My experience

Voices of war was a great and very interesting class. Not only did we get the opportunity to experience the importance of the military but how difficult it is. Like Professor Paulino mentioned, the class was like a group of people entering basic training and coming out victorious. That was really my experience during the entire semester. Learning not only from readings but from great videos shown in class. what a take from the class is specially learning to appreciate what these individuals do for our country as well as for us. It was an incredible ride i will definitely do it again if the chance comes up. Thank you professors, keep it up.

My Thoughts

Voices of War was a very interesting class. I got to see behind the scenes from documentaries of soldiers in war. The interviewing a veteran project was a great experience. I got to see how someone who was there, felt about the war. It was not censored up. I saw for what it really was.

My Experience

Unfortunately, My veteran(who is my father) didn't sign the form to upload pictures and his audio on the web. For some reason, he didn't want to do that, so I will just write about my experience in this course.
I feel like this course was an adventure to Iraq and to the Army. It was very impressive to know what soldiers went trough on their basic training. And it was sad to see what happened to some of them when they came back home form Iraq.
This course was well presented by professors and if not them, I would still think differently about VA(when they didn't help many soldiers) or I wouldn't know about it at all.

Marina Fomychova.

This picture is in 1965. He was 21 years old. He served until 1967.

I added a part of the interview. I liked this because it was touching to hear speak about the death of his friend.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/11653658717918eb/

Rafael Lopez "Once a Marine, Always a Marine"

Rafael Lopez is my uncle through marriage. He is married to my mother’s maternal aunt. Rose and Rafael have three children and seven grandchildren. He lives in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
He was born in Aquadilla, Puerto Rico. When he was two years old, he moved to Spanish Harlem. He went to high school there. To my surprise, Rafael’s brother was a marine. Rafael was not drafted. He entered the marines because of his brother.
At first when he went into the recruiter’s office, he was too small. He weighed only 107 lbs, so before he could join he had to bulk up. Rafael did his basic training in Parris Island. Rafael Lopez served two years in the military in the Vietman war. Those two years were enough to affect his whole entire life to this day. Rafael was a rifleman. He served in infantry. He also witnessed the deaths of his friends. He served the frontlines leading him to seeing all the death and destruction. Rafael was in favor of the war, at first.
Rafael said his discontent for the war started when his friends started dying. One of his friends was snipered right in front of him. He greatest upset was the "dirty" lieutenant who lead his men into traps and other dangerous situations that could be avoided. The traps lead to the death of his men by friendly fire. Rafael said he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The va did not help at all the psychologist would talk to him no one helped me. He broke his wrist and he said they barely helped him then imagine for something not physical or tangible.
He could not sleep, hostile, and paranoid. He said he had trouble showing affection to his wife and newly born daughter whom was one at the time. He even said his daughter looked Vietnamese. He said he did not like when people would creep up on him he would swing automatically. He also had troubles with loud noises. His troubles did not only lie with his family but with protesters as well. He did not mind protest, but he does not like when people wave the flag of Northern Vietnam. He felt they were supporting the people who were killing Americans. He seen some of his friends die in front of him. He felt people do not care about the soldiers even now.
He feels today people still do not care about the soldiers. His does not belive society cares about soldiers or their health.

MIchael Cunningham

Sgt. John Blazer, Mike Cunningham and Walter Pokrzywa

Mike Cunningham and Johnson (June 1968)

Michael Cunningham