Section 2:

Connor Whitesell

Vietnamese Declaration of Independence by Ho Chi Minh

This is the original text created by the provisional government of the Democratic
Republic of Vietnam. It was created in 1945 to express the Viet Minh movements ideas
about there freedom from the French colonists. It uses language from both the American
Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of the French Revolution. It states
thing such as: the French have oppressed the people of Vietnam, They deprive the
native Vietnamese of all democratic right and that they have enforced inhuman laws. It
also states that the Allied Nations should support their claim to independence because it
upholds self-determination and equality of countries. Finally it claims that Vietnam is
already a free and independent country.
When I read this source it resonated with the American with in me. What I mean
by this is the plea of the oppressed for freedom form the oppressor is something that I
think all Americans can understand at heart, it is what our country was founded upon. I
am also aware that Democratic Republics are not really Democratic. Because of this
fact I am unsure wether this is the Ideal of a few of the powerful people in Vietnam and
that the majority fallowed along because it was better the the French colonist rule. The
Author is also very good at the use of pathos or emotional appeal. He use this to make
the reader feel compassionate for the plight of the Vietnamese people.
One question I have is Did Ho Chi Minh come with this idea on his own or was
there outside influence? I ask this because for a single person to take up this endeavor
seems unlikely. I believe that he had an outside proponent giving him resources as well
as ideas to start the war. Minh seems like a man of the people but he started a
Communist Dictatorship this confuses and gives me more reason to question if had
outside help.
This is the first part of the Declaration of Independence created by Ho Chi Minh,
All men are created equal; they are endowed by their Creator
with certain inalienable Rights; among these are Life, Liberty, and the
pursuit of Happiness. This immortal statement was made in the
Declaration of Independence of the United States of America in 1776.
Ina broader sense, this means: All the peoples on the earth are equal

from birth, all the peoples have

a right to live, to be happy and free.
The Declaration of the French Revolution made in 1791 on the
Rights of Man and the Citizen also states: All men are born free and
with equal rights, and must always remain free and have equal
rights. Those are undeniable truths.
In this part he use both American and French wording. I believe he did this to create a
bigger impact upon the countries who read this. In using this wording I believe that he
makes it harder for the countries trying to suppress them because they are now
attacking there own Ideals
Connor Whitesell

The Impossible Victory: Vietnam; Howard Zinn

This is a chapter from Howard Zinns History is a Weapon: A people history of
the United Stated. In this chapter he is talking about the the events that took place
during the Vietnam war in both America and Vietnam. He describes the events leading
up to the war as well as some of the actions taken by the United States. Zinn also
speaks to the unease of the citizens of the United States about the atrocities that were
being committed by U.S. troops in Vietnam. Zinn believes that the war in Vietnam was
not necessary and that it was another case of the U.S. trying to impress its ideals on
another country. He also states that it the United States forged facts about what
happened in Vietnam to start the war.
When I first read this paper I was shocked and horrified by the thing that we had
done in Vietnam. I new that there was a lot of anger in that time towards what the
military was doing but I was unsure why. After reading about the atrocities the military
committed I know better understand the feelings of the people living in America at the
time. I know see that the issues surrounding this war went deeper then good and bad,
they turned into moral dilemmas as well as a search for the truth.
Since I first read this source I have researched the conflict against ISIS and I can
see the correlation between these two. Both of these war are focused on securing
American resources in foreign countries. In the Middle East it is to protect our oil while in
Vietnam it was to secure rubber trees. Another correlation is that the Vietnam war
started out with minimal military presence like what is happening right now with ISIS.

In 1963, the Undersecretary of State, U. Alexis Johnson, spoke before the

Economic Club of Detroit and said
What is the attraction that Southeast Asia has exerted for centuries on the
great powers flanking it on all sides? Why is it desirable, and why is it
important? First, it provides a lush climate, fertile soil, rich natural resources,
a relatively sparse population in most areas, and room to expand. The
countries of Southeast Asia produce rich exportable surpluses such as rice,
rubber, teak, corn, tin, spices, oil, and many others.
This is an example of how the U.S. was trying to secure it interest in the region. The
war in Vietnam was never about protecting the people it was about obtaining the
resources that where located in the region as well as land for growing.

Connor Whitesell

Platoon The Movie

This movie is focused around Chris Tayler and his experience in Vietnam. The
movie start out with him arriving in Vietnam for his one year rotation. Next he goes out
into the field with Sgt. Barnes and Sgt. Elias. They go out on an ambush and get
attacked this is the first action of the movie. For the duration of the movie there are
many fast pasted action scenes separated by time back at base camp and dialogue
between the main character and many other people in the movie. About half way
through the movie the Platoon enters a Vietnam village. Here they start to search for
enemy fighters. Barnes is convinced that they are present in the village and begins to
question a man about it. When the man say there is none of those people here, Barnes
kills his wife. Barnes now threatens the same mans child in hopes of getting the answer
that he wants. Elias see this and stops Barnes from killing the child. The Platoon then
gets orders to burn the village to the ground. After this all happens Tayler walks into a
seen where three American soldiers are rapping one of the villagers, he stops this.

As stated during one of Taylers monologs, I think now, looking back, we did not
fight the enemy; we fought ourselves. And the enemy was in us. This quote really stuck
out to me in that even though it seemed like the Vietnam soldiers were very connected
they had disagreements all the time in the ranks about the action that they where taking.
I find this interesting because it is much like the American civilians at the time had much
of the same tensions.
During this movie I felt a lot of sadness for both the Vietnamese villagers as well
as the American soldiers. The atrocities that were inflicted upon the villagers are
unforgivable . But the American soldiers suffered a lot too. They saw their comrades die
all the time in horrific manners. They also were sometimes forced to commit these
crimes that they new were wrong. They had no other option but to follow these orders.
One of the questions I had was, are the events in this movie pretty close to real
life. Also Did other soldiers really kill each other over disagreements in their actions like
Barnes and Elias did. The last one I have is, did these soldiers commit these terrible
actions because they were afraid of the people in the villages.
From the movie I was able to see the tension that was created in the ranks by the
decisions of the commanding officers. I will be able to use this to focus my future
research so that I can get more facts into my paper.

Connor Whitesell

They Didnt Know: Kyle Schlicher

This is a poem written by Kyle who is a veteran of the Vietnam war. In it he describes a
scene where there is a died soldier with ants crawling all over him. He then goes into
why he hates it there as well as saying that he does not want to be there and he does
not know why he volunteered. For me this poem was very moving, while I was reading
these line I could clearly see a died man there with ants moving about him. I could also

feel the hate that this soldier has for the people who started the unbelievable mess. I
can also see how he is tired of hating he states I watched the ants crawling over the
body, I wanted to hate them too! but they dont know and the hating had to stop
somewhere. This line shows that he believe that there is to much hate in the world at
this time and that he doesnt want to add any more. One thing I am wondering about this
piece is where did this events happen. Also I was wondering what made this soldier
write about this specific event and not something else. Was there a draft during the
Vietnam war, and why did he volunteer. What did the military say to get these men to
volunteer.
This poem reminds me of a poem we read last year called dulce et decorum est,
this title mean it is just and honorable to die for ones country. In this poem the author is
describing a scene where a group of soldiers get attacked by poisons gasses. It then
goes into describing how one of the soldiers begins dying from the gas attack and how
terrible it is. In the end of the poem he brings up the fact that it might not be just to die
for your country. This is much like this poem in that both authors are seeing that dying
for your country is not quite as great as what it is made out to be. From reading this I
have gotten another account of a soldier saying that the war was terrible. I also now
have some what of a visual understanding through the descriptions of the poem. I also
know have an account from a soldier that was there first hand. This is great because it
show a first hand view of what was happening there. I love poetry and this has really
helped me connect to this topic in way that I had not before. I know can see images of
what was happening there in my mind and not just have facts in my head. The Author
says,
i could see the ants
moving,
entering him
and
exiting him.
I am wondering if this has a deeper meaning for the war as a whole. I could see this as
either representation of the attacks done by the Vietcong or the American occupation.
What I mean by this is that the Vietcong would come out of nowhere and leave just as
quickly. This could represent the American representation in that we where not
welcomed here, like the ants and the body.

Connor Whitesell

Pentagon Paper; Summery

The summery of the pentagon paper is condensing the situation in Vietnam and
the standing of the United States. It talks about how there are six identifiable periods in
which American policy was varied. First there was the Anti-Vichy from 1940 to 1945.
Second the Pro-VietMinh from 1945 to 1946. Next Non-involvement1946 to June 1950.
Fourth Pro-French from 1950 to July1954. Fifth Non-military involvement 1954 to
November 1961. Finally Direct and full involvement from 1961-. The war had not ended
at this point so there is no end date. It then talks about how Roosevelt was anticolonialism. It states Roosevelt was determined to eliminate the french Indochina at all
costs. When Truman entered office the U.S. assured the French that it was never a
question about their sovereignty in Indochina.
I new that we where involved in Vietnam before the was but I was unaware for
how long and to what extent it was. After reading this I now see that we had long term
involvement and that we changed sides a few times. I am amazed that at points we
supported the Viet Minh movement and what they wanted. We then became their
biggest enemy.
I am wondering why we changed our view point throughout the years, was it
because we changed presidents? I am also wondering why we were so opposed to
French occupation in the first place? I am also want to know how we could go from
refusing assistance even minor movement of troops to being the biggest contributor to
the war.
It states, With British cooperation, French military forces were reestablished in South
Vietnam in September, 1945. The U.S. expressed dismay at the outbreak of guerrilla
warfare which followed. I wanted to study this quote because it really shows a different
part of the United States policy then what I was aware of. In this quote we see that the
U.S. was dismayed by the fact that there was fighting going on in Indochina. This is very
different from later years when they were the main fighters in Indochina. I find it
interesting how are view there changed so quickly. Was this because we saw
communism trying to root there.
Reading this will allow me to have some background information that I did not
have before. This will allow to make more informed arguments as well as opinions. I also

now understand that we had a different view at the beginning and that we did not always
want war.
Section 5:
Why did the opinion of America change so fast about the Viet Minh reign?
What did the majority of the U.S. troops think about their actions?
Why did France back out of Vietnam?
Part 6:

"Poetry of Vietnam War." Poetry of Vietnam War. N.p., n.d. Web.

18 Dec. 2014.
Platoon. Dir. Oliver Stone. Perf. Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe.
Orion
Pictures, 1986. DVD.
Chin, Ho Mi. "Vietnamese Declaration of Independence." Ho Chi
Minh,
Vietnamese Declaration of Independence, 1945 (n.d.):
n. pag. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
The Pentagon Papers. Boston: Beacon, 1971. Web.
"The Impossible Victory: Vietnam." The Impossible Victory:
Vietnam. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.