Newest Member of the Empathy Group

Some members of the "Empathy Group"

Vietnam War. Yes, I have heard this before. Where? Somewhere. Can I summarize it? Probably not.

These are only some of the things I said to myself when the topic of this war was introduced to us during class. I knew absolutely nothing about this war and now that I’m familiar with the topic, I feel ashamed of my lack of cultural knowledge.

            

The Vietnam War was a military battle fought between North Vietnam (communist) and South Vietnam (supported by the US) from 1959 to 1975. Why was the US involved? Domino Theory. They believed that if Vietnam managed to become communist, soon all the other countries would become communist as well. With the execution of the South Vietnamese leader, Ngo Dinh Diem, chaos broke all over and the opposing forces took advantage of this weakness. The fighting continued for many years and despite signing the Paris Peace Agreement (which was later violated) the war seemed implacable. On April 30^th, 1975 the South Vietnamese (US included) surrendered and many fled the country by all means.  Since then, both poles became one unified Vietnam and there has been a reduction in political oppression.

           

Not only was this war the longest and most expensive war in American history, it was also the first “living room” war. This means that it was televised, which created a great impact on the people watching. For the first time, war not only meant good deeds and victory somewhere far away from all the perfect pie-eating, blonde and blue-eyed families; war meant death and violence right in front of you, blood and agony at arm’s reach.

           

Learning about this war not only prepares me for the content in the book The Things They Carried but it just makes me a new member of the empathy group. What I mean by this is that, there are so many things we (as humans) don’t know about, and even if we think we do, we just don’t. In fact, I believe all of us are somehow members of this group. Why? Because we are oblivious to what war signifies, we know nothing about killing, or fighting, or being brave for your own country. Learning about a war won’t make us stronger, learning about a war won’t ever be the same as standing in front of the enemy and having the courage to throw a grenade and see him blow up, dissipate into the air. It won’t ever compare to what every single soldier went through, what they are still going through. It won’t ever be the same to read about the deaths of “many”, than to remember the expression of the man you killed, the child that might have died in your arms, the filthiness of death that forever remains within you. Learning only means learning; it will never mean knowing, let alone understanding.