Roles Of Women During The Vietnam War - 1291 Words

The roles of women and men in the Vietnam War varied greatly due the stereotypical characterizations of society. While women were not included in the draft, protected from its brutality and tragedies, men were forced from their homes, enlisted in the army. In O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, women are portrayed as apathetic towards Vietnam soldiers. They are the homebound sex, too fragile and moral to be aware of the world outside their own, and unable to empathize with the emotional baggage that the soldiers carry. Through The Things They Carried, O’Brien characterizes women as ignorant and thus, insensitive towards the men’s pain in war. Women often write letters to the soldiers, but they are inconsiderate of the hardships that the soldiers endure at war. For Lieutenant Cross, Martha writes long letters back and forth with him, but rare do they ever speak of Cross’s life in battle. Merely, the only time war was mentioned was to say, â€Å"Jimmy, take care of yourself† (2). Martha writes pages of letters regarding her life at home, but does not put in the effort to ask about Jimmy, who risks his life every day. Simply, she tells Jimmy to â€Å"take care,† which is a colloquial phrase without any personal sentiment behind it, one not adequate enough to say that she is truly interested or cares about Cross. As a college student in the states, Martha is wrapped up in her own life, uninformed about the worldwide events, such as the Vietnam War. Because of this lack of knowledge, sheShow MoreRelatedThe Vietnam War ( 1955-1975 )1575 Words   |  7 PagesThis investigation focuses on the Vietnam War (19 55-1975), and will explore the question: â€Å"To what extent did role of Vietnamese women in society change after the Vietnam War?† The investigation will focus on the years 1945-1987, to analyze their role prior to the war, as well as after. The first source to be evaluated is The Position of Women in Vietnam, written by Richard J. Coughlin in 1950. The origin of this source is valuable because it was written during the time period that this investigationRead MoreThe Vietnam War Of Vietnam1534 Words   |  7 Pages The Vietnam War began November 1st, 1955 and ended April 30th, 1975. It was a long costly war that involved North Vietnam and their Southern allies, known as Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its main ally the United States. This war was very unpopular at home and would end with the withdrawal of the United States and the unification of Vietnam under communist control. Many think of war as something that just men are involved in but very rarely do people think of the role of women in the warRead MoreInfluence of the Media in the Anti-War Movement of the 60s and 70s1600 Words   |  7 PagesDuring his testimony to the Senate Committee of Foreign Relations, John Kerry mentioned that in his opinion, †Å"there is nothing in South Vietnam which could have happened that realistically threatens the United States of America.† In that same testimony, Kerry discussed that most people â€Å"did not even know the difference between communism and democracy. They only wanted to work in rice paddies without helicopters strafing them and bombs with napalm burning their villages and tearing their country apartRead MoreThe Vietnam Womens Memorial Foundation Essay583 Words   |  3 Pages There is little official data on female Vietnam War veterans, because the military mostly favored recording the achievements of men in the army. The Vietnam Womens Memorial Foundation estimate that approximately 11,000 women were stationed in Vietnam from 1962 to 1973. Only about ten percent of women served as soldiers. The ones who did were normally treated as second class soldiers; their role was perceived only as a helpmate instead of a soldier, and they were often put in dangerous situationsRead Mor eWomen During The Vietnam War1294 Words   |  6 PagesWomen were a heavy presence in the Vietnam war. While 1/3 of the men in the Vietnam were drafted; most of the women volunteered. Many women wanted to escape having to settle down and get married and some had something to prove to their families. While others just wanted to help their country. 90% of the women were nurses, but they were also air traffic controllers, physicians, intelligence officers, clerks, among the positons. In the 1960’s, American women took a role and supported their countryRead MoreWomen During The War : The Silent Heroes1676 Words   |  7 Pages Women in the war: the silent heroes When the war broke out many men were deployed to fight but, without the help of women many of the men would have never survived. Between 4,000 and 15,000 women were sent to Vietnam for various reasons. Approximately 90% of the women were nurses. Though most of the women were nurses a select few were there in all military branches. Even though these women were in the specific branches they never fought on the frontline. The WAC, Women s Army CooperationRead MoreThe Role Of Women In The Things They Carried1203 Words   |  5 Pagesshort stories about Tim O’Brien’s, recollections of his time as a soldier in the Vietnam War. This novel depicts the experiences and effects of the Vietnam war on the lives of the American soldiers. O’Brien informs the readers that the stories may not be completely true or moral but that’s the point of a true war story. In the novel, O’Brien introduces characters by the items they carried. The thoughts of women or items women had given to these men were often recognized in the book. O’Brien incorporatedRead MoreMajor Historical Turning Points in Americas Current Society1650 Words   |  7 PagesMajor Historical Turning Points in Americas Current Society Name Institution Date Major Historical Turning Points in Americas Current Society Two greatest historical turning points in the World War II through 1970s Many historical events happened in the II world war as rescored in the 1970s. One of the major happenings was the Kent State shootings that happened in May 4, 1970. Ohio National Guardsmen were on duty as they guarded students who were on a strike in Kent state college. One ofRead MoreEssay on Nursing During the Vietnam War675 Words   |  3 PagesNursing During the Vietnam War The Vietnam War was the longest war ever fought by U.S. military forces. U.S. personnel were engaged from 1961 until 1973. Approximately 10,000 U.S. military women served in Vietnam during the war. Most were members of the Army, Navy, and Air Force Nurse Corps. All of the Army nurses were volunteers who attended a six-week basic training class, and then were assigned to one-year stunts in Vietnam hospitals and mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) units. Most ofRead MoreThe Battle Of The Vietnam War Essay1431 Words   |  6 Pagesdiscussion of the Vietnam War was never far from people’s minds. This war would serve as an introduction to what war was to the home front. It was in the homes of America where so many had been previously sheltered from the realities of war. During previous conflicts, there had been a military censorship on all media that pertained to war. This would not be the case in Vietnam, it would be completely uncensored. The ability for reporters to provi de a commentary on the war without censorship