Final Assessment For TTTC, Choice #1

Spanish philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In other words, history can, and probably will, repeat itself. The Vietnam War began in 1955 and concluded in 1975. The war in Afghanistan began in 2001, the Iraq War began in 2003, and both are ongoing at this time. Though seemingly having little in common at first glance, as the current wars continue, parallels are being drawn between them and the past Vietnam War. These parallels support the idea that history does in fact repeat itself. Differences and similarities exist between the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Vietnam War, and it seems the only way to prevent the reoccurrence of the Vietnam War again and again would be to make the general public and all those in power more aware.
The differences between the wars are clear. The locations are not the same, Vietnam contrasts Iraq and Afghanistan to a great extent. Vietnam primarily consists of jungle and swamp terrain, while Iraq and Afghanistan contain deserts and mountains. Conditions in which battles are fought are influential on the outcome of war. While the terrains are different, a similarity exists in the fact that both locations are harsh, and not what American soldiers are usually accustomed to. The technology present today contrasts the technology of Vietnam, it’s more advanced now. A draft during the Vietnam War forcefully recruited soldiers while the Iraq War has been voluntary. The casualties of the Vietnam War amounted to over 58,000 deaths, while the current war in Iraq has produced around 4,000 casualties. Despite the differences and advancement in technology, parallels remain, as if no lessons were taken under consideration from the Vietnam War.
The common citizens of America don’t seem one hundred percent sure of why the United States is fighting in the Middle East. Out of curiosity, I asked ten people what they knew about the reasons behind occupying Iraq currently. Four gave answers about oil, three said terrorism, one said “Bush,” and one said they didn’t know. The answers were far from knowledgeable or detailed. The general consensus from research states that President Bush accused Iraq of holding Weapons of Mass Destruction and so began the US occupation of the country. The United States military began to fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan after the tragic event that occurred on September 11th, 2001, which is where people draw the idea that the army is fighting against terrorism.
The nation, uninformed explicitly as to why the war began currently, can relate to the public of the United States during the Vietnam War. The musicians of that time spoke for the young generation affected by the draft, and analyzing their lyrics informs us of their perspective. Country Joe & the Fish sang the lyrics, “What are we fighting for? Don’t ask me, I don’t give a damn, Next stop is Vietnam… Well there ain’t no time to wonder why. Whoopee! We’re all gonna die.” The lyrics utilize sarcasm to express the point that the people were forced to go fight a war they didn’t know much about. Billy Joel wrote, “And who was wrong? And who was right? It didn’t matter in the thick of the fight.” Again, it is emphasized how it was not encouraged to question the war, but to blindly fight. Both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Vietnam War occurred without the full extent of the logic behind them known by the American public.
Along with the common characteristic of the public lacking extensive knowledge of the wars, the wars of both time periods do not and did not receive full public support. In August 1965, the question asked was, “In view of developments since we entered the fighting in Vietnam, do you think the U.S. made a mistake sending troops to fight in Vietnam?” 61% of the results were “no.” When the same question was asked in May 1971, only 28% of the results were “no.” The same eventual occurrence of public support being lost over time has appeared in polls taken recently. In March 2003, 75% of citizens felt the invasion of Iraq was not a mistake. Then, after the war progressed, the poll was retaken in 2007 and 58% of citizens felt the invasion was indeed a mistake. In both eras, public protests against the wars have taken place. The abundance of evidence against public support draws a clear connection between the two wars. The continuation of the wars even with the protest of the public pulls into question what the country can do to prevent history repeating itself against the government fruitlessly sending soldiers to foreign countries to die, without knowing why.
A possible way to go about ridding the world of wars that amount to nothing again and again would involve a real awareness from everyone. There would need to be an awareness of current events, so the general public would understand why the government wanted to destroy the lives of those fighting for America, and those fighting against America. Then, the nation as a whole could decide if fighting over religion, or money, or power was really worth the cost. When the nation is not aware of causes or the results, wars like Vietnam and Iraq are fought, and the country later regrets the initial decision of attacking or invading, as shown by the public opinion in the polls. The results of war are known very well by the parents of soldiers. Heartbreaking letters have been collected in “Dear America- Letters Home from Vietnam” from parents and loved ones expressing their deep and utter grief. If every man, with a position of power to decide on whether to declare a war or not, had lost a son or daughter to warfare, history may then not repeat itself. They would be fully aware of the disastrous consequences of death in battle and would think twice before condemning soldiers again. The possible solution of the nation being aware of every aspect of war would require the full commitment of the majority of the United States. It is only a possible solution, because even with the complete awareness of consequences and reasoning behind the war, some would still choose to advocate war. However, the hope remains that the banishment of ignorance of any feature regarding war would result in the avoidance of terrible wars and the avoidance of history repeating itself.
The Vietnam War and the wars taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan share common aspects, including the common outcome of waning public support and neglecting to assure the comprehension of the entire nation in both cases. A fully informed nation, a nation fully aware of causes and effects may be the answer to preventing wars that end up losing the appreciation of the public, which has been a repeating occurrence throughout history. People generally learn from their mistakes. But when enough time has passed, according to George Santayana, and the past is forgotten, the same events will occur again. In other words, the mistakes will occur again. History will repeat itself. The elimination of ignorance and the resulting remembrance of past mistakes could lead to a better future. Unfortunately, it seems not everyone in the world spends as much time learning as they should.


----Mrs. Libertucci, I have the Works Cited page if it's necessary. I don't know if it is or not.