Our second project of the semester was the Truth of War project, which was based on the premise of studying and analyzing the Vietnam War. In the Truth of War project our ultimate goal was to be able to determine what is true in war and what is not. In this project we used text and writing pieces to be able to accurately understand truth in war, and be able to identify it if the opportunity had arisen. We read stories from the book "The Things They Carried" and analyzed the text to deepen our understanding of what the actual truth of war represented in this book was. We also were instructed to conduct a timed write, that was based on the premise of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. We were answering the question; What really happened? This was done while using 21st Century Reading Skills and TEA paragraphs to format the actual essay.
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As part of our Vietnam War project, we were also instructed to conduct an interview with a veteran. We asked our veterans questions to encourage them to open up, and also recorded the interview to be uploaded to StoryCorps.Com. The actual interview was extremely intense, as the veteran I had interviewed had served on the front lines and had killed several men and seen more blood than could be imagined. His stories were challenging to wrap my head around and to comprehend the extent of his descriptions of war, and so I found it challenging to not sit with my jaw open wide. Yes it was that intense. My veteran taught me that war is a mess, and that unless you are willing to experience loss and pain, you are not cut out to serve. He also taught me that no matter what your taught, nothing prepares you for the pain that come from killing a human being. Overall? This interview was a success, and allowed me to deepen my understanding of both war and the recovery process that is required to cure PTSD. The interview is attached below.
After reading and analyzing the book “The Things They Carried”, written by Tim O’Brien, we were instructed to participate in a Socratic seminar, which allowed us to share ideas and answer ‘deeper meaning’ questions about the text. The seminar itself was by far one of the best that I have participated in given the full participation from the entirety of the group. In the past there has been domination from two or three people, and the rest would sit silently which attributed for a non-constructive environment, yet this seminar was far from that. I personally was able to cover all of the speaking categories within the rubric, which allowed (after completing each category) for me to speak freely and go deeper in my context. I honestly would not change anything about this seminar, which although seems a bit crazy, shows the extent of my satisfaction. I have learned a lot about “The Things They Carried”, but by far the most important aspect of this book is that of the ‘truth’ of war. This was an idea introduced by O’Brien through two key concepts: happening-truth and story-truth. O’Brien uses these to clarify that war stories do not need to be true to have a reader experience what it’s like to live through situations in war, and that sometimes by stretching the truth it allows the reader to experience war firsthand. That is hands down the most important lesson this story has taught me about the truth of war.
Another aspect of our Vietnam War project was using writing skills to conduct an in-class timed write essay, that would be focus on one specific event that has been attributed to starting the war. This event, of course, was the Gulf of Tonkin incident, and through reading documents and statements that were written and spoken at that time we were able to create a strong and viable solution; What really happened during the Gulf of Tonkin incident? We were introduced with this idea of using ‘Historical Thinking Skills’, which allowed us to contextualize, source, and find the deeper meaning of all of these documents. I feel I was able to use the sourcing skill best and to my advantage, as it allowed me to look into the actual author of the text, finding when the document was written and it even allowed me to open understandings even more based on the more thorough analyzing of the text. This part of the project was able to teach me that war can be misconstrued, and that sometimes to find out the real truth, one needs to look deeper into things happening around the time of said incident. I have not only learned how to utilize these skills for my advantage, but I have also learned that truth can be found, depending on how and where you look for it.
Ultimately this project allowed me to harness my writing and text analyzing skills to determine a final answer(s) on the truth(s) of war. I have been able to accurately determine that the truth of war, based on my opinion, is that despite the experience, in the end war will change you. It changed Tim O'Brien. It changed the life of the veteran I interviewed. And it's changed the lives of millions of other people. Whether the change is beneficial, or whether one suffers from it, it is clear that the truth of war is change.
Another aspect of our Vietnam War project was using writing skills to conduct an in-class timed write essay, that would be focus on one specific event that has been attributed to starting the war. This event, of course, was the Gulf of Tonkin incident, and through reading documents and statements that were written and spoken at that time we were able to create a strong and viable solution; What really happened during the Gulf of Tonkin incident? We were introduced with this idea of using ‘Historical Thinking Skills’, which allowed us to contextualize, source, and find the deeper meaning of all of these documents. I feel I was able to use the sourcing skill best and to my advantage, as it allowed me to look into the actual author of the text, finding when the document was written and it even allowed me to open understandings even more based on the more thorough analyzing of the text. This part of the project was able to teach me that war can be misconstrued, and that sometimes to find out the real truth, one needs to look deeper into things happening around the time of said incident. I have not only learned how to utilize these skills for my advantage, but I have also learned that truth can be found, depending on how and where you look for it.
Ultimately this project allowed me to harness my writing and text analyzing skills to determine a final answer(s) on the truth(s) of war. I have been able to accurately determine that the truth of war, based on my opinion, is that despite the experience, in the end war will change you. It changed Tim O'Brien. It changed the life of the veteran I interviewed. And it's changed the lives of millions of other people. Whether the change is beneficial, or whether one suffers from it, it is clear that the truth of war is change.