The Things they Carried Prompt #1

On Monday we will begin our unit on The Things They Carried, a memoir about a first-hand account of the Vietnam War. Before we begin reading, it is important that we learn about the Vietnam War to better understand the novel and engage the larger question of: Why did the Vietnam War occur? 
Because the French needed help controlling there territory, So the United States in order to help France and demolish communism joined the fight.

Respond to the following:

Most of you were young children when 9/11 occurred, so for the majority of your lives the United States has been at war or involved in international conflicts and/or occupations of countries around the world. Given this reality, respond to the following:

* What are your thoughts and beliefs about war? War is needed. It has been proven that diplomacy can't solve our problems. It is sad that we have to resort to war, but in order to get our points across it is needed.
* Do you feel that the United States should ever be involved in war?Why? Why not? Yes we should.  So far in every war including the Vietnam War we have acted morally. We fight for moral reasons so we should be involved in war.
* What do you know about the Vietnam War? I know that A bunch of cold war era politicians lied to the American people in order to fight in a "save-face" war. And I agree with them. We should of stayed in. At that time we were in high tension situations with the soviets. We were basically competing for world power. Losing a war to a country of rag tag militias would of been so bad politically it would of made us the laughing stock of the world. And it would of put us in a terrible position politically in the world. Morally was it right, no. But in the end was staying in so long the right decision yes.

What they carried

Along with a tremendous amount of gear the soldiers carried there emotions. Constant fear of death. The longing to go home and be with their families. The sadness for their fellow soldiers who have died alongside them. The feeling of anxiety, that they could be attacked at any second.

Ted Lavender was shot in the head while taking a piss outside of a cave. He was always high whether it was from weed or tranquilizers. Ted Lavender was constantly taking tranquilizers and always carried 6-8 ounces of weed. Ted Lavender succumbed to anxious pressures. He was a man of war. Drugs kept him steady. Drugs gave him a feeling that he couldn't have anywhere else. In a sense as the other decreased in moral and withered away he stayed mentally sane. Drugs also could of been the reason he died. Maybe the constant high began to wither his fear of death. Maybe the constant happy feeling made him forget. Fear was the only thing, for the most part keeping these men alive. The lack of the fear of death could of caused Ted to not be as cautious as he should have been leading to an untimely death.

They are all related because they all happened in the same time period.