Casualties of War Historical Accuracy

Casualties of War told the story of private Eriksson and the attrocities committed by his fellow soldiers while on a reconnaissance mission in the Vietnam War.  Much like 12 years a slave the movie was based extensively on a primary source.  The source this was based on was an interview of Eriksson conducted by Daniel Lang, a reporter for the New Yorker in 1969.  The director Brian Depalma chose to follow this first hand account of the events closely leaving only a few scenes questionable for their historical accuracy.
Scenes described by Eriksson were depicted extremely accurately throughout the film.  The scenes involving the abuse of the girl on the mission were not exaggerated in the film.  Once the girl had been kidnapped she was forced to carry one of the soldiers gear, when the soldiers took breaks to eat in the film the girl was not fed and she eventually fell in to poor health.  In the interview Eriksson said that she grew tired while carrying the gear and began to look sick.  In the movie and in real life she was not fed but Eriksson being the only sympathetic soldier gave her an asprin to help her feel better.  This was depicted accurately in the film.  When Errikson refused to take part in the abuse of the girl he was threatened by the Sergeant calling him a homo sexual and saying that he would be killed and reported as killed in action on the mission.  Eriksson told Daniel Lang all of this was true and during the court martial hearing one of the soldiers confirmed the threats and said that he would not have been able to withstand the threats being given to Eriksson.  This same soldier acted as if he did not want to partake but felt threatened if he did not and eventually gave in.  This was well demonstrated in the film and it was made clear that the soldier had given in to the pressure.  When Eriksson refused he was told to keep watch in the jungle outside the abandon hooch they were camping in for the night.  In his interview he confirmed this and showed remorse for not taking more action to protect the girl.  Every detail involving the girls health was accurate in the film, she fell sick and developed a bad cough until she was eventually killed.  The sergeant tried to get the other soldiers to kill her and when they wouldn't he eventually let his eager second in command stab the girl multiple times.  Errikson described the man to be almost enthusiastic about killing the girl.  When they believed she was dead she began to crawl out of the bushes and the soldiers opened fire on her and then disposing of the body off of a cliff just like in the film.  The interview was not the only thing proving the movie's historical accuracy.
The soldiers in the movie acted unsympathetic to the Vietnamese people slaughtering their live stock and burning their villages.  There are multiple accounts of these events taking place in Vietnam.  One interview with a soldier on Pbs.org told the story of the burning of Cam Ne.  He said that a group of soldiers nicknamed the "zippo brigade " set fire to the village as the Vietnamese fled.  A reporter took pictures of the event and tried to alert the public.  When questioned the Marine Corps denied the event and said that the village was collateral damage to a battle.  The soldiers in the film talked about the villages and its people as collateral damage as well.  The public was shocked after seeing these images because they were used to seeing the US act as heroes in World War Two making the war even less popular in the US than it already was.
The scenery in the movie was also extremely accurate.  One scene where the soldiers walked through a devastated jungle looked very similar to pictures of battle that can be found online such as hamburger hill.  The depiction of the base camp also looked very realistic to what a base camp would have looked like in Vietnam.   The movie was filmed in Thailand in order to give it an accurate landscape.  Eriksson also described an abandoned hooch that the soldiers took shelter in in the jungle which was shown in the film.  The vehicles such as the helicopters and gun boats shown in the film would have also been a common sight in Vietnam.  After following history so closely Depalma was left with little room for interpretation.
There were a few scenes depicted inaccurately in the film.  One example was when Eriksson told the other soldiers he had a wife and kids back home but in reality he only had a wife.  Another fictional scene was when a bomb was placed in the bathroom to try and kill Eriksson.  Eriksson never reported this to have happened.  This was added to emphasize the threats given to Eriksson and add drama to the film.
As a whole Casualties of war was a historically accurate movie that could be used to teach Errikson's story and about the Vietnam war.  Neither of the two exaggerated events found drastically changed the course of the movie.  The details shown in the film gave a realistic and accurate depiction of the events.

Casualties of War Bibliography

Bibliography

Encyclopedia Britannica
Provided background information on the Vietnam War

The New Yorker
Interview between Eriksson and a reporter at the time

The New York Times
Movie Review

Pbs.org
Provided Information on how soldiers acted in the villages and treated the villagers

Casualties of War Menu

Traditional Vietnamese Options:
 1. Pho Bo (beef and noodle soup)

Pho Bo

 2. Spring Rolls

Spring Rolls

American Option:

1.  Beef Bourguignon  (Became popular after being featured on a famous cooking show during the Vietnam era)

Beef Bourguignon

 Eat like a soldier:
  1. C-Ration (Precooked canned food eaten when unprepared food was not available)

C-Ration

Casualties of War Dinner Party Invitations

 The following people are invited to the Casualties of War jungle themed dinner party.  This won't be your typical pleasant tropical theme because the main focus of the night is the Vietnam War.  There will be burned villages military rations and more.  I can not wait to see all of you there.


Michael Jay Fox, Sean Penn, John Leguizamo Diaz, Donald Harvey, and John Reilly are all invited to give everyone a look at what it was like to recreate such a horrific event from the Vietnam War.  Brian De Palma the director of the movie will also be invited to the party to talk about the choices he made regarding the historical accuracy of the film. Daniel Lang a reporter who interviewed Eriksson will be invited to provide information about how his interview affected the public.  Finally Eriksson will be invited to provide a first hand account f what actually happened in Vietnam.  Looking forward to seeing all of you there.

Casualties of War Exhibit

There will be an exhibit for all of the guests to enjoy after dinner. The display will include:

1.

The soldiers from C Co., 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, set fire to the village of Lieu An on the Bong Son plain during Operation Pershing.  The soldiers in the movie burned villages that were believed to be harboring Viet Cong.
Vietnam Photography

2. 

This is a tunnel used by the Viet Cong to move supplies and troops without being detected.  One of the soldiers in the movie fell in to one of these while trying to escape a mortar attack.learnnc.org

3. 

This image of the effect the war had on the jungle is very similar to some of the landscapes the soldiers walked through in the movie
West Saint Paul Antiques

4

This is a photo of the C/229th base camp in Vietnam.  This was shown in the movie when the soldiers were at camp getting ready to go on the mission

Vietnam Pictures

5.

This is a US gun boat.  In the movie a gun boat saved the soldiers when they were attacked close to the river.

Gun Boat

6.

This is a wounded soldier being loaded in to a helicopter just like how Brownie was loaded in to a helicopter after he was shot in the movie.

Brittanica

7. 

This is a hootch.  This is what the Vietnamese lived in and what the soldiers in the movie took shelter in while on their mission.

Culture of Vietnam

8.  

This is a water buffalo in Vietnam during the war.  In the movie one of the soldiers shot at a water buffalo because he thought it was the enemy and almost gave away their position. 

Water Buffalo

WWI propaganda analysis

I would define propaganda as advertisements made by the government to gain the support of their citizens.

information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person,   group, movement, institution, nation, etc. Dictionary.com

Propaganda Posters

The first poster is a woman wearing a nurses outfit holding a child and it says our greatest mother.  It encouraged women to join the war as nurses and showed a connection between motherhood and being  a red cross nurse.  This suggests that women from America would make good nurses because they are good mothers.

The second poster shows a woman holding a paper and it says be a trained nurse.  She is also opening the door to opportunity.  This poster was again encouraging women to be nurses.  This  is trying to convince women that being a nurse would be a greater opportunity for women than staying home because the city behind her is on fire.

The third poster shows a woman working as a telephone operator near a battle and it says back our girls over there.  This is encouraging women to get involved in the war.  It also mentions the United War Work Campaign and the YWCA.  The  United War Work Campaign worked with several organizations including the YWCA to raise money for the war.  This poster specifically wants people to donate money in order to help the women involved in the war.

The Legend of Eddie Aikau

The Legend of Eddie Aikau allowed us to see the affect Imperialism had and continues to have on the native people of Hawaii.  Eddie's family felt fortunate compared to the other natives because they were allowed to live in a Chinese cemetery as long as they maintained it.  This shows how the natives had been displaced on their own island.  Eddie struggled with getting in to the surfing competitions held by the white people on the island and the arrogant Australian surfers who had claimed to evolved and taken over the sport created by the natives.  The Hawaiians felt that they had just become hula dancers and other forms of entertainment for the tourists.  Hearing the natives talk about how they felt unwanted on the beaches of their own islands really put the impact of imperialism into perspective and allowed me to learn about how the effects of imperialism lingered even after Hawaii gained its statehood and still exist today.

How do you analyze a political cartoon?

In order to analyze a political cartoon I think it is important to look for important political figures and then objects that could represent an issue that the political figure is involved with.  Finally look for what is happening to the object or political figure in the cartoon and try to figure out what point the artist is trying to get across in the cartoon.

After looking at cartoon analysis guide I realized that I was correct about looking for political figures and symbols but when trying to find the meaning of the cartoon it is important to also look for exaggeration, labeled objects and people, an analogy between a familiar situation and a political situation, and irony being depicted in the cartoon.  Using this guide I will be able to successfully analyze a political cartoon.

Spanish American War Political Cartoon

In this cartoon President McKinley is labeled letting a dog which represents the US army out of its house labeled Tampa to attack a man wearing a hat labeled Spain.  While the man is running from Army he is caught by a second dog named Navy.  This cartoon represents President McKinley sending the eager army out of Florida and in to Cuba to attack the Spanish, and even when the Spanish tries to run from the army they will be caught by the Navy.

Philippine Conflict Political Cartoon

This cartoon shows a large man symbolizing Uncle Sam helping a smaller person who represents a native Filipino while a man labeled Spain hides in a bush.  The caption on the bottom says "It makes a difference".  The artist was trying to show that America is powerful and able to move in to the Philippine's and show the importance of helping the native people and protecting them from the Spanish.

Cuban Mother Political Cartoon

This cartoon shows a Cuban mother holding her dead son.  The reason his head looks old is he represents the young soldiers that died during the war.  This cartoon puts emphasis on the negative aspects of the war and how devastating it was for the Cubans.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination based on race, sex, or national origin.  It also banned segregation in schools, the work place, and facilities that serve the public.  I do believe some of these behaviors still exist today because of the wage gap between men and women in America.  I believe that women's income should increase until it is equal with men's.  I thought it was very interesting how the children of Birmingham were able to have such a huge impact on a national issue.  I also enjoyed seeing how empowered the kids were able to feel at a young age.  I expect to learn even more about the children's march and what happened afterwards on the field trip tomorrow.  

Sources:
Civil Rights Act of 1964 Wikipedia

Children's March

Factory Fires in the Progressive Era

I researched factory fires in Alabama between 1880 and 1925.  This search had 19645 matches and peaked in the 1890s. I found in the Coosa River News from July 31, 1896 an article titled "Wonderful things are near".  The article focused on advancements in electricity during this time period.  It talked about horseless carriages, electricity and light in every home, electricity becoming as cheap as water, and factories using electricity to power machines making the air much cleaner and get rid of factory fires  The article predicted that all of this could happen by the 1920s.  I also found that this prediction was not very accurate because on July 23, 1919 the Decatur Daily published an article about a recent factory fire caused by a lit cigarette that killed 50 people and injured more.  The amount of matches for the search did decline as the timeline got closer to the 1920s so improvements must have been made but factory fires had not completely gone away.

Coosa River News

The Decaturs Daily

Ballot Initiatives

The ballot initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can bring about a public vote on a proposed statute or constitutional amendment.

• 24 states allow ballot initiatives
• a direct initiative goes straight to popular vote
• an indirect initiative goes to legislature then to popular vote
• California passed 12/17 in 2016
• including raising the minimum wage and tobacco taxes
• California was able to get more funding for schools

https://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_initiative

Progressive Era

1. Progress making improvements to achieve a goal.

2. The progressive era was 1890-1920 this time is associated with urbanization and business expansion

3. Progressive reforms often have to do with restoring democracy

4. An essential goal of the progressive era was improving quality of life by reducing the harsh conditions caused by industrialization.  A good but not completely necessary goal was making work more efficient and reducing work hours.  A strange goal was fixing the uneven distribution of wealth between big businesses.  A goal that was not a good idea was improving the life style of the poor by changing their life style in ways like banning alcohol. 

Predictions of the Future 100 Years Ago

100 years ago people made many predictions of what life would be like today, some of which were accurate while others were completely wrong.

John Elfreth Watkins Jr predictions:

1.  There Will Be No Street Cars in Our Large Cities. All hurry traffic will be below or high above ground when brought within city limits. In most cities it will be confined to broad subways or tunnels, well lighted and well ventilated, or to high trestles with “moving-sidewalk” stairways leading to the top. These underground or overhead streets will teem with capacious automobile passenger coaches and freight with cushioned wheels. Subways or trestles will be reserved for express trains.  Cities, therefore, will be free from all noises.

2. Gymnastics will begin in the nursery, where toys and games will be designed to strengthen the muscles. Exercise will be compulsory in the schools. Every school, college and community will have a complete gymnasium. All cities will have public gymnasiums. A man or woman unable to walk ten miles at a stretch will be regarded as a weakling

3.  There will be air-ships, but they will not successfully compete with surface cars and water vessels for passenger or freight traffic. They will be maintained as deadly war-vessels by all military nations. Some will transport men and goods. Others will be used by scientists making observations at great heights above the earth.

4.   Peas as Large as Beets.  Peas and beans will be as large as beets are to-day.  Sugar cane will produce twice as much sugar as the sugar beet now does.  Cane will once more be the chief source of our sugar supply.  The milkweed will have been developed into a rubber plant.  Cheap native rubber will be harvested by machinery all over this country.  Plants will be made proof against disease microbes just as readily as man is to-day against smallpox.  The soil will be kept enriched by plants which take their nutrition from the air and give fertility to the earth.

5. There will be no wild animals except in menageries. Rats and mice will have been exterminated. The horse will have become practically extinct. A few of high breed will be kept by the rich for racing, hunting and exercise. The automobile will have driven out the horse. Cattle and sheep will have no horns. They will be unable to run faster than the fattened hog of today. A century ago the wild hog could outrun a horse. Food animals will be bred to expend practically all of their life energy in producing meat, milk, wool and other by-products. Horns, bones, muscles and lungs will have been neglected.

The prediction of exercise being mandatory in schools was accurate, but people that can not walk ten miles are not regarded as weaklings due to obesity rates rising.  Therefore the prediction of a healthier more fit America was more of a dream of an ideal future rather than an actual prediction.  While subways are a common use of transportation in big cities street cars are still used.  The prediction of vegetables becoming larger was accurate we still have not found a way for plants to live off of air and enrich the soil.  Most of these predictions predict a better future with larger food supplies, healthier people, and cleaner more efficient cities.
I predict that in the future it will become increasingly harder to find jobs, due to a growing population cities will continue to become more crowded, and low paying jobs will require a higher level of education.

Farm

plane

http://theashleylawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/new-york-subway-system.jpg

Urbanization and Organized Crime

During the late 19th and early 20th century people in America were moving from small towns and rural areas to large cities.  These cities grew rapidly due to large amounts of immigration, and this created poor living conditions and crowded spaces.  Crime became a way for immigrants to make money and they quickly formed large organizations.  Without a developed police force and corrupt politicians gangs during this time were able to grow in size and power rapidly.  The rapid urbanization in America lead to the development of organized crime which in return had a significant impact on urban life.
Organized crime was not created during this time period but did change drastically.  Prior to 1870 smaller gangs such as the Whyos.  The Whyos were mostly made up of petty thieves and would commit crimes such as punching someone for two dollars, breaking a bone for ten dollars, or even killing someone for one hundred dollars.  The whyos finally dissolved around 1890.  During the late 19th century large waves of immigrants were moving to the cities and creating gangs.  These gangs were much more organized and were able to absorb the smaller gangs that had existed previously.  NationalGangCenter.gov compared the development of gangs during this time period to the progress of commerce.  Changing from individual stores to large stores with many different items available.  Gangs such as the five points gang and the Monk Eastman Gang from New York quickly became powerful and were involved in counterfeiting, drug trade, prostitution, and racketeering.  Antonio Vaccerelli "Paul Kelly" was the leader of the five points gang, Kelly grew his gang by creating youth groups as a front for getting kids involved with the gang.  Monk Eastman leader of the Jewish gang in New York trained kids as pick pockets at the age of 10.   These gangs were very organized and able to commit crimes on a much larger scale.
The Gangs also affected the politics and social landscape of cities.  Both Eastman and Kelly wanted protection from the law in New York, so they began working with the corrupt politicians in Tammany Hall including Boss Tweed.  With Backing from both of the largest gangs in New York the Tammany Hall political machine was very powerful.  The gangs would have members at the polls to intimidate people into voting a certain way, they would also stuff the ballot boxes with fake votes.  According to Historical Crimes by Wallace Edwards it was not uncommon for there to be three times the number of votes in the five points district than there were registered voters.  In return the gangs were able to commit crimes without prosecution.  Paul Kelly was arrested and should have gotten twenty years in prison but by the time of the trial his case had been manipulated so greatly that he only got 9 months.  While sentencing Kelly recorder Goff said " You should have been convicted of highway robbery.  Instead you were only convicted of assault."  This partnership between the gangs and politicians helped shape city politics and urban life during this time period.
The way people viewed certain groups of immigrants was shaped by gang violence during this time period.  In Los Angeles the Chinese immigrants had created gangs of their own called tongs.  The Hip Sing tong and the On Leong tong were the most powerful tongs at the time.  They would often fight for control over opium dens and brothels.  The Hip Sing Tong had paid off most of the police force and the On Leong tong had political ties because they had rigged election of the district attorney.  In 1900 a shootout started between the gangs in a tenement a woman and two children were injured, the police wrote this off as a gambling dispute and the woman and children were just collateral damage.  The LA Herald, a Los Angeles newspaper, posted on July 19 1907 that seven men had recieved threats stating that tong wars were imminent, the newspaper claimed that the gangs had brought in the dreaded "Hatchet Men" and it said that any Chinese person found bearing arms could be arrested.  The Chinese gang violence furthered the anti Chinese sentiment that already existed in this time period.
The rapid growth of cities between 1870 and 1915 lead to the development of large organized crime groups which eventually impacted city politics and the way people viewed immigrants.  The large organized gangs created during this time period are similar to gangs in America today.  The impact of gangs on cities during this time period helped shape urban life into what it is today.


Sources:

Absolute Crime

 Information on political impact

National Gang Center

Information on development of gangs

New York daily news

information on chinese gangs

tammany's control of new york

information on monk eastman gang and paul kelly

online textbook

Background information on urban life

Los Angeles Herald 

Primary source on tong wars (July 19, 1907)

Paul Kelly

Tammany Hall

Chinese Gangsters

tenement housing

Monk Eastman