Christianity in the Vietnam War
Section A
The Vietnam began in the period 1955 as noted between North and South Vietnam, with the former seeking to employ its power coercively over the latter nation in a bid to subject it into communist practices. As South Vietnam resisted the strategy, North Vietnam employed warfare and this lasted until the period 1975. Both nations relied on aid from other nations especially with regard to artillery and combat personnel with each bent on the realization of its goals. North Vietnam was propped by China, Soviet Union, North Korea, and Cuba whereas South Vietnam had South Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan, Australia, Philippines, Thailand and America. America accorded full of zip involvement within South Vietnam’s warring issues within the period 1965 as sanctioned by President Lyndon Johnson (McMahon 158-159). Three rationales were accorded as validations towards the US verdict of enhancing military involvement within the region before the execution of the decision was realized.
The President’s first assertion was that “we fight because we must fight if we have to live in a world where every country can shape its own destiny, and only in such a world will our own freedom be secure,” (McMahon 165). The conflict was set within a period that numerous nations had attained autonomy from subjugation practices noted through colonialism. A dual perspective was however broadly reflected within the globe, with nations like America promoting state sovereignty while others like the Soviet Union according coercive practices to maintain the colonialism doctrine through the communist argument. Combat was therefore a necessity as the President outlined in the attainment of autonomy and as long as other nations ignored South Vietnam’s quandary, then the communist faction would gradually expand through its conquests and creating an impeding aggression on all other sovereign regions.
The second reason posed for the involvement was that “since 1954 every American President has offered support to the people of South Viet-Nam. We have helped to build, and we have helped to defend. Thus over many years, we have made a national pledge to help South Viet-Nam defend its independence,” (McMahon165). The President founded his resolution on upholding its strong peace relation with South Vietnam on the aspects of reliance and trust as inferenced in the statement. The period 1954 actually submits to the Geneva Conference that the US offered its oath towards aiding South Vietnam with the protection of its sovereignty. Therefore, reverting from its own pledge would create a negative image for the nation with severe consequences in terms of economic wellbeing and political relations amongst others whose cost would be higher than that hinged on military aid. Aiding South Vietnam would therefore preserve the existing peaceful relations with the nation as well as other countries.
The last explanation is that “World War II was fought in both Europe and Asia and when it ended we found ourselves with the continued responsibility for the defense of the freedom,” (McMahon 166). Form this statement, the president sought to clarify to Americans that despite the spatial location of the warring regions, all proficient nations in terms of resources have a sense of liability in according a resolution as well as upholding the proposed policies for long-term results. With the citation of World War II, the President offers an allegory of the spreading nature of war with regard to restraining of the same. Consequently, affording the same view in context of the Vietnam conflict, then the potential largely remained the same. Averting such warfare thereby serves as a global liability for all nations.
In conclusion, I concur with the three validations afforded towards America’s participation in South Vietnam’s concerns with a strong bias towards the second premise related to the issue of dependence (McMahon165). Global harmony is required in the creation of a healthy system and this can only be supported by dependable relationships. In actuality, the other two premises would be weakened in terms of effectuality with lack of trust. For instance, if America distrusts South Vietnam’s intentions within the conflict, then no aid would be forwarded. Additionally, distrust would only cultivate an egotistical perspective within nations concerning warfare with each required to accord its own defenses. Therefore, US participation in the conflict was a creditable action.
Section B
Caputo’s publication centers on the themes of murder and the adversaries with his viewpoint of the former being validated by the inhumane relationship between his combatants and those from the Vietnamese faction. The approach to whole war actually acts as the validation for the killings since disciplined forces are taught to follow orders as they are devoid of any form of inquiry. Caputo notes that prior to their Vietnam assignment, General Greene, an acting commandant with the Marine Corps had accorded an excursion to the fighting region and upon his inspection and appraisal he only had a single order to offer Caputo and his juniors, accord the killing (Caputo 118-119). Subsequently, having such an authoritative order from the superiors, then the assassinations were ordinary actions just like consenting to any other military task. Indeed, the validation for the killings emanated from the fact that the soldiers were abiding by the accorded rules of the combat. Caputo however notes that upon an introspection session, he realized that his impetus in the murders arose from egocentric elements stemming from the need to prove his power and ability to excel just like any other combatant (Caputo 122).
Upon the pragmatic interaction with the demised Vietnamese however, Caputo is tormented by the sights and the killing actions and therefore seeks to perform a moral mirroring on the killings. He realizes that the rest of the fighters struggle with the same issue as attributed to the family and religious inclinations that each possessed. Subsequently, reflecting on such principles preserved the team from deteriorating into savage individuals (Caputo 129). Most of the images of the war reflect gruesome images of the enemy in their demised state. The images range from calm executions where the enemy is assassinated with the use of rifles while others are distressing especially in scenes that the killings are achieved through explosives. The most distressing are those evidencing butchering scenes where beheadings are accorded by the combatants. The shouting around the scenes appears like triumphant and thereby reflecting the adversaries as a bad people; actually they tend to be portrayed as beasts. Initially, Caputo held a less pragmatic view of the enemy, one that leans towards a mechanistic or savagery side. This brands the adversaries as inhumane individuals.
However, upon the initial interaction with the demised individuals in the combat, his viewpoint alters and the enemy then acquires a humane tinge that challenges his decisions. The savagery perspective allows Caputo to conduct his duties without any sentiment while with the humane view threatens to compromise his decisions. This is of significance to him as it affects his logical reactions and choices and thereby threatening the survival of this juniors. In chapter sixteen, Caputo views another side of the enemy that is cold in nature and out for killing as they regard the US faction as adversaries too. The Vietnamese therefore recompense for their demised ones through the mine blast. Caputo’s humane viewpoint is altered as evidenced by his assertion “all right, I thought, tit for tat. No cease-fire for us, none for you, either,” (Caputo 284). This restores his earlier savagery viewpoint. As Caputo orders for the annihilation of the village in which the blast occurs and as he affords a panoramic vie of it, his attitude is modified into a cold one as he confesses “listening to the shouts and watching the people running out of their burning homes, I did not feel anything at all,” (Caputo 285).
Caputo realizes that an enemy loses the humane imagery once cherished ones are affected and this he realizes when his teammates are injured. Retribution therefore serves as the only east way to repay the wrongs and this process is recursive in nature until peace is accorded. From a subjective viewpoint, this rationale is true and accords a pragmatic perspective into the issues of conflict with only one point of long-term solution as noted in upholding of harmony. In conclusion, Caputo’s ethical viewpoints with regard to war stand as true as a hut individual resort to the same towards the initiator as a form of retribution.
Works Cited
Caputo, Philip. A Rumor of War. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1996. Print.
McMahon, Robert. Major problems in the history of the Vietnam War: documents and essays. Half Moon Bay: D.C. Heath, 1990. Print.
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