Warm Up: Doonesbury

Reminders  Due today: Reading to page 178  Upcoming Due Dates:  Zinn Part 2: Now Due Monday, May 14  TTTC through 188: Now Due Tuesday, May 15  TTTC through 224 Now Due Monday, May 21  Timeline: Now due Tuesday, May 22  End of TTC: Now Due Wednesday, May 23

War Heroes  What makes a war hero? Is there such a thing?  How would you determine if someone were a war hero?  What do you think Tim O’Brien would say?

“Speaking of Courage”  How are we supposed to feel about Norman Bowker?  How and why does O’Brien juxtapose the story of what happened in Song Tra Bong with the visuals of the river in this town in Iowa?  Why is Bowker telling the story…to nobody?  Does nobody care about the story, or is Bowker afraid to tell it?  Why is Bowker concerned about losing the Silver Star (as opposed to Kiowa dying)?  What is the role of a “war story”? Is there a time or place for these?  Why is it that O’Brien talks about himself in this story?  Does TTTC work well as a historic document for what the country and the soldiers went through after Vietnam?

How Mr. Austin Envisions Veterans’ Day  Celebrate those who have served, but also raise awareness about the issues those who have served face.  See the stats on the next slides and listen to the radio clip. Write a ½ -3/4 page response to Norman Bowker, these statistics, and the story in the radio clip.Possible prompts:  What can they tell us about the consequences / costs of war?  What does this mean for us as a country?  How should this information affect our decision when to go to war?

Veterans’ Suicide Rates  One Veteran committs suicide every 80 minutes. (18 veterans committ suicide every day).  “Faced with the stigma of post-traumatic stress disorder, unemployment rates tipping 12 percent and a loss of the military camaraderie, many veterans report feeling purposeless upon returning home.”  Source: Veterans Today

Suicide Stats

Homeless Veteran Facts  23% of the homeless population are veterans 33% of the male homeless population are veterans 47% served Vietnam- era 17% served post-Vietnam 15% served pre-Vietnam 67% served three or more years 33% were stationed in war zone 25% have used VA homeless services 85% completed high school/GED, compared to 56% of non-veterans 89% received an honorable discharge 79% reside in central cities 16% reside in suburban areas 5% reside in rural areas 76% experience alcohol, drug or mental health problems 46% are white males, compared to 34% of non- veterans 46% are age 45 or older, compared to 20% non- veterans  Source: National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

Soldier of Misfortune  Is this a war hero? A villain? Something else?  p?play=359&act=2 p?play=359&act=2  Skip to act 2: Warning—this may be very disturbing.  What does this clip tell us about the costs / consequences of war?  What does this mean for us as a country?

Response  Write a ½ -3/4 page response to Norman Bowker’s story, these statistics, and the story in the radio clip. Possible prompts:  What can all of this tell us about the consequences / costs of war?  What does this mean for us as a country?  How should this information affect our decision when to go to war?