I wanted to talk a little about the movie Hearts and Minds that we previously watched in class. I'm really not quite sure what to think. In one corner I'm wondering if the movie was filmed to be one side, and on the other side... "where we just actually over there killing people for no good reason?" I lean more towards the rational corner cause I'm pulled to it like a dog its' bone. It is true that they interviewed a lot of Vietnam civilians who lost their family and homes to the bombs of the Americans. It is also true that they showed mainly war footage of the Americans wrecking their nations and of no Vietmanese fighting back. Based on what we saw in the movie you could conclude that it was filmed on sided and their was actually more to it. I have no doubt that their was more to it, but I believe a lot of the movie was filmed very acurately. We started the war for what we thought was a good cause, to rid Vietnam of communism. But this is just like any other war we faught, "once you get in and shit gets deep, it's hard to pull out." This war was no different. The U.S. went over thinking it was helping the world and then things just went to hell.
Since a lot of what made up the U.S. soldiers were younger men they did not really have a sense of the task at hand. They were taught to kill and so they did. Anything and everything they killed without even thinking. Just caught up in the moment, sleeping anything that moved. It was like an operation gone bad, and one I'm sure the U.S. would love to had buried deeper into the earth. What happend?
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Ok...I didn't think the film was one sided at all. Are you thinking one sided as far as Vietnam vs. USA? The movie was about "pro-war" side and "anti-war" side in the United States. I think it goes a lot further than "Shit got deep"; there were lies, deception, miscommunications...and who knows what else that people still don't know about today among the “stories” that were told. What is said under the table and at press conference I have no doubt are two different things.
As far as the last paragraph...I think the question is, when do you have the sense of killing and being in war, at what age or what psychological stage of development does this come in exactly? I think that when it comes to killing in war...you are always a baby just holding on to your diaper trying not to piss yourself. You say the US soldiers were just taught to kill, but that's exactly what are enemies are taught too. The whole reason behind the start of a war is one person is taught one thing and another is taught something differently. Both are just doing what they see is moral, honorable and patriotic to their respected nation(s) “under” God, Allah, Buddha...etc. Both sides are shooting "blind" because we are shooting each others "eyes" out.
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