The sensitive subject of whether the 7th Calvary killed innocent men, women, and children at No Gun Ri arose years after the end of the Korean War. Some sources argue that the killings were unprovoked, while others claim that the Communist enemy was mixed within the refugee lines. One source claims the killings numbered over 350 innocent people and others claim it was a mere 35. Although there is a major discrepancy in the number of civilians killed, the fact that innocent men, women, and children were murdered does not disappear. Therefore, whether the casualties were 35 or 350, the United States army engaged in a massacre of innocent Korean refugees. Therefore, the killings at No Gun Ri can not be denied, whether they casualty count is high or low.
Some people can not fathom how the United States military could engage in such an action. However “Experts cite an absence of discipline and experience among the Americans, who had been badly shocked by the North Korean assault,” (Thompson, par. 7) as an explanation of why this could happen. This is not an uncommon theme when speaking of the soldier of the Korean War. Rudy Tomedi cites several examples of people who were never in the infantry being forced to become an infantryman. He uses the example of Bob Roy who states “Nine months before I’d been in the Military Police. M Company was originally an MP unit. Then one day they came around and said, ‘All right, you’re all in the infantry’” (Tomedi, 3). If this type of assignment was not uncommon during the Korean War, it is highly possible that those at No Gun Ri were just as unprepared to fight as Bob Roy was. If they were unprepared it is also quite possible that the soldiers panicked. General Ridgeway, who rose to be in command of the entire UN forces, claims that the United States’ forces were outnumbered, with low morale, and spread extremely thin. He claims “Every command post I visited game me the same sense of lost confidence and lack of spirit…It was not their doing that had brought them far understrength to this unfortunate country with major shortages in weaponry and insufficient clothing…” (Ridgeway, 87). With a military force in such bad shape the possibilities of it acting irrationally is very high.
After America was brought into the Second World War, The 82nd Infantry Division was reactivated back into the United States Army under the command of General Omar N. Bradley. With this division being reactivated meant there was many untrained and unexperienced men in this infantry division. Most of the soldiers volunteered after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. All of the paratroopers were volunteers. Bradley taught these men how to use a gun, conditioned these men to run for long periods of time, and made all these men muscularly stronger. By August 1942 the 82nd...
Twenty lives were lost, including two of the striker’s wives and eleven children, but only one of these lives belonged to the National Guard. With this in mind, it can be debated whether or not this event should be considered a battle or a massacre. Some have argued that, because of the striker’s retaliation, the event should be considered a battle, but because of previous abuse and the guard’s disregard for who they were firing at it and careless destruction, it should be considered a massacre.
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.
...owards complete absence of religious persecution, it served as a positive influence to neighboring colonies, and led to inspire the founders of America when writing the constitution.
Sitting in a dimly lit, smoke filled room on the second floor of a private club, a group of men discuss private matters in a hushed voice. These men, with elaborate body tattoos, flashy American cars, tight fitting shiny suits, and prostitutes on their arms are part of the Yakuza, an organized crime group in Japan similar to the Italian Mafia. With around 110,000 active members and around 2,500 crime families (Bruno, Anthony), the Yakuza is the most influential crime group in Japan. Even though modern police along with the Japanese government have the means required to end the group, the Yakuza have managed to exist for years. Despite the fact the the Yakuza is not nearly as powerful as they once were and are wanted by the police, they continue to exist today because of their acceptance in society, the large role that they play in many industries and corporations, and the firm political alliances that they possess with right-wing nationalists.
Abe, Kasho, and William O. Gardner. Beat Takeshi vs. Takeshi Kitano. Japan: Kaya Press ;, 20051994. Print.
Freedom of religion was first applied as a principle in the founding of the Maryland Colony in 1634. The Maryland Toleration Act, drafted by Lord Baltimore, provided:
Aroung the time of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the controversial and widely argued issue of gun control sparked and set fire across America. In the past decade however, it has become one of the hottest topics in the nation. Due to many recent shootings, including the well known Sandy Hook Elementary school, Columbine High School, Aurora movie theater, and Virginia Tech, together totaling 87 deaths, many people are beginning to push for nationwide gun control. An article published in the Chicago Tribune by Illinois State Senator Jacqueline Collins, entitled “Gun Control is Long Overdue” voiced the opinion that in order for America to remain the land of the free, we must take action in the form of stricter gun laws. On the contrary, Kathleen Parker, a member of the Washington Post Writers Group whose articles have appeared in the Weekly Standard, Time, Town & Country, Cosmopolitan, and Fortune Small Business, gives a different opinion on the subject. Her article in The Oregonian “Gun Control Conversation Keeps Repeating” urges Americans to look at the cultural factors that create ...
Legend of sorcery has been long lost in current day and age. Some opinionate it never existed, that it was forged purely for reasons of entertainment. However, many believe that this ancient power coursed through past civilizations. Druids were thought to be capable of this power, they were shamans, high ranking religious figures in a society. They were said to have the ability to see into the future, the power to heal, the power to destroy, and the power to communicate with animals and spirits not from this world. Druids lived in forests of tall oak trees, where under these magnificent oaks they laid homage. The oak tree was very sacred to these people, therefore they worshiped in sacred groves that were under the trees themselves. The precise meaning of the word, druid, is unclear to many historians. There are ancient Celtic words that are similar which mean “knowledge” and “oak”, they can be interpreted as “knowledge of the oak” or “great oak”. Due to their “so-called”rare abilities, druids were looked down upon and persecuted by Romans and Christians. As they didn’t want their scriptures to fall into unkindly hands, they were opposed to writing down these sacred matters. They were rumored to also perform human sacrifice with unlawful prisoners and convicts. Druids were thought to be barbaric savages but undoubtedly were creatures of advanced intellectual ability.
For decades, Uganda’s economy has suffered through disappointing economic policies and instabilities. These setbacks have been put forth by a chronically unreliable government, leaving it as one of the world’s poorest countries. Uganda’s weak infrastructure and corrupt government are two of the primary constraints against a continuation of economic growth. Uganda has ongoing military involvement in the War on Congo, wrongly taking money from the already deprived country and into the war. Many villages in Uganda also have to waste their precious money and time in pursuit of hiding places. They are faced with a group known as, The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). LRA is infamous for their twenty years of massacre and slaughter in Uganda, causing an estimated 1.5 million internally displayed persons. Several people are questioning why the LRA is still terrorizing the country and criticizing the government’s commitment to putting an end this horrific group. The Inspector General of Government (IGG) ...
The Yamaguchi is one of the main Yakuza gangs. Founded in 1915, the Yamaguchi are one of the largest and most powerful gangs in Japan. The Yamaguchi is the largest crime syndicate in Japan with over 55,000 members, 50% of all Yakuza. Their head office is in Kobe Within this gang, their members have been divided up into 850 clans. The Yamaguchi-gumi is extremely wealthy earning billions of dollars per year through weapon trafficking, assignation, loansharking, money laundering, gamblin...
Modern American culture thrives on the ancient religions of the Greeks and Romans. The Hellenistic myths are kept alive today in the popular culture of the western world. Yet little is commonly known of the religions and myths of the ancient people just to the north of the Romans; the Celts (7). The Celtic region spanned the British Isles, and the north western portion of the European continent from prehistoric times until the Roman invasion in the first century where the region shrunk to Ireland and Scotland (7). Though many conquered cultures managed to survive through Roman rule, the Celts did not (5). This essay explores the limitations of our knowledge of the Celtic religion, and ancient Irish culture, it details how we know what we know about Celtic beliefs, discusses the evolution of Irish culture from the early third century, up until the sixteenth century, and looks at the specific myths that have managed to survive to present day.
The Celtic people have a long history. They have been portrayed in films and other such forms of entertainment many times over. They are seen as a mystery to most. They are shrouded not only in their hooded cloaks but also in mysticism. Since Christian times Druids have been depicted as wizards, sorcerers, and soothsayers. In Pre-Christian times, however, they were revered as philosophers, judges, educators, historians, doctors, seers, astronomers, and astrologers.
...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.
In 1620, a large group of settlers moved into the New England area, and formed individual colonies. This group was known as the Puritans. The Puritans fled Europe in search of religious freedom, which was not granted by the Church of England. The church expected everyone to turn to the Catholic religion. They worked toward religious reforms, so they could purify the church and their own lives. However, they discovered the church was far beyond reform because it was so powerful (Kizer, Kay). They realized the only way to purify their lives was to break away from the Church of England. They came to America where they could freely practice their religion. At this point in time there was neither a law against nor ...