One thing that I definitely noticed through the chapter ‘In the field’ was blame. This thing was important because when it comes down to it, everybody was at blame for the war they were in. O’Brien states, “When a man died, there had to be blame. Jimmy Cross understood this. You could blame the war. You could blame the idiots who made the war. You could blame Kiowa for going to it. You could blame the rain. You could blame the river. You could blame the field, the mud, the climate. You could blame the enemy. You could blame the mortar rounds. You could blame people who were too lazy to read a newspaper, who were bored by the daily body counts, who switched channels at the mention of politics. You could blame whole nations. You could blame God. You could blame the munitions makers or Karl Marx or a trick of fate or an old man in Omaha who forgot to vote” (O’Brien 171-2). I used to have problems finding who to blame, so I used to just blame myself and find ways to resolve the problems. Until my senior year of high school, I carried a heavy weight on my shoulders. In early July, I went out for a late night drive and would just reminisce and reflect on what I’ve been through and the blame I carried with me. It wasn’t until that night that there’s all types of ways you can look at situations and there’s all kinds of blame that you apply.
My research was based around the question; How many vets from wars would come home and commit suicide because they couldn’t recover? In a 2013 study released by the Veterans Affairs, roughly 22 veterans would commit suicide everyday. One suicide every 65 minutes. Suicide rates of civilians, per 100,00 people, were 14. Compare that 14 civilians to 30 veterans per 100,00 people. I was curious about the topic because the story of Norman Bowker in the story actually hit me hard and I knew that it was a topic that media kind of sweeps under the rug and doesn’t pay much attention to.
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| Every 65 minutes, there is one vet that takes his or her life. This visual came directly from the report of the Veterans Affairs. |
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| Suicide rates of vets are more than double that of civilians per 100,000 people. This visual came directly from the report of the Veterans Affairs. |
Should the government pass laws to require vets to attend free one on one therapy?
I enjoyed reading your post! I think that your research question is very good. It's sad to think about, but unfortunately there were many soldiers, I think, that came home and simply could not readjust to their lives post-war.
ReplyDeleteI agree Braeden, the blame game is certainly a thing in the story, but also in real life. Do you think that this is part of why growing up we are taught to take responsibility and own up to our mistakes?
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job relating the story back to your life and as a reader it gives a better insight about how you feel about this theme. Have you ever wanted to blame something on others but realized that the blame didn't have anywhere to go because it was no one's fault?
ReplyDeleteI like your research question and I think it's an important thing to think about as it's definitely still true today and everyday.
ReplyDeleteThe free therapy idea is great! Although, would vets be willing to go? Maybe some are too stubborn to admit the problem, or feel that they can't show the fact they are struggling.
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