Shock to Americans: We are the Wrong side...

WOW! So this documentary really brought out the worst in America for me. By showing the fear and torture of the Vietnamese people and our own Americans owning up to the fact that we were in the wrong when it came to the Vietnam war, the documentary brought out and confirmed that we were in the wrong. The Vietnamese were trying to be free something we pride our own country on and we got in their way. The song "God Bless the USA" came to mind. I'm not so sure if I am proud to be an American when it comes to the Vietnam War.

The song's chorus lyrics are:

And I’m proud to be an American,

where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

These lyrics make me think of my prospective on the Vietnam war because we kept them from freedom, something this song clearly shows we are proud to have, so why not let them be proud to have it too? Also, just as the documentary stated we are the wrong side in this war and that's something that makes me not want to "gladly stand up" for our country. We tortured innocent people, killed innocent children, and with interviews can now see how that impacted the Vietnamese people themselves, especially with the interview of the man who lost his young daughter to a bombing attack.

Also, as discussed in class, we Americans did not come out victorious because we did not accomplish our original goal, which made me question why when interviewing Senator Kennedy he stated that "victory is near," something many people can argue never really was approached. Many shared this same belief including Clifford who stated that we should not have been involved, and it was also stated that the Presidents all lied to us in some form or another. This is probably the most shocking. Presidents should be loyal and honest to their country, but I guess after all they still are politicians.

Although some people believed and agreed with our being involved in the Vietnam war the point made about Americans never suffering that severe devastation made me consider the statement and the war. Overall I cannot agree with our being involved in the Vietnam war especially after watching Hearts and Minds. We were the wrong side and I'm not so sure if I can get use to that fact, I am after all an American and we know we all hate admitting defeat.