I personally do not understand war at all. I have no way to relate to war since I don’t have any relatives who have gone to war or anybody close for that matter. And in my family, war has never been a conversation topic at all. What I really don’t understand, is that wars are between countries, between political leaders. But in wars, it is the civilians who fight, some are glad to go, but others are drafted against their will. And during all of this, the main political leaders, the ones who want the war to happen, the ones who have a disagreement with each other are the ones who don’t fight. They are the ones who aren’t risking their own lives in the war field. They don’t go face-to-face with war, they just stare at it from the outside. Also, besides the soldiers that die in war, there are also the innocent civilians who get killed in the way. I really don’t think that war is a fair way to resolve a dispute between countries. Killing innocent lives is not the answer. 
I didn’t know much about the Vietnam War, so I read some information about it in http://www.vietnampix.com/. North Vietnam wanted to take control of the South Vietnam government with the help of China and Russia, to gain control of the entire country. The United States, fearing that communism would spread even more; they and entered the war against North Vietnam.
The image that resonates with my understanding is the one where the soldiers are marching. The looks on their faces don’t show a determined attitude, they don’t look happy to be fighting,
they don’t look happy at all. And the other image just shows how innocent lives, who are not part of the army, get killed in wars. “Civilians lie dead and a South Vietnamese soldier still sits in his jeep after being shot in the head by a team of hit-and-run Vietcong in 1968. Vietnamese children are running past and looking at the charred and dismembered bodies” (http://www.vietnampix.com//).
I didn’t know much about the Vietnam War, so I read some information about it in http://www.vietnampix.com/. North Vietnam wanted to take control of the South Vietnam government with the help of China and Russia, to gain control of the entire country. The United States, fearing that communism would spread even more; they and entered the war against North Vietnam.
The image that resonates with my understanding is the one where the soldiers are marching. The looks on their faces don’t show a determined attitude, they don’t look happy to be fighting,
they don’t look happy at all. And the other image just shows how innocent lives, who are not part of the army, get killed in wars. “Civilians lie dead and a South Vietnamese soldier still sits in his jeep after being shot in the head by a team of hit-and-run Vietcong in 1968. Vietnamese children are running past and looking at the charred and dismembered bodies” (http://www.vietnampix.com//). 
4 comments:
I first want to start out by saying that I like the picture of the Vietnamese man on the street. It shows exactly how greusome this war really was. Another thing is that I'm glad I was not the only one who did not know a whole lot about the Vietnam War. In my history classes, we did not talk about it, and I think it's because it was a war that America lost...I like the statement you made about war being between countries and political leaders, but civilians are the ones who are doing the fighting. It is all too true. I think that if one of those who started the war actually did the fighthing, wars would be lesser and lesser...
I think you made a great point when you touched on the army are not the only ones at risk but innocent civilians. No matter how many promises are made by the army of government, innocent people will always get hurt. If the war has to be fought, let the army and the government resolve the issue. Why should innocent people, who often do not agree with the war get caught in the middle of horrific violence that leads to death. However, how can this issues be resolved? My answer is simple, as long as there is war, innocent lives will be taken. Leaders and the army will go to extremes to become the winner of the battle, even if that means taking out innocent lives.
I am in full agreement with your inability to understand the logic behind war. It makes no sense for the members of a society to fight in the battles declared by political officials. I suppose I am naïve in my beliefs that countries should be content with leading their own lives considering we live in country that is notorious for intervening in the political happenings of other countries. Even more ironic, is that the U.S. government convinces our people that the war is being fought for the well-being of the other country because it is somehow our duty to spread democracy in the same manner Christianity was spread during the crusades, through bloodshed.
Great collaboration in this discussion, Group 6 :) Thanks, Cristina, for getting this discussion off to a good start with your insightful post!
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