OH+Reflection

Before we started our Unit on the Vietnam War, I did not know much about what went on. We talked a lot about the fighting, but not too much about the Air Force, so it was really neat to hear what it was like in the Air Force, how it worked and so on. I learned so much from the interview and it was a great way to learn; you can read the facts, but it really helps you understand something when you hear it from someone who was there. He really knew what he was talking about- the Air Force was a very big part of the war in Vietnam, something that I did not know prior to the interview and research. The person we interviewed, Katie's Great Uncle Mike, played a big role in the Air Force and it was interseting to see how his job affected him and the other pilots. Even though the war in Vietnam did have land fighting, it would have been a totally different war with out the Air Force.

When Katie's uncle joined the Air Force in college, he was not necessarily afraid of the concept of possibly going to war. I believe it takes a great deal of courage to knowingly and willingly join something that could very likely kill you, but that never stopped him. One of the hardest parts for the soldiers, as he recalls, was being away from their families and loved ones. Letters could take weeks to reach the US and they rarely received non-official, outside contact, however once a crew member had flown over North Vietnam 100 times, he was finished and was allowed to return to the US. A pilot must react quickly and have incredible reflexes to react to a situation such as the Vietnamese attempting to shoot down a US airplane. Even though things were tough in Vietnam, the soldier's willpower and determination ultimately saved their lives and allowed them to return home safe and sound.