exist to protect life and property; however, they are only as effective as the forces that uphold them. War is a void that exists beyond the grasps of any law enforcing agency and It exemplifies humankind's most desperate situation. It is an ethical wilderness exempt from civilized practices. In all respects, war is a primitive extension of man. Caputo describes the ethical wilderness of Vietnam as a place "lacking restraints, sanctioned to kill, confronted by a hostile country and a relentless enemy, we sank into a brutish state." Without boundaries, there is only a biological moral c...
Similarities Between the War in Iraq and the Vietnam War As time passes, every society endures situations which stress its very fabric. Each society's history is sprinkled with these situations. One such situation in which the United States underwent was the Vietnam War. For years, this particular event has been hotly debated. Hardly anyone who was present at the time agrees on any point concerning this war, except that they regret it.
Another atrocity that occurred during this war was the My Lai Massacre. This was the mass murder of unarmed civilians in South Vietnam during March 16, 1968. Around November 1969, the world saw this and was outraged with the killings of innocent civilians prompting and giving the public more reasons to stop the war. Although the war was very unpopular, men and women were still fighting and dying for America. Heroes such as Captain John W, Ripley of Dong Ha, Medal of Honor recipients, and overall troops that gave the ultimate sacrifice were forgotten for a brief period.
The 1986 during the Vietnam war, the slaughter at My Lai Massacre “is an instance of a class of violent acts that can be described as sanctioned massacres (Kelman, 1973): acts of indiscriminate, ruthless, and often systematic mass violence, carried out by military or paramilitary personnel while engaged in officially
Kelman, Herbert C., Hamilton, V. Lee. “The My Lai Massacre: A Military Crime of Obedience”. Writing & Reading for ACP Composition. Ed. Thomas E. Leahey and Christine R. Farris. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2009. 266-277. Print.
The world’s history is majorly shaped by mega wars that happen both inside and outside the boundaries of individual nations. Almost every sovereign state in the world had to forcefully liberate itself from its colonizers and oppressors mainly through warfare. For instance, America had to fight a long and exhausting revolutionary war against the British before it could attain its independence in 1783, likewise is the fate of many other nations. It is important to understand the two distinct types of wars that exist and their implications. Guerrilla warfare and the conventional military warfare are two types of war that are very different in their execution and military approach. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the similarities and differences existing between the American war in Vietnam and the American Revolution (Vetter, 1997).
U.S. political and military difficulties in Iraq have prompted comparisons to the American war in Vietnam. Unfolding events in Iraq have caused some observers to make analogies to the American experience in the Vietnam War. There are many reasons why most Americans believe that Iraq is becoming the new Vietnam, with U.S. troops getting shut down in a bloody war and occupation of a violent area. There are plenty of ways to compare and contrast the Vietnam and Iraq war. Many people have viewed Vietnam as a completely different war from the current one in Iraq. Despite these claims I have still noticed that there are many comparisons that have been made between the war in Iraq and the Vietnam War.
The war in Vietnam and the war in Iraq differ in many ways such as; the reason for war, US support, the cost, number of deaths, and the time and place. In this essay I am going to compare the Vietnam War with the war in Iraq describing three ways in which the war in Vietnam differs from the war in Iraq. Three of the ways the two wars differ are the reason for war, number of deaths, and the cost.
the guards began mistreating the prisoners, not physically, but emotionally and psychologically, taking advantage of the power and authority appointed to them by the experimenter (Zimbardo 109). Crimes of obedience and mistreatment to other human beings are not only found in Milgrim’s and Zimbardo’s experiments. In 1968, U.S. troops massacred over 500 villagers in My Lai. The incident is described by social psychologist Herbert C. Kelman and sociologist V. Lee Hamilton in the article “The My Lai Massacre: a Crime of Obedience.” Lt. William Calley, charged with 102 killings, claims to have followed orders from his superiors, only accomplishing his duty, which is also a theme throughout the movie, A Few Good Men. After presented with a request from William Santiago, a marine on his base, to be transferred, Jessup refuses. The film depicts, through Colonel Jessup 's authority, the refusal to obey a reasonable request as well as the pride one possesses when fulfilling his duty
On March 16, 1968, in the Quang Ngai region of Vietnam, specifically My Lai, the United States military was involved in an appalling slaughter of approximately 500 Vietnamese civilians. There are numerous arguments as to why this incident even had the capacity to occur. Although some of the arguments seem valid, can one really make excuses for the slaughter of innocent people? The company that was responsible for the My Lai incident was the Charlie Company and throughout the company there were many different accounts of what happened that reprehensible day. Therefore there are a few contradictions about what had occurred, such as what the commanding officers exact instructions for the soldiers were. Even with these contradictions the results are obvious. The question that must be posed is whether these results make the American soldiers involved that day “guilty”. There is the fact that the environment of the Vietnam War made it very confusing to the soldiers exactly who the enemy was, as well as providing a pent up frustration due to the inability to even engage in real combat with the enemy. If this is the case though, why did some soldiers with the same frustrations refuse the orders and sit out on the action, why did some cry while firing, and why then did one man go so far as to place himself between the Vietnamese and the firing soldiers? If these men who did not see the sense in killing innocents were right with their actions, then how come the ones who did partake were all found not guilty in court? The questions can keep going back and forth on this issue, but first what happened that day must be examined.
The Cherokee marched through, biting cold, rains, and snow. Many people died during this trip from starvation, diseases, exposure, and vagaries of unknown terrains. Those who recounted this journey in later years spoke of a trip that was filled with tears borne of immense suffering and deaths during this trip and thus the name Trail of Tears. Modern scholars and champions of human rights have described this event as one of the most notorious genocides during the 19th Century. This paper will therefore attempt to prove that, the Cherokee community suffered human right atrocities from the American government shortly before and during the Trail of Tears.
...nd innocent villagers of My Lai, it was a time when American’s questioned their own as being “bad guys” or “good guys”. Were America’s tortuous and cruel acts to be considered patriotic or dishonorable? Some Americans, with bitter feelings for all the American lives lost in the Vietnam War, gave credit to Lieutenant Calley for leading troops in participating in such an atrocious event. History shows that there is still much debate on some facts of the massacre and many stories and opinions, although we will never know the facts exactly, what we do know is that America will never forget this tragic event, it will be talked about in American History for many years to come, and the Vietminh hearts will always fill with sadness when they think of the many lives that were lost on that tragic day in history, their minds will always have unspeakable memories of that day.
Individual actions affect many things around them, inculdeing the lives and well being of others. There is some debate as to what degree anothers actions will impact another person, in any given situation. In Dr. Bethune's case, his actions would have arguabley been life changinging to others, and in both positive and negative ways. In my own situation my actions have impacted others both ways with out me even knowing it. Your action's spin off on other people around you will affect the lives of theres in both a positive and negative way, and most often with out you being conciously aware of it.
The paranoia and fear of death never left them. The My Lai Massacre occurred in 1968, when the village of My Lai was completely destroyed, although it did not contain a single enemy troop. Over a hundred villagers were slaughtered. It became clearer to Americans how soldiers were losing control, and how there was no easy way to win this war.