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Photo courtesy of http://www.google.com |
My interviewee was Mr. Kenneth Miller. Mr. Miller is a friend of mine. Mr. Miller was willing to tell his story and give his details about the Vietnam War. Mr. Miller lived through the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was the longest and most unpopular war in which the Americans ever fought; about fifty-eight thousand Americans lost their lives. The Vietnam War started in 1965 and ended in 1973. We became involved in the war because the French and the Vietnamese were locked in battle and President Truman ignored the Vietnamese's pleas for assistance and threw his support behind France. Of the 2.7 million Americans who served in the Vietnam War, 304,000 were wounded in action, and 75,000 were disabled. Of the casualties listed on The Wall, approximately 1,300 remain missing in action. |
| Mr. Miller's most vivid memories were
his two brothers James and Claude entering the Navy in 1940.
James the oldest, was a core man. Claude was a radar specialist.
James was aboard hospital ships most of the time. Claude was
aboard the U.S.F. Bedee, which was a destroyer. The destroyer
ended up getting blown up, and Claude was missing in action.
About a month later, Claude turned back up. When the time came
that they could leave, they got held back in the Navy. Later
on James and Claude became instructors in the Navy. James and
Claude both served in the military for thirty-two years. James
and Claude were Chief Warrant Officers and were also World War
II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans by the time they left
the Navy. I spoke with Mr. Miller about the chemical called Agent
Orange. Agent Orange was the toxic defoliant used by US forces,
which has been blamed for huge numbers of birth defects in the
country of Vietnam. After doing research on Agent Orange and running tests, the Vietnamese authorities say they fear that illnesses caused by Agent Orange are now being passed on to a third generation of victims. During the war in Vietnam the Americans sprayed millions of gallons of Agent Orange on the country in an attempt to deny food and cover to the enemy. To Tien Hoa is a 65-year-old grandfather who spent seven years fighting against the Americans. He was repeatedly sprayed by Agent Orange. "My son was born with a deformed foot and now my grandson has no legs and a deformed hand. I can confirm this is because of Agent Orange",said Hoa. Scientists say it is not that simple. The US does pay compensation to some of its own serviceman for Agent Orange related illnesses, but proving a link between various medical conditions and Agent Orange is difficult and highly controversial. There is, however, widespread agreement the dioxin that Agent Orange contained is very dangerous. It will take many years to solve the problem. The interview with Mr. Miller went better than I thought it would. I thought it was very easy because he was easy to talk to, and he remembered everything. Our best talking occurred during the interview because he is real funny, and he never let me get bored. The main thing that I learned about this event that I didn't already know is how the war got started. I also learned that Mr. Miller had two brothers who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War. I rate this interview as a positive because it was very fun and it was a learning experience. |
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Photo's courtesy of http://www.google.com |
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For other websites on The Vietnam War,click on these links.
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Photo courtesy of http://www.vietnamwar.com |
