The Role of Primary Sources and Historical Research
The Role of Primary Sources and Historical Research
The analysis and interpretation of “A Rumor of War” by Philip Caputo have provided a clear picture for many people of the atrocities that happen on the battlefield and the consequences of trauma. According to Caputo, what happened during the preparation for war is not what exactly happened during the war. The realities of war had a negative impact on the psychology of solder if they are not well prepared. Although these does not always happen in all war, the Vietnam war provided a unique atmosphere of the extremism of war. Caputo gives examples through his narrative how solder cannot fully be equipped through train on what happens in war. During the Vietnam war solders suffered a lot because they were indoctrinated oblivion of the traumatic event and intense condition. The soldiers were trained to love and enjoy killing. However, after seeing the savage and horror experiences of their comrades the point of death they began to numb. Consequently, the solders became more like killing machine. The author indicates that they killed for fun without feeling remorse for the family of the victims. However, these impact had a resounding impact in their lives. When they finally returned to their country home country they lacked ambition. The legality of the ethical killing is questionable given the inhuman nature of killing that was witnessed in the Vietnam War, and the consequence it had on the life of the marine solders.
First, the use of primary sources makes the appealing of the writer more authentic. Caputo give vivid description of the intense living condition of the experience he went through that no secondary book can provide. Before going to war solders are always indoctrinated, and psyched up to believe that they are fighting for the country. They are taught to hate the enemy and kill for fun. However, no amount of training can match the realities of dealing with the psychology of death. The revenge attitude when the solders find their colleague is disastrous. The author indicates that once the solders saw the horrendous death of their friends their feeling became numb. He indicates, “Once men been killing it is not easy to stop killing them (Caputo 118). The statement implies that the solder became more like killing machine. They disregarded human life and shown little remorse of the death of their enemies. However, the consequences of quilt being washed way is more disastrous compared the art of killing. In training there is no prerequisite quilt that is felt in killing. Before, war the solders are indoctrinated without having a shear amount of trauma they will undergo in actual combat. Thus, in reading the primary material like “A Rumor of War” not actual feelings and realistic experiences are brought into the limelight that no secondary source can capture.
Secondly, the use of primary in the history of war shows that war changes the attitude of men. “A Rumor of War” shows that men go to war for the wrong reasons. The details from secondary sources that solders are given prior to war are not what they meet on the ground. The books show that before, the war all men are created equal, until when they set their foot on the battle field. However, thing changes drastically until when they make their first kill. After the war, Caputo indicates that his view on the human life had change forever. In chapter one the author says,” I was left with none of the optimism and ambition a young American is supposed to have, only a desire to catch up on sixteen months of missed sleep and an old man’s conviction that the future would hold no further surprises, good or bad” (17). Further the writer indicates that he had an inability to concentrate and chronic nightmares. These experience shows how the youthful experiences of a young man had been stolen from him. The attitude of the writer had changed to the extent that he was not able to have a quality life. Unlike the dream of a American young to have a good like the veteran solders life had completely been distorted.
Thirdly, the storyline of A Rumor of War shows how men loss their morality on basic realities. The question of ethical killing is very synonymous in the book. The quest to defend the interest of the US rest on the shoulders of the security team that was sent in South Vietnam. The solders not supposed to engage in physical battle but to assist the Viet Cong from the inversion of the South Vietnamese. However, Caputo begins to question the legality of the US mission in Vietnam. The majority of the soldiers who were sent on the mission field did not understand the objective of their assignment. The purpose of morality is questioned in the text of the book with the loss of many young lives at the expense of indefensible cause. Caputo recounts how the dignity of the human life was to dehumanizing the enemy. In one of the parades General Green a marine Corps commandant issued an address my indicating to the solders, “You mane are here to kill VC (117). The statement implies that the solders are used as objects to annihilate the enemy. The sentence makes the mind of the reader to question the right and interest of the solders on the war. In a greater degree, the life of the VC’s has been reduced to object that need to be destroyed without thinking about their families.
Lastly, the book show how the double standard on thicks America had in the Vietnam War. Caputo finds the act training the marines to go to war and then later subject them to court battle for killing very ironical. In reading the narrative of Caputo it is obvious that the solders with a mission to completely destroy the enemy. However, he finds the circumstance of taking the solders to court very hypocritical. During the war it was very difficult to distinguish the civilians from Viet Cong. He finds it very absurd to be subjected to be subjected court for the very act in which they were sent to do. He says, “They had taught us to kill and had told us to kill, and now they were going to court-martial us for killing” (295). The absurdity of facing prosecution reveals how the Marine was ready to destroy the life of their with the prospect of saving the reputation of the institution. However, the evidence presented to court does not give concreate evidence in what happened on the war. From the perspective of primary source it was difficult to distinguish between the civilian from the CV. However, the evidence does not point to complexity of the issue. Thus, the morality of the American stake of the war is conflicting with what they were taught on the training ground. Thus, the Caputo action in killing are treated as solders gone awry.
In conclusion, the morality of killing in reading the primary text of is questionable given the atrocities and the effect of the war on the solders. Caputo give vivid description of the intense living condition of the experience he went through that no secondary book can provide. Before going to war solders are always indoctrinated, and psyched up to believe that they are fighting for the country. They are taught to hate the enemy and kill for fun. The effect of killing the enemy their feelings numb. They disregarded human life and shown little remorse of the death of their enemies. Also, the material shows that the attitude of the solders changed after seeing the grotesque nature of the killings. The author indicates that he experienced nightmares and after witnessing the experiences of the war. In this the quality of his life change drastically. Additionally, the storyline of A Rumor of War shows how men loss their morality on basic realities. The majority of the soldiers who were sent on the mission field did not understand the objective of their assignment. The purpose of morality is questioned in the text of the book with the loss of many young lives at the expense of indefensible cause. Overall, the primary text shows the intricate issues that cannot be covered by most secondary sources.
Work cited
Caputo, Philip. A Rumor of War: The Classic Vietnam Memoir. Picador USA, 2017.