I'm currently reading the book We Are Soldiers Still. It is somewhat boring, but good. I am 158 pages in and it is very emotional with the soldiers' view on the war. 30 years after they fought in the war in Vietnam, Lieutenant General Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway return to Vietnam to research the area for their first book We Were Soldiers Once... And Young. They returned to Ia Drang to put their ghosts to rest. We Are Soldiers Still is about their journey through Vietnam and finding their old enemies to make amends.
A connection to the book is when I saw a show on the Discovery channel about World War 2 veterans going back to Normandy 60 years after D-Day to see what had changed since then. The beach changed from a red sea, tank stoppers, giant foxholes, and screaming to a beautiful blue ocean, nice smooth sand, and a calm and quiet atmosphere. The German bunkers were still on the hill watching over the beach. In the book I'm reading, they go back to Ia Drang and see beautiful forests, fields of flowers, and all other types of foliage. They heard lots of birds, monkeys, and other tropical life. Thirty years before, all they saw were muzzle flashes in the dense jungle that was on fire from napalm, foxholes from bombs and missiles, green tracer rounds coming at them and red going back. The only sounds they could hear were explosions, cracking of rifles, and screams.
When the men were fighting in Vietnam, all they saw was how the war was changing the landscape. When they went back to Ia Drang, they saw how nature was restored to its natural look and went over the disfigured land. The book was very similar to the show because both groups of American veterans go back to a place that was foreign and ravaged by war and when they returned they saw that it was very beautiful.
A connection to the book is when I saw a show on the Discovery channel about World War 2 veterans going back to Normandy 60 years after D-Day to see what had changed since then. The beach changed from a red sea, tank stoppers, giant foxholes, and screaming to a beautiful blue ocean, nice smooth sand, and a calm and quiet atmosphere. The German bunkers were still on the hill watching over the beach. In the book I'm reading, they go back to Ia Drang and see beautiful forests, fields of flowers, and all other types of foliage. They heard lots of birds, monkeys, and other tropical life. Thirty years before, all they saw were muzzle flashes in the dense jungle that was on fire from napalm, foxholes from bombs and missiles, green tracer rounds coming at them and red going back. The only sounds they could hear were explosions, cracking of rifles, and screams.
When the men were fighting in Vietnam, all they saw was how the war was changing the landscape. When they went back to Ia Drang, they saw how nature was restored to its natural look and went over the disfigured land. The book was very similar to the show because both groups of American veterans go back to a place that was foreign and ravaged by war and when they returned they saw that it was very beautiful.
Hey Connor, this is in my opinion one of your best entries! The one thing I want to point out from the beginning is that you spelled comparison wrong. You spelled it comaprison. Other than that minor detail... there were many positives! In the first sentence you used great vocabulary when you used the word, amends. I also thought that you made a very good and relevant connection to the show you saw. The only suggestion I have about your entries overall is that you elaborate on some of the war terms you use. You seem to really enjoy books with war-like settings and not everyone is knowledgable about that stuff (Considering that this is a public blog). For example, you talk about Veterans going back to Normandy after D-Day. I think that you should say after that sentence, "D-Day stands for... D-Day is...". That would make your writing enjoyable and comprehendible by everyone. Great job!
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting is that in both of these cases the men return to beauty. Have they reconciled the ugliness inside themselves due to their experiences? I mean, were they in any way upset that what caused them so much heartache at the time is now so beautiful and perhaps no one will see what they did? I think I would feel cheated and angry.
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