McKayla Lee

Digital Portfolio Update The truth of war project

The truth of war project is based on the Vietnam war. To kickstart the project we conducted
independent research and cited different arguments about the truth of war. In class we
discussed how to differentiate the different perspectives that are shown in interviews with
Vietnam veterans, videos, and in a book titled The Things They Carried. After doing most of
the research independently and having seminars within our interview groups and as a class we
all understood the truth of war.
As part of the Vietnam War Project we had to interview a Vietnam Veteran. I wasnt to enthused
about not having an interviewee until the last minute. Not being able to have background
knowledge or know the individual on a personal level rushed the process of creating solid
interview questions. I truly felt if my project members were more cohesive and involved in the
project, the interview and research would have resulted in a comprehensive and successful
interview. Before the interview we did background research on the Vietnam War which helped in
the construction of questions. After reflecting and processing all the information the veteran
gave me I felt like it changed my view about how veterans were affected even if they were not
serving on the front lines. I also feel like my perspective on how soldiers are treated after
returning back to the U.S. has changed, I know that they arent always treated fairly or with
respect. During the interview I really enjoyed it when the veteran communicated that he has
family that is serving and has served in the military. As he recalled his air force enlistment he
expressed how he traveled to many places. I gathered that he enjoyed visiting and experiencing
the diverse cultures in South America. I learned that a soldiers experiences, negative or
positive, never completely leaves a military personel. Interviewing the military veteran brought a
clearer understanding of his experience while serving his military duty in the Vietnam War.
Tim OBrien, the author of the book The Things They Carried wrote about the different truths of
war. After reading excerpts of The Things They Carried. We had a seminar in class with about
seven other peers. During the seminar I think I voiced my opinions well and backed them up
with a good amount of evidence. When we were discussing the intangible things that soldiers
carried I had said that Norman Bowker was a good example of carrying the burden of
memories. Each time he attempted to share his story with anyone he kept fearing that he would
be rejected and the amount of courage he has would be brought into question. I think next time I
could reach out more to the quiet students and ask more clarifying questions. I think Ill be
walking away from this project with a new outlook on the truth and courage that people
posses. Throughout the seminar and the reading I felt like OBrien the author of The Things
They Carried changed the definition of truth. In different chapters he would talk about the
characteristics of how to tell a true war story. I know now that a true war story doesnt always
have to be true in the sense that it just has to make your stomach believe. In every war story
whether its true or not is going to have some impact on how you differentiate what really
happened to what seemed to happen. In the beginning of the chapter How to tell a true war
story OBrien tells us that this is true but at the end he goes on to say none of it
happened...none of it. This can tell me that he has often blurred and abstracted the truth and
fiction while writing. It doesnt necessarily mean he has lied it just means he changes the

definition of truth. This story will stay with every individual differently. Whether thats looking at
the stories and believing that they arent war stories but are instead love stories because the
soldiers all knew and accepted their fate. Taking away the most simple things like everyone is
courageous in their own way. Or taking away that each individual is different and processes the
stories to their own capability and we each decide how the book is going to stay with us.

After conducting my interview with a veteran, the class moved forward in learning about The
Gulf of Tonkin Incident, which would later become an in class timed write essay. I was given a
packet to fill out that had primary source documents which was supposed to help me
understand the controversial subject of the U.S. and Vietnams true history. Each primary
source document contextualized peace and security before and during the Vietnam war. While
writing the essay I felt like I could share my opinion in an argumentative format backed up by
evidence but when I received my grade for the essay it was not what I was expecting. Dont get
me wrong I was not expecting an A but having a D- show in powerschool shocked me. In my
essay I touched on subjects like; solutionary approaches to finding the true history of the Gulf of
Tonkin Incident, I read the silences in the 88th Congress of the United States of America
where the paper discussed threats to serious international peace. In the essay I strongly
supported my thesis and all the evidence that supported the subject throughout the paper. My
thesis suggested that nations could gather together to address the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. I
didnt blatantly conceed with a specific side or argument because I felt that all parties involved
should be treated similarly, meaning that the U.S. and Vietnam both instigated each other even
before the possibility of war came into play. I found that the most difficult skill to use while writing
was to stay true to the way I felt.The packet was chosen beforehand which led to a pre thought
assumption that was designed to make the timed write more structured in a way that only
allowed one specific viewpoint.
At the end of the truth of war project I felt that the most prominent take away I have seen is that
we are all facing some type of war. Whether it be physically, mentally, or spiritually we have all
faced a truth within that war. Personally, I feel throughout my young life and specifically during
this project, I have had to fight continuously to not let my guard down and also not to let my
personal values be casted to the side in order to share my experiences and understandings of
the war within myself. I know now that each individual is experiencing the war within themselves
and is processing the different emotions to their best capability. The in class timed write essay
continues to allow me to believe that everyone should be treated with great respect to their
truth. The war within myself has allowed me to have a deeper understanding that MY TRUTH
will be cruel and will have specific paradigms that will be ever growing.