Entry 9

I chose to read Larry Heinemann’s story because he’s a Vietnam veteran and after completing the project about Vietnam I wanted to hear a veteran’s perspective. Larry said, “I went there scared and came back bitter. Everybody knows it was a waste.” This was interesting because the veteran who talked to our class said he thinks the US was right to be fighting in the war, but Larry disagrees and thinks the war was pointless. Larry went on to say the American people and the soldiers didn’t understand why they were fighting, which also differs from what our class speaker said. When I first heard the speaker’s opinion I thought all soldiers might also feel like the war was worth fighting, but Larry’s disapproval showed me that there were different views among the soldiers. Larry even said that he was sorry he didn’t get involved with any antiwar movement. If a soldier who had seen the war in Vietnam first-hand opposed it, then I think there’s a strong case against the war. Usually war veterans are welcomed home by Americans and are proud to have fought, but Larry came out of the war opposing it. This shows how different the Vietnam War was from other wars fought by America. Larry said, “Vietnam veterans took a lot of shit from World War Two people.” Even past veterans didn’t approve of what Vietnam veterans did. Many Americans, including veterans, didn’t believe in the war or the things the US was fighting for. In the textbook it said that this war started an era of cynicism, and it’s easy to understand why, considering how many people didn’t want the Vietnam War to occur. From what I’ve learned about the Vietnam War, I don’t think the US should have entered it, and a veteran makes me more certain of my opinion.
I read Joseph Lattimore’s story because I wanted to learn the views of an African American person because it’s hard to analyze civil rights issues as a white person. Joseph said when he was young, “I didn’t know one white from another.” This was interesting because when we read about the opinions of white people during the civil rights movement, they all saw people of different races as a group, rather than as individuals. Joseph said that it was the same way for him, so everyone tended to generalize and view other people based solely on their race. Joseph reminded me of Martin Luther King Jr. when he said, “Why should I go and fight for something that I don’t have on my own?” MLK also pointed out the irony of the situation in which Americans had to fight for freedom that they couldn’t even enjoy. I disagreed with something else Joseph said, though. He said, “It’s kind of like Jews being made to celebrate Hitler. That’s the way black people have to celebrate slaveowners of our past.” I understand why he might feel some resentment towards slaveowners, but I found this comparison to be untrue and somewhat offensive.

Entry #8

Mike Lefevre, a steelworker, said about his work that, “You’re mass producing things and you never see the end result of it. I worked for a trucker one time. And I got this tiny satisfaction when I loaded a truck. At least I could see the truck depart loaded. In a steel mill, forget it. You don’t see where nothing goes” (319). I understand Mike’s attitude because students often feel that way. They don’t see the point to what they’re doing so they don’t take pride in their schoolwork. When people don’t see their hard work paying off they don’t become motivated. Mike also said, “If you can’t improve yourself, you improve your posterity” (321). Americans have always tried to make life for the next generation better; they want to make a lasting impact for the future. Mike knew that his life would stay difficult, but he could work to improve his children’s lives by sending them to college and building a better future for them. I admired Mike’s honesty when he said, “Hell yes, I want my kid to tell me that he’s not gonna be like me” (327). It’s good that Mike wants his kids to learn from his mistakes and take advantage of their unique opportunities. He truly wants the best for his kids and their futures.
Dolores Dante, a waitress, explained how she started being a waitress to quickly earn money but later she realized that working wasn’t about income; it was about challenging herself. She said, “It would be very dull for me to know I was making so much and no more. I do like challenge. And it isn’t demeaning, not for me” (331). I think most Americans today focus on making money and how big their income is, and they don’t think about enjoying their work. A lot of people have money problems, but I think it would still make people’s lives better if they could enjoy being challenged. Dolores was successful at her job and she was too busy thinking about other people to enjoy it sometimes. She explained, “People would ask for me and I didn’t have enough tables. Some of the girls are standing and don’t have customers. There is resentment. I feel self-conscious. I feel a sense of guilt. It cramps my style” (333). While in the US people feel like they need to be the best and accomplish things, Americans feel bad if they attain this. While their guilt is unfortunate, it shows that Americans are considerate of others and think about others’ feelings. It’s great that in a country teeming with competition people still are compassionate.

Entry #7

It was interesting when Dennis Hart said, “Freedom is the most important thing in your life. We’re facing an enemy today that’s gonna annihilate us unless we retaliate in one way or another. We have to face up to it, Bomb or no Bomb. Otherwise, we’re a bunch of cowards” (238). His attitude is interesting because Hart believed the Soviets were a real threat to American freedom and that the US had to act against them. From the reading we’ve done in class sometimes it seems like the US was overreacting to Soviet communism, but Hart truly believed that the US had to stand against the Soviet Union. He said Americans would be cowards if they didn’t take action against the Soviets, and this might be because the US had just emerged as a major world power and being isolationists wouldn’t show America’s strength. Hart also said, “The white people have to find themselves, they have to keep looking and find out what it is, because if they don’t, the communists can take over this country without a shot being fired” (242). This idea shows that Hart thought Americans had to be sure of their lives or else they would start believing communism would be the answer to the country’s problems. I don’t agree with Hart. Americans historically have defended their country’s liberty and it’s unlikely that they would turn into communists if they haven’t clearly defined their life goals.
Tom Kearny stated something that I think is true. He said, “Of course, everyone resists change, good or bad. Even if it’s good for them, they resist it” (266). Kearny applied this to race relations and said that white and black people needed to learn to get along because it would be easier, but white people still resisted. While Americans want to make progress, many of them still won’t make the changes necessary for it. Today, some Americans won’t change their lifestyles, despite the poor economy. When Lincoln was elected in the 1800s, southern states chose to secede rather than face any possible changes to slavery. On a different note, Kearny said, “The younger generation doesn’t think too highly of us. They think we made a mess of things, which we did” (269). I think today that idea holds true. People who are going to retire in the next few years think the generation before them ruined their retirement because the earlier generation created Social Security, which will most likely fail. The younger generation thinks their predecessors destroyed the environment. Every generation finds fault with the earlier one, but each generation continues to make choices that negatively impact the future.

Entry #6

Ota brought up an interesting point when he said about school in the internment camps, “One of our basic subjects was American history. They talked about freedom all the time” (207). In many instances in American history laws and actions contradict America’s core values. Japanese Americans were imprisoned and unfairly compensated during WWII, black people were enslaved and later didn’t receive equal treatment in society, and people’s anti-war feelings during WWI were silenced. Ota noticed the irony of the situation: a country based on freedom for everyone was unfairly, and without cause, quarantining people of a certain nationality. I understand that many Americans felt the anti-Japanese sentiment because Japan was the country’s brutal enemy in the war, but I can’t grasp how the leaders of the time justified the relocation of American citizens. It’s interesting that the Japanese Americans didn’t resist the relocation or rebel because their Japanese culture encouraged them to be mild-mannered, while the Japanese war tactics were so brutal and unforgiving.
Hutchinson witnessed two Japanese girls leave for internment camps and thought it was confusing, but said, “It must have been okay if President Roosevelt said it was okay” (211). This makes it seem like the government was taking advantage of Americans’ trust because ordinary citizens were too focused on their friends and family fighting in the war to examine the measures taken on the homefront. Some American citizens weren’t even focused on the war going on. Hutchinson said, “It’s like the war hadn’t come to Pasadena until we came there” (216). This reminds me of the war now because many people have family in the war in the Middle East, but so many places in the US aren’t affected by the war on a day-to-day basis. A major war like WWII can occur without disrupting the life of some Americans, so it’s no surprise that Americans didn’t rebel against the internment camps; they simply weren’t affected by any of it.