On March 8, 1965, Philip Caputo was sent to Danang with a battalion of the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade and was the first U.S. combat unit sent to Indochina. At that time Americans had enormous pride and confidence in going to war. Young men who had never fought in a war possessed idealism full of illusions by following John F. Kennedy's statement, "ask what you can do for your country" (qtd. in Caputo xiv). The proud young military men believed that the Viet Cong could be swiftly conquered only to come to awareness these guerrillas were a deadly, persistent enemy who were willing to sustain continual casualties, while the U.S. government became just as responsible for inflicting tremendous casualties physically and morally during the war.
Young American men went to Vietnam to experience the challenge of danger and the chance to come home heroes. These men had known nothing but security, comfort, peace, and enlisting for some was an act of rebellion (Caputo 8). Junior officers became intrigued by the fantasy of fighting guerrillas in distant places. These officers felt that they had not accomplished what other officers had in other wars by having heroic badges displayed all over their uniforms (16-17). "Napoleon once said that he could make men die for little pieces of ribbon. By the time the battalion left for Vietnam, I was ready to die for considerable less, for a few favorable remarks in a fitness report. Words." Caputo suffering from youth took his commander's comments too seriously. His commanders infused in him a lasting fear of criticism with a continual appetite for praise. Caputo did not want to be thought of as not good enough to be in a military battalion (35).
The 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade was to give security for the air base in Vietnam. The brigade was to have a combined air-sea assault the morning of March 8, 1965 and then gain defensive positions around Danang (46).
Philip Caputo, author of "A Rumor of War," was born in 1941. ... Caputo is best known for "A Rumor of War," but has written 14 other books. ... "A Rumor of War" is divided into three sections. ... Philip Caputo uses himself as a source for his book "A Rumor of War." ... Caputo acts as a primary source for "A Rumor of War" and used his personal experiences to create his story. ...
A Rumor of War was just that, it discussed everything from gruesome encounters with the Viet Cong to descriptions of the horrible weather. Philip Caputo's, the author of A Rumor of War, use of vivid language made the book come alive, as if it were a movie. ... A Rumor of War was an amazing book that went into detail about Vietnam. ... A Rumor of War was written not long after Caputo's experience in this tragic war. ... A Rumor of War is one ...
In his autobiography, Rumor of War we begin to learn the horror and tragedies of the war and what impact the war had on his life. When he was first sent to the war he thought that he was doing the right thing. He saw the war as a chance to prove himself. ... His views began to change about the war. ... He was beginning to be confused, the war had changed and so were he and his platoon. ...
A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo was an interesting story about one man's reflection upon and story of the Vietnam War. ... I chose it because I knew little of the Vietnam War, and thought it would be educational yet interesting for me to read. I also choose it because it was actually written by someone who was in the war. ... In the beginning of the book I could not quite understand his thirst for war and fighting. ... It gave me a better understanding not only of the Vietnam War, but also of the events that take place during a war, and the feelings and actions the soldiers" experience....
The first factors and the beginning of unrest in the colonial people were the Proclamation of 1763, and the French and Indian War. ... The French and the Indian War was a great factor in the strife of the colonists, because if the French are out of North America, then the colonists did not need the British to protect them from the French. ... The congressional body helped to make the independency rumors into a full out revolution. ...
At that time Americans had enormous pride and confidence in going to war. ... At the beginning of the Vietnam War, the atmosphere was like Kipling's colonial wars. ... Lieutenant Bradley called Vietnam the "splendid little war." ... Men enlisted thinking the war might be over before they were able to fight. ... The men in the military along with Caputo were drawn to war (71). ...
The next impression we get comes from the rumors around the party. These rumors confuse you about his past, as he is still mysterious to us, although these rumors are hard to believe. "Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once."" and "It's more that he was a German spy during the war."" Thes rumors tell us that Gatsby is hidden to everyone, not just Nick. ... Another way Fitzgerald describes Gatsby is with rumors, also keeping Gatsby hidden. ...
"; however he was only able to get there because of a misunderstanding after the war, even then he was only there for a short period of time. After he left the war Gatsbys original plans were returning home, After the Armistice he tried to get home but was sent to Oxford instead(pg.158 line8), which shows he had future plans of attending Oxford. ... When ever stumbled upon during conversation Gatsby's past left many with an unsolved mystery; leading to rumors, many thought he was a murderer, some thought he was a German spy, others simply thought he was a bootlegger because of his wea...
Why Did the United States Enter World War I? World War I was a military conflict from 1914 to 1918. ... The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 sparked the war. ... The rumors/propaganda, along with extensive submarine warfare, added to the distrust of the Germans. ... The Zimmerman Note, the feeling of being a "cultural brother" to Great Britain, and rumors triggered entrance to the war. ...
