Final Paper: Israel vs. Vietnam
by daniel.collins ~ November 29th, 2010. Filed under: Uncategorized.The Israeli army is widely known as almost a right of passage for the citizens of Israel. Men above the age of 18 have to serve three years in the regular service as well as women above the age of 18 women, and their service is for two years. The only way people can be excused from this service to their country is if there are physical, mental, or religious reasons.
Looking at the intensity of the Israeli forces and contrasting them to the ideals American civilians and soldiers had about the military back in the Vietnam war is the topic of my final paper. Soldiers in the Vietnam war were never looked at upon as heroes and where never welcomed home by anyone but their loved ones. Comparing the ideology of the Israeli military now and United States military in the past will be my focus on my final paper.
Bibliography:
Williams, Tony. “VIET NAM WAR STUDIES: A CULTURAL MATERIALIST APPROACH.” Viet Nam Generation4.3/4 (1992): 126-132. America: History & Life. EBSCO. Tuesday 23 Nov. 2010.
Hunt, David. “CHRONOLOGY OF THE VIET NAM WAR.” Radical America 8.1, 2 (1974): 182. America: History & Life. EBSCO. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.
El-Khawas, Mohamed, and Samir Abed-Rabbo. “ISRAEL IN THE 1980S: WAR OR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST?.” Search: Journal for Arab-Islamic Studies 5.1/2 (1984): 150-171. America: History & Life. EBSCO. Tuesday 23 Nov. 2010.
Stephens, Elizabeth. “AMERICA, ISRAEL & THE SIX DAY WAR.” History Today 57.6 (2007): 12-19.America: History & Life. EBSCO. Monday 22 Nov. 2010.
Kochavi, Noam. “Joining the conservative brotherhood: Israel, President Nixon, and the political consolidation of the ‘special relationship’, 1969-73.” Cold War History 8.4 (2008): 449-480. America: History & Life. EBSCO. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.
December 9th, 2010 at 8:34 am
The dynamics of the Vietnam War are always interesting to look at especially its aftermath. Though I do understand your focus, attempting to “comparing the ideology of the Israeli and US military army”, it might be a little broad and general. Particularly, are you choosing to explore the psychological toll that these two wars has on the soldiers? Or the reasons for why soldiers are not honorable? Or how different goals and motives of war result in similar or dissimilar outcomes?
On a side note, if you do wish to proceed on with the first question that I had proposed, I can tell you from personal encounter with a Vietnam War veteran just a few days ago, that you are correct – some really aren’t the same. And they come back handicapped, almost, to adjust back to a civilian lifestyle. To be in detail, a veteran came into my workplace and was just sitting down for a while without valid reason. When politely asked to leave, he erupted into angry cursing and yelling proclaiming how he had served in Vietnam and was shot in the leg with an AK-47. He is sitting down now because he needs to rest his injured leg. He continued to scream out “How dare you treat a veteran this way?!?!” He also said that other institutions had treated him in the same “disrespecting” manner such as McDonalds and Duane Reade and etc… Though this may seem like a bit of a tangent, I find this to be excruciating symbolic of the Vietnam War aftermath. Rather than coming back as heroes, soldiers return bitter, angry and distorted. Though they wish to be seen with honor, most just regard him as another crazy man – without accomplishment.
Anyways, I thought this story was fairly interesting when I reflected on it. I hope it might help with your topic and if not, hopefully, it served as a good read. Good luck!