So I was thinking about how the Vietnam/ Cold War relates to the situation of today's world. Like what is similar, and what is different. I did a bit of research, and here is what I found. So I have heard some things about North Korea planning to wipe out the US and Syria with massive bombs, just a bit smaller than a nuclear bomb, and recently, our beloved President decided to release a different massive bomb, also known as the "Mother of all Bombs." This can't help but remind me of the Arms/Space Race that took place during the Cold War. Like I had stated in my previous post, the Congs would overload on drugs to not feel pain while in battle, until they die, and well then, you feel nothing. I read a book last year called "A long way Gone," by Ishmael Beah. This book is a personal account of the author's experience as a Child Soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone, which took place from 1991-2002, and they used that same method. These were my connections from Nam to Now, hope you enjoyed reading it!
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Fallen Angels is a story about a young man named Perry, and his adventures throughout the Vietnamese war. He goes to Vietnam at the beginning, were the war is taking place. Since the book is about Nam, some of the facts in it must be pretty well based, since the Vietnam war did actually occur. For example, there is a very graphic part when the soldiers are walking through the woods in Vietnam, and there are dead bodies pinned on the trees. this is a legitimate thing that the Congs did in the war. There are many other dangers that the general tells the soldiers about, including how the Vietnamese used all these drugs and things before a fight so they will literally fight until they drop. This technique has been used all over history, in multiple wars throughout time. It started with the Chinese during the Ming Dynasty, and is still even used today, so it's got to be effective. This made the Vietnamese fighters very difficult to defeat, since they felt virtually no pain. This too, was a true technique used by the Congs. Along with that, the general tells them about the the dangers of the Vietnamese Black Market, as well as the diseases they could gain while in the area. This includes the diseases gained by air, food, and other things along those lines, but also the dangerous STDs possible to get while in the area. I looked it up, and Vietnam is a very dangerous place, disease-wise, especially when it comes to the places like Chu Lai, where the soldiers in my book are fighting.
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