Vietnam Draftees Essay, Research Paper

Should I stay or should I go?

The Vietnam War was the subject matter of many debates during the 1960?s and the 1970?s. War advocates and anti-war activists voiced their opinions all throughout the nation about our country?s involvement in Vietnam. People from all walks of life spoke out about the war, from politicians to hippies, making it clear that everyone had their own view on the war, although, not everyone agreed with one another on the decisions and outcomes that were made for our country. Demonstrations and rallies were being held everywhere, from the White House to the streets, either supporting or protesting America?s involvement in the Vietnam War. One of the main causes of debate came from the issue of drafting Americans into the war whether or not they chose to go into battle in Vietnam. People felt strongly about the issue because those who were drafted were forced to leave behind whatever future they had planned for themselves to fight for their country. Activists were against the idea since they felt that American involvement in Vietnam was inadequate in helping end the war and they felt the United States was involved for the wrong reasons. Others felt that it was our duty as Americans to serve in the war. Regardless of what your attitudes were towards the war, many others felt the same way and shared an equal point of view, therefore, those who strongly followed their beliefs were the ones to speak out and educate others about their perspectives. Among those who voiced their opinions were such Americans as Tim O?Brien, an army veteran who served in Vietnam, Spiro T. Agnew, the vice president to Richard Nixon, and John F. Kerry, also a Vietnam veteran and the former lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. These men all carry different attitudes towards the subject of drafting and the ethics of complying or evading the draft. Although each activist supported a different position on the subject, good arguments were made for either stance.

Tim O?Brien was a Vietnam veteran and an author who wrote about his experiences and tribulations during the war. In his book, On the Rainy River, he shares his personal story about the Vietnam draft. O?Brien was among those put into the position of being called upon by Uncle Sam. On June 17, 1968, he received his draft notice. O?Brien was an intelligent young man on the road to success when he received the notice. A graduate from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, O?Brien was the president of the student body, summa cum laude of his class, and on his way to a full scholarship grad study in Harvard. Obviously, he had a bright future ahead of him, but because of the draft, his future had to be put on hold for his country. O?Brien believed that the achievements he had reached throughout the first twenty-one years of his life made him ?too good? to fight in Vietnam (900). He implies that it would be a greater loss for someone of his accomplishment and ambition to be wounded or die in the war. O?Brien had thoughts of running away to avoid the draft by fleeing to Canada. To him, it seemed like the logical thing to do, but at the same time, he was afraid of the consequences. ?Run, I?d think. Then I?d think, Impossible. Then a second later I?d think, Run? (901). After much debating, O?Brien ended up staying in the U.S. and complying with the draft to fight in the war. Despite the fact that O?Brien decided to go to Vietnam in the end, he didn?t agree with his own decision. O?Brien states, ?I was a coward. I went to war? (910). Although he believed that he was a coward for failing to go to Canada, O?Brien was a hero to others for participating in Vietnam.

In a speech given by Spiro T. Agnew on November 20, 1969, he believed that the generation of young men and women during the 1960?s needed to be educated about the war since a good population of them were against it. Although Agnew obviously was not in favor of the demonstrations and movements initiated by the young Americans, he attempted to speak about their strong points to show them some acknowledgement, in hopes to gain some respect in return. Agnew stated, ?After all, they?re our sons and daughters. They contain in their numbers many gifted, idealistic, and courageous young men and women? (888). Then, Agnew goes on to add that there are those few individuals who speak out and exercise their rights to protest and ?openly profess their belief in the efficacy of violence in a democratic society? (888). Agnew continues by mentioning those men who burned their draft cards and fled the country to escape the war. ?They are not our heroes. Many of our heroes will not be coming home?? (888). Agnew believed that those who decided to leave the country were the real cowards whereas O?Brien believed that he was a coward for not leaving the country. Although I realize that choosing to go to war would be a heroic and patriotic gesture on my own behalf, I personally feel that it would be more courageous of myself to flee the country to protest our unnecessary involvement in the war. I would be giving up my own freedom and my achievements to fight against something that I actually believe in. By choosing to run away to another country, I would already be giving up the life that I once had, perhaps in exchange for a life less accomplished, all for the good of a country which I no longer belong to and for my own beliefs; that?s real courage.

John F. Kerry, a Vietnam veteran turned U.S. senator, addressed a speech on April 22, 1971. The Testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee was made on behalf of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) organization. Kerry mostly spoke about the Winter Soldier Investigation hearings that described to the public everything that the veterans had seen and participated in during the war, and a call for an end to the conflict. Throughout his speech, Kerry speaks about the many details that America should know about the war that the media has been withholding from the public. Kerry also lightly touches upon the subject of Vice President Spiro T. Agnew?s reaction towards those who don?t comply with the draft. Kerry quotes Agnew by saying that ?some glamorize the criminal misfits of society while our best men die in Asian rice paddies to preserve the freedom which most of these misfits abuse? (892). Kerry goes on to say that ?we in no way consider ourselves the best men in this country; because those he calls misfits were standing up for us in a way that nobody else in this country dared to? (892). Kerry believed that the men who decided to leave were the real heroes because they stuck up for veterans like himself and they were the ones who were smart enough to not comply with the draft and instead protest American involvement in Vietnam. He goes on to state, ?[those] who have died would have returned to this country to join the misfits in their efforts to ask for an immediate withdrawal from South Vietnam? (892). Although it was patriotic for the veterans to participate in the war, they felt that the courage shown by the American youth illustrated real heroism.

All in all, depending on how you look at it, courage would be evident in either situation. It takes courage to fight in a war for your country, just as well as it takes courage to leave your country to stand up for what you believe in. Although I thought that each author made a very good argument for each case, I personally felt that the O?Brien argument was most convincing because I could clearly imagine myself being put into that position and I would honestly feel just as confused and bewildered as O?Brien did. The final decision rests on your own preference and order of importance. Different priorities call for different outcomes. The result is up to you. You decide.

Agnew, Spiro T. ?Parasites, Protesters, and the Press (1969).? Negotiating Difference: Cultural Case Studies for Composition 1996: 881-890.

Kerry, John F. ?Testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (April 22, 1971).? Negotiating Difference: Cultural Case Studies for Composition 1996: 890-897.

O?Brien, Tim. ?On the Rainy River (1990).? Negotiating Difference: Cultural Case Studies for Composition 1996: 898-910.