Larry Hall The Untold Experience Analysis

My grandfather, who fought in Vietnam, is a hero. I appreciate what he and our founding fathers and veterans have given us, they gave us freedom and hope for the future.

Tunnel rat- A specially trained Soldier who entered into man made tunnels in Vietnam to search for equipment, documents and prisoners. The American tunnel rat had to crawl or slide through long, narrow and most of the time pitch black tunnels. They faced death every time they entered a tunnel. The tunnels contained various items such as booby traps, mines, snakes and rats. In damp black holes made for slim Vietnamese Soldiers, most American tunnel rats found the tunnels to be claustrophobic panic almost uncontrollable (Bykofsky, 1985, April 30)

A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo shows the hard work and difficult tasks the men had to go through to prove themselves and protect their country. The war will change the men’s attitudes and the way they do everything. Men made sacrifices in the Vietnam War most people would never make in a lifetime, they will not just sacrifice but push themselves physically harder than most any other men. The men will also emotionally change from constantly watching other men die, or killing other men. The mens first kill was always the hardest for them, mentally they had so many thoughts of the other mans close ones back home and what they would go through and how it would be all their fault. Men went through so many tasks during the Vietnam War physically and mentally.

The American Revolution marked the history of many heroic events that immaculately stand as true inspirations for the generations to come in the United States. Even today, the gallantry of a few soldiers that won independence for the country is not only kept in the hearts of the people but run in the American blood to demonstrate acts of valor at times of war and hardships. One such story recorded in the history dates back to 1776, about a sixteen-year old juvenile, Joseph Plumb Martin, joined the Rebel Infantry and recorded his tribulations about forty-seven years in a memoir titled as “A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier”.

Within Tim O’Brien’s novel, each character has a different idea as to what courage truly means. In the short story “On The Rainy River,” Tim faces the moral decision of whether or not to join the war. Being the stubborn man he is, Tim believes he is too good for the war, all the while opposing war in his liberal nature. He faces a dilemma in which he can either flee to Canada and evade the war, or accept his draft notice and go to war. This is illustrated as Tim states “Right then,

Tim O’Brien’s uncommon ending sentence that have caught many people by surprise in the story, “Where have you gone, Charming Billy?” which was wrote as a historical fiction that revolves around the Vietnamese war. It leads you to O’Brien’s perspective on why war is bad. The story also shows how things are not okay, even after the war. O’Brien shows the realities of war through repetition of thoughts about fear, how soldiers deal with it, and the effect it has on their actions.

In the elite community of Navy SEAL heroes, Chris Kyle has surged above the rest of the community and distinguishes himself as unique. American Sniper is a retired Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle 's autobiography on how he became the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history, with more than 160 official kills in the Iraq war from 2003 to 2009. This autobiography gives insight to what it is like fighting in war, and protecting American lives.

During the Vietnam War the soldiers, whether or not they wanted to be there, many of them developed mental illnesses. The things they would experience would cause burdens on them for the rest of their lives. “Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers until he was shot in the head outside the village of Than Khe in mid-April.” (The Things They Carried) Lavender carried tranquilizers until he died, because he was scared. This is one the effects war had on people. Due to cultural aspects these soldiers were burdened by drugs, the environment and social pressure to perform well, ultimately effecting their state of mind.

The historical identity of the African American military experience is deeply rooted in the life and legacy of author Wallace Terry. His legacy has been immortalized in the scores of periodicals and columns he authored throughout his career. Well-read and well-traveled, he brought a balanced context to the field of journalism. To date, he is one of Black America’s greatest contributors to African American journalism. The climax of his career subsisted in the midst of national turmoil. During this time, African Americans were trying to define their Blackness and their humanity in a land where they were treated second class. Author Wallace Terry put in words the thoughts that spun through the minds of the African American community,

Readers, especially those reading historical fiction, always crave to find believable stories and realistic characters. Tim O’Brien gives them this in “The Things They Carried.” Like war, people and their stories are often complex. This novel is a collection stories that include these complex characters and their in depth stories, both of which are essential when telling stories of the Vietnam War. Using techniques common to postmodern writers, literary techniques, and a collection of emotional truths, O’Brien helps readers understand a wide perspective from the war, which ultimately makes the fictional stories he tells more believable.

Today, I am reminded of a saying: “there are places in the heart that do not exist, pain must be so that they may be”. In the past, I reasoned this saying to be a metaphor for compassion…that as we work through our pain, we become more connected and loving toward others. What I discovered is; that introspective examination assigning the meaning to pain and painful events is soul work while the work of connecting and loving others is a good but superficial start.

“I don’t do this for the medals or awards, I do this for my country and the men next to me.”-Sgt. Restrepo (history.com). For a couple years U.S navy seals and marines have been fighting in the Korengal valley in Afghanistan. This has affected our culture by remembering the ones who were brave and gave their lives for us. Bravery is something that’s very hard to do. But many U.S. soldiers in the Korengal Valley were very brave. That’s what this essay is about.

America’s war heroes all have the same stories to tell but different tales. Prescribed with the same coloring page to fill in, and use their methods and colors to bring the image to life. This is the writing style and tactic used by Tim O’Brien in his novel, “The Things They Carried”. Steven Kaplan’s short story criticism, The Undying Certainty of the Narrator in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, provides the audience with an understanding of O’Brien’s techniques used to share “true war” stories of the Vietnam War. Kaplan explains the multitude of stories shared in each of the individual characters, narration and concepts derived from their personal experiences while serving active combat duty during the Vietnam War,

Imagine flying through the air in a plane and below you is all gunshots and explosions. His name is Paul Shingleton, he was born in Indiana and when he graduated he went straight to the military. Paul participated in the Vietnam War. Paul said, “Experiencing the war and being in it changed my life forever.” Paul lived in Indiana with his mom, dad, and two sisters. His dad passed away when he was still young due to a car accident. He did not attend college instead he went straight to the military. His mom passed away just recently due to old age. The Vietnam War started November 1 1955 to April 30 1975. To him flying a plane in Vietnam was like flying a plane in a Disney movie. Paul Shingleton was born on the year 1945. He was promoted to Sergeant

In 2013 when Viet Thanh Nguyen began to write The Sympathizer, it had been 40 years since the Vietnam War. It had been 40 years since French and American military involvement ravaged a once beautiful countryside and littered lush forests with napalm. It had been 40 years since 2 million people were displaced from their country and left to die in the Pacific Ocean. In those 40 years, many works were published about the Vietnam War. These stories came from many, contrasting, perspectives. Young or old, male or female, the war was told differently by every person who was involved in the battle, no matter how small their role. Despite the cacophony of standpoints vying to tell the definitive tale of what happened in Vietnam, the perspective of