Karen Hernandez
Shima/Jereb
American Studies
20 March 2013
War?
When people hear the word war they imagine bombs, army, death, victory, and losses, but there is much more to war than these few simple words. In past and current wars and conflicts, the cost of war is permanently etched into this country and its people. Going and being in war has had drastic consequences to this country which haven’t been worth it in the end. From past and currents events it can be shown that war has never been worth the cost.
The Cold War is an example of this country not fighting for this country’s rights and believes but fighting for other countries problems. During the Cold War there were two major conflicts that severely impacted this country, the Korean conflict and the Vietnam conflict. After World War 2, Germany along with other axis countries had a lot of debts with the rest of the allied countries causing the economy to rise and eventually this country’s economy was doing extremely good. This action caused other unfortunate countries to seek our help economically. The first major conflict during this time was the Korean conflict. Korea was communist and they wanted communism to spread causing them to want to turn Greece communism. Although Greece is a small country if Korea would have gotten power over them then the domino affect would have taken action causing the countries around them to turn communist as well. This country wanted to stop communism at any cost so money was sent to Greece’s army to help them. Korea realized what was happening so they stopped their attacks. Korea never did anything to the U.S.A but this country lost money for helping another country. Ultimately this conflict in the Cold War was not worth it because we wasted away this country’s money just to stop communism.
The other major conflict during the Cold War was the Vietnam conflict. The Vietnam conflict was similar to the Korean Conflict. Communism was already spreading in Vietnam but this country wanted to stop communism spreading by helping south Vietnam against north Vietnam. A lot of deaths, injuries, and heartbreaks occurred during this war and a lot of money was spent as well. Vietnam turned neighboring country’s communists with the cost of major deaths on both sides. A lot of U.S.A soldiers died and the ones who survived are living with various illnesses and traumatic memories. Going into other countries conflicts is not only not necessary but it isn't this country’s problem.
The Good Soldiers by David Finkel is an amazing book that shows what war does to a good soldier. Taking place in Iraq it demonstrates the unnecessary events unfolding in an unnecessary conflict. This country went to “war” with Iraq believing they had dangerous weapons but when nothing was found they moved to Afghanistan thinking Afghanistan was a threat to the U.S.A. To this day nothing of danger was ever found in either country. Men lost lives and limbs. Wives, children, parents, family, friends, watched a good man disintegrate before their eyes for no reason. Demonstrated in Finkel’s book it can be shown that soldiers suffer emotionally when in duty. “Home it was a place than an act of imagination now, a realm fundamentally disconnected from what life had become,” (195). For the soldiers who are at war, everything they know becomes something they knew as months pass by. Everything they know as time passes is war and normality slips away from them each month going away at war. Being in war is a very heroic and traumatizing experience as it can be shown by Finkel it can be proved what soldiers have to go through during their duty at war. “In the final minutes of a month in which four soldiers died, one lost a hand, one lost an arm, one lost an eye, one was shot in the head, one was shot in the throat, eight were injured by shrapnel, eighty IEDs or EFPs detonated on passing convoys...,”(88). The type of violence the soldiers have to go through experiencing and witnessing is traumatizing. It’s depressing to hear about a death, but these soldiers go through it and various injuries as well that are not even their own. This shouldn’t be a cost of war when they aren’t winning anything but are loosing a lot.
The cost of war has proven to be not worth it in the past and present. Going into war is not only expensive for this country and its people, but it also affects this country emotionally forever, Families fall apart, life’s fall part, good men fall apart. This shouldn’t be a cost when this country has proven that war is unnecessary and preventable.
Shima/Jereb
American Studies
20 March 2013
War?
When people hear the word war they imagine bombs, army, death, victory, and losses, but there is much more to war than these few simple words. In past and current wars and conflicts, the cost of war is permanently etched into this country and its people. Going and being in war has had drastic consequences to this country which haven’t been worth it in the end. From past and currents events it can be shown that war has never been worth the cost.
The Cold War is an example of this country not fighting for this country’s rights and believes but fighting for other countries problems. During the Cold War there were two major conflicts that severely impacted this country, the Korean conflict and the Vietnam conflict. After World War 2, Germany along with other axis countries had a lot of debts with the rest of the allied countries causing the economy to rise and eventually this country’s economy was doing extremely good. This action caused other unfortunate countries to seek our help economically. The first major conflict during this time was the Korean conflict. Korea was communist and they wanted communism to spread causing them to want to turn Greece communism. Although Greece is a small country if Korea would have gotten power over them then the domino affect would have taken action causing the countries around them to turn communist as well. This country wanted to stop communism at any cost so money was sent to Greece’s army to help them. Korea realized what was happening so they stopped their attacks. Korea never did anything to the U.S.A but this country lost money for helping another country. Ultimately this conflict in the Cold War was not worth it because we wasted away this country’s money just to stop communism.
The other major conflict during the Cold War was the Vietnam conflict. The Vietnam conflict was similar to the Korean Conflict. Communism was already spreading in Vietnam but this country wanted to stop communism spreading by helping south Vietnam against north Vietnam. A lot of deaths, injuries, and heartbreaks occurred during this war and a lot of money was spent as well. Vietnam turned neighboring country’s communists with the cost of major deaths on both sides. A lot of U.S.A soldiers died and the ones who survived are living with various illnesses and traumatic memories. Going into other countries conflicts is not only not necessary but it isn't this country’s problem.
The Good Soldiers by David Finkel is an amazing book that shows what war does to a good soldier. Taking place in Iraq it demonstrates the unnecessary events unfolding in an unnecessary conflict. This country went to “war” with Iraq believing they had dangerous weapons but when nothing was found they moved to Afghanistan thinking Afghanistan was a threat to the U.S.A. To this day nothing of danger was ever found in either country. Men lost lives and limbs. Wives, children, parents, family, friends, watched a good man disintegrate before their eyes for no reason. Demonstrated in Finkel’s book it can be shown that soldiers suffer emotionally when in duty. “Home it was a place than an act of imagination now, a realm fundamentally disconnected from what life had become,” (195). For the soldiers who are at war, everything they know becomes something they knew as months pass by. Everything they know as time passes is war and normality slips away from them each month going away at war. Being in war is a very heroic and traumatizing experience as it can be shown by Finkel it can be proved what soldiers have to go through during their duty at war. “In the final minutes of a month in which four soldiers died, one lost a hand, one lost an arm, one lost an eye, one was shot in the head, one was shot in the throat, eight were injured by shrapnel, eighty IEDs or EFPs detonated on passing convoys...,”(88). The type of violence the soldiers have to go through experiencing and witnessing is traumatizing. It’s depressing to hear about a death, but these soldiers go through it and various injuries as well that are not even their own. This shouldn’t be a cost of war when they aren’t winning anything but are loosing a lot.
The cost of war has proven to be not worth it in the past and present. Going into war is not only expensive for this country and its people, but it also affects this country emotionally forever, Families fall apart, life’s fall part, good men fall apart. This shouldn’t be a cost when this country has proven that war is unnecessary and preventable.