trigg_m_c


 * Section C. Evaluation of the Sources **

After watching this film to evaluate its credibility as a source to the historian studying the Vietnam war. I have noted both its values as a source as well as limitations. I believe that the films purpose was to inform as well as entertain the viewer. I think this because throughout the film, it would stress the harsh conditions in which the soldiers had to fight in, as well as the brutality that the local people would be subject to by the American forces. In terms of origin, the film was directed by Oliver Stone, an American director who himself, participated in the Vietnam War[i]. This gives the film more credibility as he would be able to put in his experiences in order to create a more realistic film for a historian. As far as values the film has several as it heavily focuses on the conditions the soldiers were in as well as the methods used. I believe that this is a value as there are few documented sources about the conditions in which soldiers faced. Another value that the film is that it highlights the background of the soldiers, in this case, the film states that many of the soldiers fighting would be from a lower class of living as they had no other option. The film would also indicate that the soldiers would suffer physiological problems after a prolonged stay in Vietnam. In terms of limitations “Platoon” has as many limitations as it does values. The first limitation of the film is that it only focuses on the military aspects of the war, rather than the political and overall causes for American involvement in Vietnam. Another limitation of “platoon” is that it only captures the American point of view, neglecting the views of the Vietnamese on the war. Another limitation that the film has is that there is little historical background on the events leading up to 1967 where the film starts. Word Count: 331
 * Source A. – The film “Platoon” - made in 1986 directed by Oliver Stone **
 * Source B. – An extract taken from “Booby-Trap!” taken from “Tales of a war far away”, diary from former soldier from Vietnam **[ii]**. Written by** **Kirk S. Ramsey (Appendix A) **

This extract also gives an insight to the real conditions in which the soldiers were faced with. In terms or reliability I would say that it’s a reliable source as these are extracts that were written by a former soldier who served in Vietnam. I believe that the purpose of this source is to inform the reader of the real dangers that were faced each day. The value of this source is excellent. The whole website as well as this particular extract gives the reader a deep understanding of real experiences of a soldier in the Vietnam War. In some cases it could also prove to be better than the film, as it tells us that most of the dangers come from the traps set, not the Vietnamese soldiers [1] .In terms of limitations, it suffers the same as “platoon”; the political side of things are not included, however I believe these notes were written 2 years after the Vietnam war, and in that time im sure he expected the reader to know the politics behind the war.

Word Count: 220

[1] “//Perhaps the most frustrating activity of the war in Vietnam was that we almost never saw the enemy we pursued. Signs of enemy activity were all around us - bunkers, underground// [|//tunnels//]//, occasional rocket or mortar attacks, and again and again, the booby-traps”.//

[i] [] – Biography, author Jason O’Brien

APPENDIX A Perhaps the most frustrating activity of the war in Vietnam was that we almost never saw the enemy we pursued. Signs of enemy activity were all around us - bunkers, underground [|tunnels], occasional rocket or mortar attacks, and again and again, the booby-traps. We heard that in the northern war zones the danger was ambush by the NVA forces, and in the south it was booby-traps. I know the latter half of that statement was true. The mines and explosives were so effective that the enemy would put up signs warning the civilians, and us, that an area was mined. We usually took those signs seriously. More than once we skirted an area which had the "Tu Dia" (pronounced "too die") signs posted on sticks and trees. About two weeks after I joined Alpha Company we boarded trucks to move to a fire support base near the village of Trang Bang, on the road to Tay Ninh. That very first morning we went out to sweep the nearby fields, which were overgrown with tall grass, bushes, and young saplings. Once they had been cultivated, for old rice dikes were everywhere. After moving parallel to the road for an hour we approached an area of dense brush blocking our advance. Posted at intervals were six inch pieces of paper with a skull and crossbones drawn on them, along with the words "Tu Dia". Minefield! Somebody didn't want us to go in there. Our platoon sergeant looked at the signs for a moment, and then stood there contemplating the alternatives. As we stood waiting for a decision, a single shot was fired at us from several hundred yards away, across an overgrown meadow. It wasn't really close, but it did come from the general direction we had been heading when we saw the signs. We took cover behind a foot-high dike as another shot rang out. But we were too far away to return effective fire. The shots, along with the warning signs, convinced Sarge not to continue on in that direction. We turned about and headed back towards the highway. An hour later, without further incident, we reached the highway and called for trucks to return us to the base. Our original objective had been to sweep both sides of the highway. We never finished even one.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">[ii] http://www.i-kirk.info/tales/index.html =Evaluation of Sources (250-400 words) Tips]=