engine of souls | forum 2

Observations:
Fighting for Democracy, Jap Americans:

1. Japan used U.S. camps for Japs to fuel propaganda efforts to make the war with the U.S. a racial one and help recruit more people.

2. Many, like Daniel Inouye, felt angry that the government didnt seem to trust Japanese Americans in the U.S.

3. Many Japanese saw the enlistment, as an opportunity to prove to their country and those suspicious around them that they were part of this country, and not working against it.

4. Returning veterans with Japanese descent still had to deal with the same prejudice they dealt with before enlisting.

5. When looking at some of the pictures of the 442nd battalion, there are pictures of happy marriages and relationships, however, the prejudice they had to deal with made many things in their life anything but happy and proud.

Paragraph:

 

            The observations I chose are the most important because they center on prejudices that Japanese Americans had to deal with. My first observation doesnt talk much about the camps made for Japanese Americans in the U.S. It tells of how Japan had used that to help its own cause. Placing all Japanese citizens in camps didnt just affect the U.S. but much of Asia. Political and military enemies, as stated, used the camps existence to fuel support for their war. My second observation was made based on what Daniel Inouye said. He felt angry that the government didnt think Japanese Americans were the enemy. He represents the he amount of Japanese Americans who felt that same anger because of stereotypes created by that war. My third observation explained how, because of such prejudices, many saw enlistment and service as a way to prove to everyone that they were fighting for the same cause on the same size. Unfortunately, they still had to deal with the prejudices when they came back as I showed in my 4^th observation. My last one wasnt based on any facts read, or anything I found out. It was based on a picture of a married couple. They may have looked happy, but based on my other observations, they had to deal with a lot of prejudice making life much harder.

Moussa.



-- Edited by Moussa on Wednesday 15th of April 2009 04:20:44 PM

The Infantry

• 16 million Americans served in the armed forces during the war, less than a million ever saw serious combat.
• The infantry had the worst job out of the army they had to deal with combat and physical labor when not fighting.
• The soliders became in family because all they really had was eachother during the time of war.
• The men didn't hardly have any belongings, they were always wet and the only things that mattered to them was staying dry and not getting killed.
• The soliders such gruesome scenes which will haunt them forever, the soliders couldn't even talk about what they seen with family when they came home.

Summary

The infantry had the hardest task in World War II. The infantry was in charge of not only battles but doing hard physical labor. The conditions they had to face were horrible. It would rain for days on edge. Whoever you worked with was your unit; the men on the ships were a unit and men in an infantry are a unit. The best way that an infantryman can protect himself overnight is by getting together with his buddy back to back and digging a break in the earth so that three quarters of your body is protected by being below the level of the ground, known as a slit trench, Ray Leopold said. In this war you are trying to watch your back while watching the back of your friend. Many got trenched foot because since their feet were always wet, they didnt know how to treat their feet properly. Many of them watched their fellow comrades die right before their eyes. This caused these men great physiological harm.  They didnt carry hardly any of their personal possessions on them since they had to carry everything. They had these big bulky jackets which would get wet so they would actually be excited when a German was killed just so they can use the deceased German fur coat! Even after the war had ended this hardship followed these men for the rest of their lives, it haunts there dreams, the harm can never be reversed.

LIFE IN THE INFANTRY
1) Members of the infantry endured hardships due to extreme weather copnditions, unappropriate protective clothing and footwear, and unhealthy care for their bodies.
2) Things that we, at home, would never think of seeing, such as witnessing a comrade being shot and killed, became the norm for soldiers at war.
3) The infantry soldiers often went from one extreme to another; from living a life with little to no hardships to living one where they can't even take a shower.
4) Because the soldiers were all going through the same struggles, they learned to rely on one another to protect and comfort each other.  One such way was making a slit trench and sitting in it back to back to protect your comrade's back.
5) The conditions of the area where the war was being fought were gruesome.  Soldiers marched over bodies and through feces and other droppings left by now deceased soldiers.

The everday routines that the infantry soldiers lived would be viewed as unbearable, unsanitary, miserable, and monotonous by our modern "American" standards.  I'm sure that the women, and children at home did not even fathom the hardships that their men faced overseas on a daily basis.  The infantry soldiers often trekked on frozen ground soiled with the bodies and dropping of deceased soldiers with shoes falling apart.  They were often forced to continue walking hundreds of miles without taking a shower or changing their underwear.  Simple illnesses that we stay out of work for at home, soldiers were forced to fight through in extreme weather.  Another harship these men faced were dealing with witnessing gruesome murders that we would never think of seeing at home.  Watching a comrade fall after being shot in the head or after stepping on a mine became a daily occurrance.  Bodies laying in puddles of blood were found everywhere.  After only a few days at war, soldiers no longer winced at the sight of a fallen comrade.  To deal with all of these obstacles, soldiers were forced to rely on their fellow soldiers for comfort and protection.  Theie fellow soldiers shortly became their brothers who would give their lives for each other.  When a soldier was assigned the night shift to watch for the enemy, he and his comrade would dig a slit trench and sit back to back in order to guarantee a 360 degree view of the area.  You were, in a sense, watching your brothers back.  I feel that these five observations were the most significant because they highlight the challenges these men faced and the sacrifices they made to fight for their country.

-- Edited by nora on Wednesday 15th of April 2009 04:28:55 PM

Here are my observations. My essay will be posted shortly.

The Face Of Battle: Combat

Observations:

           

             

The Face Of Battle: Combat

Observations:

           

1. Quentin Aanenson was a fighter pilot whose first mission was D-day. In a later mission, he flew over an area of France where his jet was hit and the ****pit set    on fire. After suffering burns he put his plane into a downward spiral to try and end his life but a pressure change put out the fire. Quentin then managed to fly his jet back to base where he crash landed suffering burn injuries, a broken shoulder, and other things. He returned to duty and had many run-ins with ****pit fires and other flying complications. WWII revolutionized combat as they were fighting on a new frontier, the air. Air combat was very dangerous and new.

 

 

2. When there is talk of WWII and the soldiers who fought in Europe and in the

Pacific where Japan had conquered much territory, many people picture American soldiers as being white soldiers. The truth is that American soldiers were of every

race including Japanese, Latinos, Blacks, and others.

 

 

3. The American soldiers who fought in this war suffered from drastic psychological trauma. The death seen in this war on the battle field in terms of death of soldiers and civilians was unthinkable. This was not a gentlemans war it was a war in which anything was done to achieve the objective regardless of what side you were on. Battles were held in city streets, and bombings were done of entire cities. No man women or child was spared wherever in Europe or the Pacific in which battles were fought.

 

 

4. The exhaustion of American soldiers was heavy. Soldiers had long days and got barely any sleep. This was brutal and intense.

 

 

5. Americas army at the time was very small and included only about 175,000 soldiers. A draft began and the army began training soldiers as quickly as possible.

 

 In all of these observations much can be told about the combat during the war, but I will tie these observations together with some other information to try and keep my observation list short, while still forming a coherent essay. World War II was revolutionary in terms of combat, because a whole new battle ground had just been opened up with the invention of flight and fighter jets. With the opening of this new battle ground came a change in naval battle as well. Aircraft carriers became very important to move this planes across oceans as well as to use them in attacks on the high seas. On the ground, training was difficult and so was combat as most of the weapons used in combat were very out of date. Most of the rifles used in this war were models dating back to the early 1900s. The American forces were made up of all sorts of different people from different cultures fighting for the U.S. These soldiers included Japanese who had their own infantry. This infantry was the 442^nd infantry. On the ground across enemy lines, sleep was very scarce and soldiers made comment about struggling to fight exhaustion as much as the enemy.

           

 

 

-- Edited by Tyler Allain on Wednesday 15th of April 2009 04:18:59 PM

-- Edited by Tyler Allain on Wednesday 15th of April 2009 04:31:25 PM

Life in the Infantry: Observations

 

1. More than 16 million Americans served in the armed forces during World War II. Fewer than a million Americans ever saw serious combat. The infantry represented just 14 percent of the troops overseas. Wherever the troops  fought, either in North Africa or the South Pacific or Western Europe, the infantry bore the brunt of the fighting on the ground  and seven out of ten suffered casualties.

 

 

2. Troops in the Army and the Marines endured hardships and horrors that training never could have prepared them for. The infantry was the workhorse of the military, not only faced with battling the enemy but also often asked to do physical labor at the front lines transporting the food, clothing, weapons and medicine needed to win the war. They experienced the war as no one else did.

 

 

3. Burnett Miller described some of the hardships that the soldiers faced during an interview. The soldiers always had frozen feet because of the poor quality of their shoes, also when in combat they wore big bulky overcoats that would always get wet, they also wore these coats in London.

 

 

4. The best way that an infantryman can protect himself overnight is by getting together with his buddy back to back and digging a break in the ground so that three quarters of your body is protected by being below the level of the ground, also known as a slit trench. In the slit trench you can spend the night. Your buddy next to you basically covers your rear, and you protect his. Between the two of you, you have a 360°of vision. Youre back to back and youre always as safe as your buddy can make you by seeing what you cannot see. Basically, you both are safe in a way that you could not be individually.

 

 

5. Serving in the infantry meant contact with the enemy. Troops near the front knew how to kill, were trained to kill, sometimes at close quarters. When you were fighting you could be like 10 or 15 feet from one another, they were right on top of you and you were right on top of them.

Summary:

            More than 16 million Americans served in the armed forces during World War II. Fewer than a million Americans ever saw serious combat. The infantry represented just 14 percent of the troops overseas. Troops in the Army and the Marines endured hardships and horrors that training never could have prepared them for. The infantry was the workhorse of the military, not only faced with battling the enemy but also often asked to do physical labor at the front lines transporting the food, clothing, weapons and medicine needed to win the war. They experienced the war as no one else did.

            In an interview with Burnett Miller, he described the hardships that the troops in the infantry faced. He spoke about how the soldiers always had frozen feet because of the poor quality of their shoes, also when in combat they wore big bulky overcoats that would always get wet, they also wore these coats in London. As a form of protection the soldiers used the slit trench method. They got together with their buddy where they laid back to back in a dug out trench in the ground so that three quarters of their body was covered by being protected by the below level of the ground. In the slit trench you spent the night, your buddy next to you basically covered your rear, as well as you protecting his. Between the two of you, you have a 360°of vision. Youre back to back and youre always as safe as your buddy can make you by seeing what you cannot see. Basically, you both are safe in a way that you could not be individually. Serving in the infantry meant contact with the enemy. Troops near the front knew how to kill, were trained to kill, sometimes at close quarters. When you were fighting you could be like 10 or 15 feet from one another, they were right on top of you and you were right on top of them.

            I chose to select the Life In The Infantry topic because I wanted to research and become enlightened on the hardships and the conditions that the men in the infantry faced.

-- Edited by KLeite89 on Thursday 16th of April 2009 03:10:10 PM

African Americans Fighting for Democracy

African Americans felt they had to win the war because if not they would pay for the consequences more dramatically then the rest of the country. They saw it as if they lost the whites would side with the German and Japanese and then they would have to live under the same circumstances for ex. be under communist control and be treated terribly.

The United States still kept their military strictly segregated.
There was a Selective Service Act that prohibited the joining of black and white draftees.

Blacks were angry that they had to fight against bigotry but yet they have to deal with it in this country.

Despite our desperate times in need of more troops and help racist in the military who would still reject a Black man qualified who also met all the requirements.

There was no remorse by the prejudice for the African Americans they did not accept their meal tickets, they were not served in restaurants and they would risk being jailed or lynched.

Nadia Mimoso

4-15-09

U.S History II

 

 

                                                            Face of battle: after math

 

 

1. The war department initially did not want to bring home Americas dead because it would cost $200 million.  The families requested the return of sons and husbands.  They began coming home in the fall of 1947. It took six years to completer the return and buries all of them.

2. Many of the war prisoners did not expect to see the U.S again.  They could not believe that they were finally home. When they got off the boats they would kiss the ground. They received a great welcome from the people home and they would clap when they got off the boat.

3. Many veterans struggled to adjust to civilian life. One veteran said how can you get out and act normal after youve been through all the things we went through. And even talking, carry on a normal conversation about the war when they, they couldnt understand what the sacrifice was and what the cruelty that was imposed upon us.

4. In spit of military services of their military services Japanese American soldiers felt the same discrimination they had felt before. Many of the American people did not want to work wit the Japanese. One man quit because a Japanese man was going to continue to work there.

5. The way that the soldiers thought was very different after the war.  They didnt take things for granted. They went in there as kids and they looked the same but a little older but inside they were different. They felt like no one understood them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think these are the most important things that people have to know because all these things were important things that happened after the war when the soldiers came home.  I think no matter how much is cost they should have brought the troops home because they fought for their country in the worst war and that was the least that they could do for them. I think it is important for people to know that the government did not want to waste money. But the families fought for them to come home.  The U.S troops they would never come home and they were so happy they survived. The goal of a war is to survive and kill the enemy. It was very important that there were people there waiting for them and clapping. I think it is important for people to know how the soldiers felt when they came home and the struggles they faced. After going through all the terrible things they could not come and act like nothing happen and everything was fine. They were traumatized and people didnt know how they felt. It was a great sacrifice they made for their country and no one understood that. The Japanese Americans were a great part of this war thats why I think its important to talk about them. After the war the Japanese American were discriminated when they returned to the U.S.  Many people discriminated and didnt want to work with the Japanese. They felt like they had the right to return after they fought in the military. When the soldiers returned to the war they had very different views on things. They didnt take things for granted. They also felt like no one appreciated them for fighting in the war.

-- Edited by nadia33 on Wednesday 15th of April 2009 04:33:15 PM

6) Fighting for Democracy African Americans

During the second world war African Americans were struggling to have equality in the military as well as home but the prejudice wouldnt  disappear even in a time of need. African Americans felt that they had to fight in the war and win the war because if not they would have to pay the greater consequenses then the whites. They thought that the If America lost to Japan and the German that they would side with and life would be more harder then it already was. The racism in Germany was the same of the racisim in the Unitted States but there actions were more dramatic.
I highly doubt that the racisit Americans if given the chance to do the same cruel punishments the nazis did to the jews would not attempt it. The hatred and the racism was the same how ever America has laws that are there to protect their rights and we are not under a communist ruler so there for the extreme never happened like the genocide of blacks like the one of the jews.
   The military was cruel and unfair to African Americans soldiers. Blacks learned that their meal ticket would not be accepted and that they would not be served in restaurants. In some towns African Americans were jailed and a few were lynched.
The hatred was every where. They were willing to fight for their country in hope to better or help their civil rights persue but they risked their lifes everyday not only because they were at war but because of the immense hatred and prejudice. They were also upset that they were out fighting for bigotry but mean while they have to deal with it at home. They were angry that they were sacrificing their lifes for the bettering of people lifes in other countries to be treated equally but yet they were being treated unfairly and were not respected for supporting their country.
   African Americans talk of their experiences with prejudice and unequal opportunities when they tryed to enlist in the army. An African American went to speak to a recruiter he proved that he was perfectly eligibal to enlist and the recruiter said "you have everything but color", this shows how much prejudice existed even in a time of desperate times while in need of help and support. The African American could be perfectly eligibal meet all the requirements and have a better educational background then a white and still be rejected in a war that was being fought against communist and for equality. No matter how much the colored tryed to better himself and prove to be a perfect candidate they would still be denyed the right to be part of the war or join a certain miliatry branch.
   The worst part of this all was at the end of the war when blacks returned to their home they were not treated with respect. They returned and they still had to use a seperate bathrrom then whites, were denyed service in restaurants and they were not given the respect they deserved for risking their lifes. The average racist american was to prejudice to be thankfull or show any any appreciation to a colored soldier. Since then America has come a long way and the segregation is no longer allowed. We have mixed classes of society, color, and ethnicity. we now have a half black president and an African american can join any military branch he or she wants as long as they meet the requirments and it will not be based on their color but there capability.
   If we had lost the war to the japanese and german would America today be different ? .... yes it would be. It would be differnet because this is where the domino theory would come in effect. The rasict white would side with the communist and go about their hatred in the same way. We could have been a country with strong communism control. The genocide of jews could have been worse and they would have never been freed by us. Also african americans would have still been under the unjust laws and cruel punishments. Lynching could have got worse and it could have become the genocide of blacks. The outcome could have been greatly different but we have come a long way and it was in efforts to help others and eventually we as a country over came the hatred

Observations:

 

1. America has never been through something like the attack of Pearl Harbor before.
2. Over 110,000 Japanese Americans were forced into Internment camps.
3. Laws and customs completely shut out Japanese Americans from any participation in economic and civic life.
4. Many Japanese Americans were forced to be relocated, losing everything such as their homes and clothing.
5. The camps were generally located in remote, desert like areas.

In December of 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese warplanes, destroying everything.  2,403 Americans were dead.  Innocent Japanese Americans were treated badly, forced to go to camps away from normal life.  Many different laws and customs the Americans created kept the Japanese from any civil life at all.  They could not participate in any economic activity either.  Many of them were forced to leave their homes and be relocated.  They lost everything they owned, even their clothing.  The camps they were sent to were very remote and hidden.  Guards were kept there so no one would be able to leave.  Most people adapted as best as they could by organizing newspapers, fire departments, and baseball leagues.  Although the Japanese Americans conditions were bad, they tried to make the best of it until they had their freedom.

 

Max Montille

4/16/09

C Period

 

 

            Observation

             Life in the Infantry   

 

 

 

1.      16 million American served in the armed forces, but about a million saw serious combat.

2.      In Italy, the men learned how to march while sleeping.

3.      High rank officers gave orders, but never put them self in harms way.

4.      Some soldiers, hide behind cows to protect them from flying bullets.

5.      A lot of soldiers experience shell shock.

 

 

Summary

 

These observations show what the soldiers were facing during there time in the war. A lot of soldiers that joined the war didnt even saw serious combat. Some soldiers had to hide behind animals to save their lives. A lot of high-ranking officers didnt really join the fight, because there were scared.

 

 

¥ Observations ¥
Face of Battle - Combat

1} One-fourth of soldiers evacuated for medical reasons suffered from neuro-psychiatric disorders, usually refered to as "shell shock".

2} It was determined that the average soldier could last no longer than 240 days of combat before going mad.

3} Field Medics were supposed to treat the least injured first, leaving the mortally-wounded to die as they called for help.

4} Men became so exhausted they'd barely acknoledge you were talking to them.

5} Many soldiers used humor to subdue there fear.

Summary:

The war was brutal, and soldiers were under terrible conditions. Many soldiers who weren't hurt physically were mentally scarred for the rest of their life. Many soldiers had trouble coping with killing people, and would not be able to sleep at night becuase they were being haunted by the thoughts.

~~Though the infantry only represented 14% of the Troops in WWII, they should have been equipped in more suitable gear. They had boots that lets snow and water into their boots. In fact in most of the used quotes, they complain about their quotes.



~~These soldiers had no opportunity for hygiene. They threw out necessities to make room for weapons and rations, they threw out; tooth brushes, soap, and other hygienic materials.



~~Because of there poor materials, many soldiers had to deal with trench-foot. From experience many some soldiers like Robert Kashiwagi, had to carry socks in numerous places so they would stay dry. It makes you wonder how the U.S. really prepared their troops.



~~Soldiers were subject to gruesome sights. Apparently due to their time in war, they became immune to these sights, they just got used to it because of all the fighting, they became desensitized. But one soldier Burnett Miller recountedabout a week after the war ended, I saw an automobile accident and I got sick as I normally would before the war." How strange, becoming hardened just because you are in war, I suppose it is a natural instinct for your body to protect itself from some form of danger or another.



~~They had the infantry do everything; fight, unload cargo, and reach strategic objectives. Why was there no other ground support. How ridiculous is that, compared to Vietnam, America didnt support there own people enough. So little bombing and so little of the other versions of ground support.


This war was ridiculous. The infantry was set against some of the most harmful opposition the U.S. has ever known, and it wasn't even the Germans! The elements were a huge threat to these infantry men. Cold feet, cold hands, cold everything. The main complaints of soldiers who lived to tell the tale of this war is that their feet were always wet. now the elements may have been debilitating, but the Germans weren't exactly fluffy pandas, one soldier recalls seeing his friend getting blown to bits by a bomb. Germans had mines, guns and hounds to bring their enemies to their knees, but even against these ruthless warriors America and it's allies prevailed.