Philip Caputo was a young man caught up in one of the most troubled times in our nation’s history. He was born in Chicago and seemed to have a good life. He wanted to get out and see the world though, so he decided to join the United States Marines. He thought he was the only twenty-two year in the world still living at home. He was confused and trying to be somebody. He did not what lied ahead of him in the Vietnam Conflict, but he would soon find out. 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 background had taught him that whatever the cause we must protect the country. He had great pride when he first entered the war and wanted his whole family to be proud of him. In the marines he became a lieutenant and was put in command of the second platoon in Vietnam. They were sent to an MOR, at a communist stronghold. There they started patrols, but could not find the enemy. He lost his first casualty to a land mine while patrolling. The man had to have his foot amputated and was sent home.
He was put on trial for murder and told if he coped a plea and said he was guilty he would be found innocent. He decided that he would make the deal and he was sent home from Vietnam. As he got on the plane to go home after eleven months and eighteen days in the war, he had learned all about death and would never be able to forget his experience.
Caputo’s story of Vietnam tells us a lot about the confusion and turmoil our soldiers experienced in the war. They were all very confused of why they were there and what they were fighting for. They had a country that was against them, ( what their )missions where(were) there was no enemy and commanders who did not care about them. The American experience in Vietnam was not a good one at all. Most of the survivors probably still do not understand why they were there or whom they were fighting. One thing is for sure : the war will never be forgotten especially for the soldiers who were there.
After this incident his views of the war had changed so much him and two other men decided to take matters in there own hands and get information on the NVA and their location. They went into a village that they thought had been hiding information about the NVA and something went wrong and they killed two villagers. When they returned to base their story was that
Example Essays Home
