Did this book change your views on the Vietnam war?

DonnaKay · Post by **DonnaKay** » 18 Nov 2019, 10:00

This book is rich in history and I have learnt so much about the Vietnam war that I haven't read or heard before.

maxiphemmax · Post by **maxiphemmax** » 18 Nov 2019, 10:42

I only read and heard a few songs on the Vietnam war, but this book has really given a deep insight into how the saga went down. However, the treatment given to the good soldiers was really uncalled for.

Manali_DC · Post by **Manali_DC** » 19 Nov 2019, 00:29

Having recently returned from a trip to Vietnam, I saw and heard the stories of the War first hand. Visited the tunnels used for the guerrilla fighting and went to the War museum. It was horrifying to see the destruction and devastation of the war and the effects of Agent Orange! Wars are messy and horrible and after you have seen what war does to the people, you can never understand "Why" it was fought in the first place!

djr6090 · Post by **djr6090** » 19 Nov 2019, 11:12

Manali_DC wrote: ↑19 Nov 2019, 00:29 Having recently returned from a trip to Vietnam, I saw and heard the stories of the War first hand. Visited the tunnels used for the guerrilla fighting and went to the War museum. It was horrifying to see the destruction and devastation of the war and the effects of Agent Orange! Wars are messy and horrible and after you have seen what war does to the people, you can never understand "Why" it was fought in the first place!

I agree. Somehow the "why" becomes much less important in retrospect.

AdamRedWolf · Post by **AdamRedWolf** » 19 Nov 2019, 11:35

It's hard to believe new information about the war in Vietnam is still surfacing.

Dispatches by Michael Herr (the book on which the movie Full Metal Jacket is based) gave me a fascination with the Vietnam War I'd never had before. It was a war of lies, and I think that's what makes it so different from others in US history. We're seeing more wars like that today - impossible to glorify.

Erick Muyesu · Post by **Erick Muyesu** » 19 Nov 2019, 14:54

I've only learned of the Vietnam War in movies and books. This book seems to be lead to some knowledge of the Vietnam War.

BookPower9 · Post by **BookPower9** » 19 Nov 2019, 20:59

When there is a Victim of the Bad system of the Country, it does not Permit the Victim to hurt others too. Because collateral damage is a Selfish Thought.

Erin Dydek · Post by **Erin Dydek** » 19 Nov 2019, 22:27

I knew that Vietnam vets did not receive a warm welcome when they came home, but I had no idea that the VA turned against them by manipulating the eligibility for health benefits. It appears that no one thought about the consequences of dumping thousands of gallons of Agent Orange. The Navy sailors had no idea the affects that drinking the desalinated water would have in their futures. It just makes the outcome of the war that much more tragic.
Zach’s reflections on how the civilians in Vietnam were innocent people mixed up in a mess opened my eyes as well. In war, it always seems like the news broadcasts about the bad guys getting killed, but we don’t think a lot about the everyday people just trying to make a life who lose everything to war.

amandathebibliophile · Post by **amandathebibliophile** » 19 Nov 2019, 22:55

I haven't read this book, but I always feel sad about war -- no matter which one. That being said, I am of the "lucky" group mentioned, who hasn't personally experienced it. I always appreciate reframing narratives that we take for granted as true, and I'm sure I would value any new insight a book such as this might offer on the experience of this heartbreaking war.

Laura Lee · Post by **Laura Lee** » 20 Nov 2019, 12:10

I haven't finished the book yet, but so far it hasn't changed my opinion of the Vietnam War. I see war--and this one in particular--as a gross waste of life. War is a game of chess played by old men using living chess pieces. I'd far rather see all the war hawks of every country gathered in an arena and let THEM duke it out. They'd be far less careless of our young people's lives if their own lives were on the line.

Hannalore · Post by **Hannalore** » 20 Nov 2019, 12:24

I appreciate the book has much information on Vietnam war on a perspective that is not present in many books written about this war.

Nuel Ukah · Post by **Nuel Ukah** » 20 Nov 2019, 21:47

Herbstlicht wrote: ↑13 Nov 2019, 04:14 Wars are messy, and we can consider ourselves lucky if we only read about it in books. I love reading military novels, as it brings me one step closer to understanding wars and people, as history is often biased and only one-sided.

What are the things you learned about the Vietnam war that you weren't familiar with? To me, it became clear (once again!) how quick we are to judge the people living under a communist rule without properly understanding they are also victims of their system. I also learned about how unfair even the "just" system can become towards people who have risked their lives and their entire existence. And unfortunately, the "why" still isn't clear to me. Why this war was fought, who won, and whether it was worth it all.

I don't understand to what end the war was fought? Innocent people, properties, resources, etc. All gone for nothing. Well, I'm grateful I wasn't born in the era of the wars. Very terrible.

Nuel Ukah · Post by **Nuel Ukah** » 20 Nov 2019, 21:50

DC Brown wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 02:07 Yes, this has changed my view of the Vietnam conflict. I was a teen during the Vietnam WAR. We saw it on the news every night. It didn't affect me then, but this book has now. It was pointed out that the men in Washington only directed the war as if it was a stage for the enlisted men to play on. What a travesty this war was and all the other wars that have been fought through the ages.

I can't imagine the terror.

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 21 Nov 2019, 20:11

DC Brown wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 02:12
Herbstlicht wrote: ↑13 Nov 2019, 04:14 Wars are messy, and we can consider ourselves lucky if we only read about it in books. I love reading military novels, as it brings me one step closer to understanding wars and people, as history is often biased and only one-sided.

What are the things you learned about the Vietnam war that you weren't familiar with? To me, it became clear (once again!) how quick we are to judge the people living under a communist rule without properly understanding they are also victims of their system. I also learned about how unfair even the "just" system can become towards people who have risked their lives and their entire existence. And unfortunately, the "why" still isn't clear to me. Why this war was fought, who won, and whether it was worth it all.
I had family that fought in Vietnam. They have never talked about it. Even though it was front and center every night on the news, I did not know much of what this book brought out. The Navy? Millions of gallons of Agent Orange? Desalinators on the ships that concentrated the runoff? I knew none of those things.

I had two older brothers who were in Vietnam. The never talked about it either. I have learned so much from this book that I didn't know.

Hester3 · Post by **Hester3** » 22 Nov 2019, 02:04

I didn't know much about the Vietnam war before I started to read this book, I am only halfway through the book now but I have learned a lot already. War always seems to be pointless and filled with loss when we look back, but when you are in that situation it might look different.