Linda Nguyen
Professor Valverde
ASA150E
21 January 2017
In the reading, Kill
Anything that Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam by Nick Turse narrates
the often hidden history of the My Lai massacre and all the other atrocities
perpetuated by the U.S. soldiers (Turse 2). What was shocking is that the
Vietnam War crimes were little-known by the public, that includes more than 300
allegations of “massacres, murders, rapes, torture, assaults, mutilations, and
other atrocities substantiated by army investigators” (Turse 14). Growing up, I
remember my parents tellin me how lucky I am to be a U.S. born citizen. They
would talk about how Viet Nam was a poor country with little opportunity for
social mobility. My parents do not talk much about the Viet Nam war, but I
always thought that the U.S. was this great country with full of opportunities.
However, as from the reading, the My Lai as an operation in which the American
military and administration in Washington produced, that was not the case
(Turse 23). In connection to the reading to current events outside class would
be the crisis in Syria. Similar to war in Viet Nam, Syrian refugees are seen as
objects of imperial benevolence and in need of saving from the United States.
This good cause paints a good image of the U.S., while erasing the history of
the war crime act and atrocities that the U.S. committed.
Question: Why is the U.S.
repeating the same history again, given and knowing about this hidden side of
history of U.S., and of their handling of the Viet Nam War?
Sources:
Image: http://aftermathnews.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/vietnam-63-20130126-361.jpg
Turse, Nick. Kill
Anything that Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam. Henry Holt and
Company. New York: 2013. 20 January 2017.
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