... could do was to try to take his mind away from the war, or it would have been consumed. Reminders of home, talismans, and images from the past helped those men to try to be their old self, to be innocent once again and to lift themselves above the horrible war. Objects like weapons help the soldiers to get their mind away from the ... this list he includes his honor, his best friend, and all faith in himself. For O'Brien, evidence of the parasite is not solely in his return Vietnam, but rather a constant personal preoccupation that seems to flow through the collection of stories. O'Brie...

• Word Count: 1574
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... Vietnam Veterans Memorial was selected from a national design competition. There were four criteria for the design: 1. be reflective and contemplative in character; 2. harmonize with its surroundings; 3. contain all 57,939 names of those who died in the conflict or were still missing; and 4. make no political statement about the war (The Vietnam Veteran's ). There were 1,421 design entries. Each design was given a ... realized that Lin's design was the correct way to list the names (Feldman, Downs, McManus, 463). Groundbreaking took place on March 26, 1982. The walls and landscaping wer...

• Word Count: 1466
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School