Social Attitudes Toward Vietnam Veterans Essay -- Exploratory Essays R

Social Attitudes Toward Vietnam Veterans I have always been interested in the Vietnam War and the results of â€Å"the longest war in America.† Therefore, I have decided to examine the social attitudes toward Vietnam veterans. Since I feel so passionately about the way that Vietnam veterans are viewed, the purpose of my paper is to inform others about the way that the veterans have been criticized and misrepresented. Personally, I hope to gain a further understanding of the attitudes and views towards Vietnam veterans, especially since my father is a veteran. After reading my paper, I hope that my audience will walk away with more respect and reverence for those that fought in the Vietnam War and gave their lives for their country. My audience will consist of my peers, my professor, and any other person interested in learning more about the sentiment towards Vietnam veterans. My research has involved searching the Internet, going to the University Library and looking through books, and even interviewing my father, who fought in the Vietnam War. I have also examined the lyrics to Billy Joel’s ballad, â€Å"Goodnight Saigon.† Thus far, the most valuable sources have been a few books I took out from the library. These books include information about the history of the Vietnam War as well as about the aftermath. In addition, several of these books include powerful pictures and images from wartime to the present time. After examining the lyrics to Billy Joel’s song, â€Å"Goodnight Saigon,† I realized that it does not directly relate to my topic about the sentiment towards Vietnam veterans. However, it does provide a clear insight into the way the soldiers felt while they were fighting in Vietnam. At first I was unsure about the lyrics sin... ...port my beliefs about the changing social attitudes toward Vietnam veterans. As the writing process continues, I plan to gather more research materials such as new books and articles. The social attitudes towards Vietnam veterans has proven to be an extremely interesting subject to me and I hope that through my discussion of these views, my audience will gain a new understanding of some of the bravest and most heroic men of the century. Works Cited Doyle, Edward, et al. The Aftermath. The Vietnam Experience. Boston: Boston Publishing Co., 1985. Greene, Bob. Homecoming. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1989. Gustainis, J. Justin. American Rhetoric and the Vietnam War. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 1993. Joel, Billy. â€Å"Goodnight Saigon. â€Å" The Nylon Curtain. 1982. Katakis, Michael. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1988.