Reading #5, Question #3

[Hannah Baran (Louisa HS)]

Why is it so important to the soldiers to have their stories believed?

[Carla Downs]

This is a great question Mrs.Baran that will hopefully cause a strong discussion.  Soldiers feel it's important to have their stories believed so the listener can feel what the soldiers went through. Rat Kiley "wanted to heat up the truth, to make it burn so hot that you would feel exactly what he felt" (O'Brien 89).   It gives the soldiers a sense of accomplishment that someone believed their story. They want their stories to be believed because what else did they have to live for in Vietnam? They figured if they had lived through a war they should have an amazing story to tell.  Some of their stories may seem unrealistic because "facts were formed by sensation"(O'Brien 89), but unless you've faught in a war you wouldn't know what's true and what's not.  It reassures them to know that they are not the only ones supporting what they saw.  If someone believes your wild story it makes you feel a little less crazy that you witnessed something unthinkable.

[Madison Stanley]

I agree with Carla about soldiers wanting their listeners to feel
what they did. When soldiers were not believed it made them feel
secluded and almost like loners for experiencing something and not
being able to make others understand. The situation is similar to that
of a child who experiences something and tries to explain it to his or
her parents and the parents do not believe them. When a child goes
through that, it is upsetting because their intelligence is questioned
and those closest to them can not understand what they witnessed,
creating a sense of aloneness, which is frightening for a child.
Soldiers are in a similar situation. There is no one closer to them
than those soldiers they live with and share their lives with. When a
soldiers' story is not believed by other soldiers, he or she develops
a feeling of being misunderstood and alone.
When Rat Kiley tells the story about one of the soldiers bringing
his girlfriend to Vietnam, he is determined to make everyone believe
him because he does not want to feel the panic of being the only one
who understands. He wants empathy and tries to force his fellow
soldiers to imagine the situation and understand. "I was right there,
I saw those eyes of hers, I saw how she wasn't even the same person no
more. What's so impossible about that" (O'Brien 106, 107)? The
soldiers needed empathy; they needed to know that they were not alone.
Making others believe their stories was not just about story telling,
it was about soldiers proving to themselves that they were not alone,
and that others were experiencing all of the situations they were,
because the empathy took the edge off of the horrors of war.

[John]

I agree with both Carla and Madison, soldiers should have their
stories believed as they give them a sense of accomplishment and
pride. When some one does not believe their story the soldier feels
alone and secluded from society. This creates a huge set back in the
soldiers mental health since they are already accused of major crimes
such as killing children. Rat Kiley was one such witness that was
questioned about the truth behind his story "I remember how upset he
became one morning when Mitchell Sanders challenged him on its basic
premises." (O'Brien 90). After soldier endure the hardships of war
they do not like to be questioned about the truth of their memories
since they feel secluded from society for the actions they have seen
and done. They feel if their stories are cast away as lies, their life
was wasted and the pain and suffering was endured for no cause.

[Megan]

All three of you made excellent points, all of which I agree with.
Having your story believed meant that someone was on your side through
all the scariness in Vietnam. The soldiers wanted everyone to see and
feel what he had to witness or go through, even if the stories were
"improbable;" "the stories that will last forever are those that swirl
back and forh across the border between trivia and bedlam, the mad and
the mundane" (O'Brien 89). Most of the soldiers had their own wild and
crazy stories that they liked to share with each other. When someone's
story wasn't believed, the men would become defensive; their
accountability was being questioned and none of the men liked to feel
disbelieving and alone. It is true that most of the stories told "had
a reputation for exaggeration and overstatement," but that is because
the men wanted to spice up their stories a bit (89). It was important
for a soldier to be believed because it allowed them to feel sane and
more at ease.

[Ben]

I agree with Andre, John, Robin, Madison, Casey, Lindsey and Zoe that
O’Brien is not a coward for going to war. Putting your life on the
line fighting for your country is one of the bravest things a person
can do. Even though O’Brien is afraid that he will be shamed for
dodging the draft he also owns up to the risk that he could die and
end his potential in life. “I was too good for this war” (O’Brien
41). O’Brien clearly feels that his death would be a greater waste in
war than the average person’s. However, he understands that his
country needs him to fight and so he does go to war.

[Ben]

That is a great question Mrs. Baran, and I agree with John, Madison,
and Carla that the soldiers need to have their stories believed
because it makes them feel less alone. It also allows them to share an
important aspect of their lives which allows them to bond in a more
emotional way. The soldiers strongly uphold the idea “sharing is
caring” and to reject someone’s story is to reject their friendship
and outreach. “I remember how upset he became one morning when
Mitchell Sanders challenged him on its basic premise” (O’Brien 90).
In effect to Mitchell Sanders challenge to Rat Kelly’s story, Sanders
challenges Kelly’s overall reliability and trustworthiness. Soldiers
must be able to trust and rely on one another to get through the
experiences of war.