Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam is a video I watched in my American Studies class--thanks to Mr. G. It was real footage from the actual war and things that were going on at the time. Actors read the letters of soldiers who fought at Vietnam. I had to write an essay about it. This is my thoughts on how the video was a advocate for peace.
Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam is a film about Vietnam that is realistic. There are no reenactments and no scripts. It is filed only with truth, the way it really happened. By exposing the unclarity for the war and the brutality of the war, this film has become an advocate for peace. Many of the soldiers interviewed said the same thing. They were all prepared to fight for their contry. What were they fighting for? No one ever made it clear, and the general most certainly did not explain it to the soldiers. It was said that the soldiers were fighting to save American lives. The only American lives that needed to be saved were the ones that were sent to war. This must mean that things would have been fine for America
if the war had never taken place. One soldier commented on how the entire country was shocked when teh four college students in Ohio were shot dead but hardly took into consideration the thousands of dead in Vietnam. The American people did not even want this war. So why fight in a war with no cause when people can live peacefully and safely in their own homes with their families? Throughout the entire movie every letter said something about a friend dying, someone getting wounded, or the scariness of Vietnam. Many people back in the United States were protesting the war because they believed it was wrong. They knew that many were being killed needlessly whether it
be the Americans or the Vietnamese. Stories broke loose of civilians being killed. Along with this were the touching words of the soldiers describing the horrors they experience on a regular basis. The soldiers were depressed, tired, and hungry for peace. The film showed the dying and the dead. Numerous body bags and the funerals held for them were captured on film. The audience was taken in with the silent cries of the dead soldiers. These were cries to end the terrible violence. They truly wanted to rest in
peace. This film is filled with the brutality of the Vietnam war and never explains why it had to happen. Yes, this is "an eloquent cry for peace."
Please add your comments about either my essay, Vietnam, or both. Also, submit any question that you have.
