Vietnam memorial should prompt teach-in This calls for a teach-in.
The U.S. Department of Defense says it will sponsor a program to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. If done right, the anniversary could be a teachable moment. The program, with an as-yet-unspecified series of activities, will thank and honor veterans of the Vietnam War and their families; highlight the service of the armed forces and other organizations; pay tribute to contributions made on the home front; highlight advances in technology, science and medicine; and recognize contributions by U.S. allies during the war. This is all well and good, but it won't get at some of the issues that linger decades after the star-crossed conflict ended. So it would be good to see an educational forum — known in the 1960s as a "teach-in" — to explore them. Some issues might include: •From a historical perspective, does there now appear to have been any point to waging the war? •How have veterans, often given the cold shoulder or "Dear John" letters, coped with their service and moved on? How many suicides went unreported? •Did anti-war protests help end the war, and has the elimination of the draft muted the potential for protest? •How is Vietnam dealing with the aftereffects, such as birth defects, of such weapons as Agent Orange? •Has the Vietnam War lost its mojo, its ability to serve as a cautionary example, when the country contemplates military action? Do we ignore it at our peril? -- http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-ed-vietnam-program-0129-20110129,0,6445341.story Via InstaFetch -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sixties-L" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sixties-l?hl=en.
