Entry #5

I thought the story of Peggy Terry's life working during the war was a very interesting point of view. I found it interesting that she knew only a little about the war, although she was working hard making things for the army. It shows how the whole country was not fully educated on the details of the war. People like Peggy Terry were only concerned with making money to live off of. She didn't know exactly what the products she was making would be used for. Peggy Terry's family could not afford a radio so they did not have immediate access to current events of the war. The radio was very important during WW2 in educating people on what happened. However, those people that could not afford this luxury missed the opportunity to hear news quickly. 


E.B. Sledge discussed the friendships that he established with the men he fought along side with. They formed a very strong bond while fighting overseas. "What was worse than death was the indignation of your buddies. You couldn't let 'em down. It was stronger than flag and country" (197). This shows how he was so concerned about keeping the trust of his fellow soldiers that it became the most important thing during the war. I think that in times of war, soldiers form strong bonds with each other because they go through hard experiences and have to learn to rely on each other. 

Blog # 4

Robert Rasmus's story directly shows how impacted the United States was by WW2. He discussed how the youth of all countries involved in the war were brainwashed. They were brainwashed to have extreme pride in their country and how horrible all the enemy countries were. The "brainwashing" that took place for the youth in many countries like the United States was important because it made the people who would be physically fighting the war overseas proud and excited to participate. I thought the part about seeing the faces of the people that had been killed was very intresting. Young boys were taught to kill the enemy as a way of defedning the country and its values, but after killing the enemy, the soldiers saw faces that were similar to them. The people they were killing and fighting against were boys just like them that were being given the same message of what was right and wrong and how bad the enemy was. Another part of the story I found interesting was that the boys were mainly fighting so they wouldn't let down their fellow soldiers. "'The reason you strom the beaches is not patriotism or bravery,' reflects the tall rifleman. 'It's that sense of not wanting to fail your buddies. There's a sort of a special sense of kinship'" (164). This shows that although the soldiers were forced or taught to have extreme patriotism and to be brave, their true feelings were within the friendships they established and that became what they fought for. I thought that it was interesting that some people found the war beneficial because of it's effect on the econmy. The economy of the United States prospered during and after the war was occurring. I think WW2 affected all people both during and after because it changed the country. It had changed the country's foreign policy because the country watched the events of the war unfold, and then was suddenly involved.