Write It

[ScoutParent]

From the other thread I can see that there are many opinions on how events are portrayed later...Here's your chance...choose a world event that occurred within your lifetime and write a short synopsis of it without looking at any other posts first(On your honor).

[NJCubScouter]

Oh no, homework?? Um, my dog ate it... er, my computer crashed... ah, I was attacked by 4 big guys on my way to school and they took it... um...

[sctmom]

My son's new excuse "the cat stole my pencil from my hand".

 

[Rooster7]

It's not an eventunless you consider the 80's in America an event. Just for the record, I didn't write this to get anyone "fired up". It's what I believe:

 

In 1980, Jimmy Carter was in office. Economically and spiritually, America was slipping fast. We were suffering double-digit inflation and severe shortages in affordable energy. Because of numerous foreign policy snafus (Iran Hostage situation, uncontrolled immigration from Cuba, boycotting of the Olympics, etc.), the morale of the American people was nearing an all time low. Due to the hostile policies of the Soviet Union, many in America feared that a nuclear war with the USSR was not only likely but could well occur in their lifetime. Movies such as "The Day After" reflected this fear. Prior to the Presidential election of 1980, liberals and many in the media portrayed Ronald Reagan as a heartless and dangerous man. They scared many folks into believing that Mr. Reagan would push us into an unnecessary war and use social security to fund it. The American people did not buy this argument and elected him in landslide. During Reagan's Presidency, the United States prospered. His foreign policy brought prestige back to America and resulted in the demise of the Soviet Union. In a very short time, America went from near depression (economically and quite literally as a collective mood) to record economic growth. For the first time in a long time, Americans felt good about themselves and their country. During his tenure, the stigmas of Watergate and the Iran Hostage debacle faded away. Ronald Reagan gave Americans reason to respect the office of the Presidency and hope for the future. Patriotism became popular again. This is my view of the 1980's in America. I am very thankful for President Ronald Reagan. Many ideologues have tried to discredit him and his accomplishments. I imagine as long as liberals exist, they will continue to do so. As for Jimmy Carter, while I respect him as a man (humble, earnest, and dedicated), his ineptitude as a President makes me respect Ronald Reagan all the more.

(This message has been edited by Rooster7)

[evmori]

911

 

For me this is a defining moment in my life. I remember exactly what I was doing & where I was when it happened. I also remember when I got home I got a call from my wife's pen pal in South Africa to see if we were OK. She heard about the plane that crashed in Shanksville, PA & was worried about us. I remember my daughter coming home from school. I met her on the porch. We hugged & cried. I remember finally getting ahold of my son at college. We talked & cried. I remember my wife getting home from work. She works in a hospital & had to stay. We hugged & cried. Then my daughter, my wife & myself knelt down & prayed.

 

Our flag was flying outside. I went to the church where my Troop meets & got another flag and put it up. For us, it was a very somber day. Yet, we were glad we are Americans & knew the people who did this failed at their ultimate goal. We were closer as a nation.

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[rlculver415]

Choose one world event? There have been so many... I'll pick two:

 

1) The Cuban Missile Crisis - My family was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska when this happened and I was very young. I remember being told, through the children's gossip network, that we were the secondary target should the missiles go off. After all, the USSR was just a few miles away. I remember attack drills in school, and being kept close to home when not in school, and preparations for emergency evacuation. I remember my dad not being home for a long time, on duty. I remember an uncomfortable dangling sensation, waiting for what would happen next. I remember not-quite-fear; and relief that the President had taken care of it. For the first time, I truly understood danger in being an American.

 

2) Viet Nam - A defining era for me. My dad was assigned to the Long Binh-Saigon area, to maintain communications there. Back home, my brothers and I were harrassed for being Army brats, told that our father was a "warmonger", etc. But we stood proud. Jane Fonda buddies up to Hanoi, and is lauded. (They should have imprisoned her) Michelin wouldn't allow US troops on their rubber plantations, which is where the VC snipers hid out (duh!). We don't buy Michelins, any of us. I learned to stand up for what I believe in, even if it's not popular.

 

I have lived in Europe, as well as all over the USA. I am proud to be an American, even if there are those who hate me for being one. The events of the 80's and of 9/11, as well as our responses to other disasters at home and abroad, have served to strengthen my resolve and my belief that the US is the greatest nation on earth, past or present. Not perfect, but great.

[eisely]

Where to begin...Cuban Missle crisis has been covered. Kennedy assasination, Woodstock, first man on the moon, democratic party convention in 1968, Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, erection of the Berlin Wall, destruction of the Berlin Wall, 9 11?

 

How about the Tet offensive of 1968? I was in the 25th Infantry Division Northwest of Saigon. We thought it was just great that Charlie had finally come out of hiding to fight. It was brutal, but ultimately a great US victory on the ground. Nowhere did the enemy achieve their objectives. The planned "general uprising" did not occur. What those of us in Viet Nam at the time did not understand was the psychological impact on the people back home. The public had just been told that Westmoreland could see the "light at the end of the tunnel." It turned out to be a freight train as far as the US public was concerned. They had been lied to once too often.

[ScoutParent]

Boy, was the impact ever great on us back here! I had two brothers in Viet Nam; remember clearly praying for their safe return every night and then there was the year we had the Christmas Tree in the living room until July when my brother could be with us. My mom just would not consider taking it down til he was home. Making comic books and sending them. Writing letters to them before I was able to write. I still thank God every day that both of them came home safely.

[Rooster7]

ScoutParent,

 

I have similar memories of the Vietnam War. Like you, I had two brothers involved. One was in South Vietnam (Army) and the other was in Thailand (Air Force). I remember saying my prayers every night as well. A friend of one of my brothers, who lived with us for six months, died when he stepped on a mine. In 72, I was 13 and my closest brother in age turned 15. While I was a good five years away from the draft, the prospect of going to war started to weigh on me. I feared for all three of my brothers safety, as well as my own. I was not old enough to make a judgment as to our justification for being there. I was just concerned for my family's well being. Fortunately, God blessed my family and both of my older brothers did return home in "one piece".

 

During the war, the media coverage was sort of mixed. Many prime time programs such as Dragnet, Adam-12, etc. portrayed the war as being just. Others presented conflicting messages. The news coverage seemed way "too neutral" and devoid of sensitivity. The movies of the day (i.e., Easy Rider, Doctor Strange Love, etc.) made our military look as if they were out of control. Magazines such as Newsweek and Time also presented a very ugly picture of the U.S. military and of our ally (i.e., the police execution of a collaborator on the cover of Newsweek). In all my memories, I cannot recall one media story that showed the heroism of American solders in a positive light. If heroism was shown, it always seemed to be presented under the inauspicious circumstance of a losing battle. As I grew up, the Vietnam War was a dark cloud on the horizon. All in all, the media did their best to confuse the hell out of my generation. Had the war continued into the mid-70's, I think there would have been many more draft dodgers. Not because these folks clearly understood anything, but because they were completely confused as to what they should believe. In my mind, the media was as much to blame for the debacle as the politicians. The military simply did their job.

 

As for eisely and others (including my brothers), whatever they do for the rest of their lives, they should take pride in the fact that they answered the call when their country asked them to make the ultimate sacrifice.

 

[VH_50]

Re: Rooster's comment about the [Vietnam-era] media "doing their best to confuse the hell out of our generation"

 

Or perhaps the media was doing its best to fully and accurately portray a war that was inherently confusing . . .

 

There was, after all: the intermingling of friend and foe, the complex internal politics of South Vietnam, the vaguely understood roles (and motives) of China and the USSR, the lack of "set piece" battles, the moral complexities of fighting a guerilla army with technology designed for a stand-up fight with the USSR, the deep political divisions at home, the seemingly arbitrary limits on air and ground operations drawn by Washington, the less than honest reports of some field commanders (and some politicians), and so on.

 

Maybe some wars don't lend themselves to crystal-clear explanations. Maybe, for that matter, no war does.

 

My two cents . . .

[berkshirescouter]

The 1973 war in the Middle East. I was in the USN at the time (1970-1976) on a Survey ship in the Med. We were visiting a US base in Spain at the time. It got very scary when the Marines set up shop on our pier. We could move around but the rest of the base was on alert on lock down. We were Navy, but not involved but we were there. We went to sea on schedule the war had ended. If it hadn't we would have been toast if Russia had gotten involved and things got out of hand. To this day I feel the policy of MAD (deterrence) worked.