Opinions on the Vietnam War
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Throughout the course there were many different types of guest speakers who share their personal experiences and subsequent opinions on the Vietnam War. The speakers varied in their points of view and represented a number of different aspects of the war. Veterans from every element of the military forces were represented: Navy, Marine and Army. To represent the home front a conscientious objector even presented his point of view. All of the speakers presented information that could not simply be attained from a book. They gave the class a better understanding of what actually happened over in the war zones and it made the things that were presented through the text come to life. To understand and learn more about this war, it is necessary to hear from the people who experience it first hand. The ones who defended the country, and also those who protested are the real history of the war. It is important to hear the witness tell their stories and ask questions of them.
The first two speakers were Dennis Mannion and Mike Toomey. These two men fought in the hot war zones in Vietnam for a number of years. Both of these men took time out of their day to talk about difficult things that they never dreamed about discussing once they came home. Mr. Mannion and Mr. Toomey defended the country on the front lines, but as was typical for this war, they did not always understand why they were there or what it was that they were fighting for. Regardless of their lack of understanding, they did their jobs without question. These two men represent the heart of the war. There are 500,000 more just like them throughout the United States. It is a sad fact that to this day, no one quite knows why the war escalated to what it did and why so many had to die.