Zach
Chapter 4
14 April 2010
What Was Asked of Us
By: Trish Wood
This chapter of the book has stood out to me over all of the rest, and in my opinion it contains the most meaningful and moving accounts of war that I have ever read about. I feel that some of the events and realizations in this chapter were long overdue. The beginning and middle of the book was like a broken record in the sense that all of the stories were about violence and how much the war affected the soldiers in a negative way. However, this chapter contains accounts of soldiers that have realized the true harm of war and what the purpose of the US presence in Iraq was about. I believe that, without this chapter, the book would not have been as good, nor would it have had as much of an impact on me.
For example, one soldier tells of how the Iraqis had their first free election. This election was significant because it was a powerful symbol to the Iraqis since it represented the first time that the people of their country had the right to control their own destiny. Other soldiers addressed what kinds of things happen to soldiers after they leave the fighting. They tell about how PTSD has torn apart the lives of their fiends and themselves, and how violence and thoughts of suicide linger around every corner. I believe that this was the most important part of the book because it is the most meaningful and informational since it provides readers with a firsthand account of the horrible things that can happen to veterans.
I think that Zach is correct in what he said in this blog. It is very important to realize why soldiers are so depressed when they come home. This actually leads right into my topic and research questions for this project. My topic is about suicide among veterans. The suicide rates go up as a result of depression. I think it is very interesting that this stood out to Zach because it does go along with my topic so well. This will be really good because if I have any questions about this subject, I can just ask Zach.
Zach, I agree with you in many ways. I think that this chapter was very informational, and it impacted me very much. I also think that it is important to learn what happens to the soldiers after they return home. Personally, I think that our country should provide some type of help or support for soldiers that have come home. I believe that this help would allow the soldiers to adjust to regular life again, and veterans may have fewer problems, like PTSD and suicidal thoughts.