WW2 Letter

I am going to be a U.S marine of a raider Battalion stationed in Okinawa off the south pacific occupied by Japanese forces. Its 1944 and I'm bandaging up the wounded and stocking up on ammunition. I'm going to talk about the last few months on Okinawa. I will be writing about the Empire of Japan and my opinions about it. my mission which is to rescue a reconnaissance team. My letter is going to have a warlike feel to it.

Letter

Draft 1

It’s been months; years it seems since I was stationed back on Pearl Harbor before the Japs demolished it. Now it’s just rubble. Now I’m thrown into the pacific war with all of the other war junkies. My jacket drenched in blood and the smell of turmoil makes me sick to my feet. I’ve seen it all from the banzi strikes to soldiers carrying dead weight. I thank god every that I’m alive. I lost a dear friend of mine. I didn’t see it coming, as a matter of fact we all didn’t see it coming. I’m fighting alongside General McArthur. We’re spending our last days on Okinawa. Nothing more than sand, trees and a small Japanese military base. I was briefed on my mission. We're being asked to rescue a reconnaissance team that left about a week ago. For all we know there already dead.

The last few months on Okinawa have taking their toll. Morale is low. Military supplies aren’t getting through. We can’t even mange to get the wounded out to safety. We’re running low on ammo. Good news is we rescued the reconnaissance team safe and sound. Pretty much everyday, we crawl through the mud and dirt while bullets whistle over our heads. Each day we carve deeper into the jungles of Okinawa, hoping that the Japanese don't slit our throats. We're making our final stand. This is the last time we put our lives on the line. The extraction point is a couple of klicks ahead. Today we're going home.

not done yet...

References

World War 2 books by Howard Zinn

WW2 Honors history

One might think of World War I and II as barbaric conflicts with much bloodshed and loss of property and life. Despite how horrific they were, many great ideas emerged. They sparked global interest in politics, technology, allegiances, and international agencies. Many aspects of these wars set the foundation of things to come in the future. After World War I, The League of Nations strove for peace but never really managed to succeed. In order to stop disputes between nations, the League of Nations sought the assistance of neighboring countries. The United Nations is a modern-day version of the League of Nations with peacekeeping forces at its disposal. After World War I, the demands of the League of Nations created resentment in Germany. In time, this resentment gave Hitler the support he needed for the Nazi Party to succeed. Hitler’s Nazi Party wanted to conquer other European nations and establish a super race.

Alliances played a crucial role during both wars. The Axis powers against the Allies. Forming alliances between several large nations enabled the Allies to win the war. Conversely, President Bush’s doctrine of going it alone during the Iraq War without the support of major super powers has hurt American foreign policy abroad. Nations other than Great Britain were against America’s invasion of Iraq. Without their solid support, achieving victory has been elusive. Having a strong coalition of nations could have resulted in trade embargos or other ways to get Iraq to cooperate without the need to go to war. Currently, the presidency of Barack Obama is trying to get support from other countries to win the war in Afghanistan. He believes that it is in everyone’s best interest to fight terrorism. In order for this to happen, America has to enforce the three doctrines. These doctrines are used to create cooperative alliances with other countries. Establishing these alliances can influence foreign governments to become more democratic.

After World War II, the Marshal plan proposed by Secretary of State George C. Marshal was implemented to provide economic aid to rebuild Europe. After winning a war against another country, the winning side is obligated to liberate the country and help it rebuild. When World War II ended, Germany had to pay reparations for all of the damage to other countries’.

The liberation of Europe towards the end of World War II by Allied forces freed Jews that had been imprisoned in Concentration Camps. Before the war ended, millions of Jews had been killed by the Nazis.

The atomic bombs that were dropped in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were horrific enough to bring an end to World War II. Ever since, nations around the world have agreed to seek nonproliferation of atomic weapons because of the incredible destruction they can cause to mankind.

History has taught us that all war exacts a heavy price. Because of this, super powers have sought alliances that will insure their freedom from invasion. We must seek to prevent war through peaceful means and end the proliferation of nuclear weapons so that mankind will not destroy itself but live in peace.

Blog #15: WW2 technology

Technology

World War 2 introduced an array of deadly and destructive weapons. A very special weapon that was available to the modern infantry was the phosphorous grenade. In ground combat, a soldier would use a phosphorous grenade against a machine gun post during battle. Napalm was another useful and affective weapon. It was used to take out more than 1 enemy. Napalm was mostly used to burn enemies inside bunkers. There was also aerial combat in World War 2. Jet fighters carried bombs over countries and were used to destroy military bases. There was also tactical combat in which soldiers use to distract or eliminate the enemy. Soldiers would dig trenches to shield themselves from enemy gunfire. All of this stuff interests me. I’m eager to learn more about the technology.

Blog #14

There was one interesting aspect that stood out to me. How the war began. I know that the war erupted after the Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand’s death. I found it quite interesting because it triggered a very large and bloody war all over Europe. Everybody in ever part of the world was fighting.

I already learned about World War 1 last year. I am looking forward to learning more in depth about World War 2. I am very eager to learn about the frightening battles that took place during the war. I’m more interest in about the outcomes of each battle. I want to learn about the equipment and resources they used during the war.

This war was probably the most costly and destructive war of the 1900's. You can relate World War 2 to the war that is going on today. Financing the Iraq war was partially the reason why America is in an economic rescission.

Blog # 13

How does Jim Casey's moral philosophy guide the novel as a whole?

In the novel, Jim Casey the ex-preacher feels an obligation to practice and preach Christianity to the people. The characters christen faith is constantly being tested by the obstacles they face. Jim considered being himself like Christ, a savor of the common man even though doing so put his life in jeopardy. He encourages Tom to become more socially conscious to help his fellow man. Jim Casey see’s the good in all men. Casey develops strong morality and shares a handful of similarities with Jesus Christ. The Joad’s belief, that justices will ultimately triumph keeps them from giving up. Casey exemplifies the suffering of Jesus by becoming a martyr. His words are meaningful throughout the story which makes him the moral force of the novel

Jim Casey considers all people as a whole to be good. In the story, he states, “All that lives is holy”. Jim wants the Joad’s to not let go of their christian values no matter what. Jim was asked to say grace at the dinner table and says, “ …I been in the hills, thinkin’, almost you might say like Jesus went into the wilderness to think His way out of a mess of troubles. He says this because he wants the Joad's to know that he journeyed to the wilderness to seek answers to hidden questions thus made him feel like Jesus Christ. He does this to renew his faith. Furthermore, Casey provided comfort to them after the unfortunate death of Granma Joad, stating that, “every’body got to die” and helps them to understand and tolerate the inevitability of death.

Jim Casey’s strong sense of justices also leads him to try and organize a riot to demand fair and decent wages. Jim Casey speaks of consequences to the people saying, "Tell 'em [the people who are picking peaches] they're starvin' us an' stabbin' theirselves in the back.’Cause sure as cowflops she'll drop to two an' a half jus' as soon as they clear us out,", he knew that as soon as the riot had completely ended the laborer’s salaries would decrease to unfair wages. Just like Jesus Christ, a staunch friend of Tom Joad, Jim Casey allegedly takes the blame for the attack on the deputy and thus sacrifices himself for Tom.

In conclusion, Jim Casey is a very spiritual man who drives the story with the good moral values of life. Whether it’s helping other to better understand them or to accept faith for what it is. He will always be known as that Christ figure of the novel. He lives up to his title. I guess you can say that he was triumphant in his quest in helping the Joad’s and the unfortunate soles of the story.

Blog #12

What were "public works projects"? What famous ones were part of the New Deal? What public works projects would you recommend for our society today?

The Public Works Administration was developed to repair the nation's infrastructures like bridges, highways and public parks. You can generate more employment for the American people in the areas of green projects like self-sustaining projects of the future. During the New Deal, Congress appropriated millions of dollars to provide employment for the improvement of public buildings, rivers, harbors and highway construction. The Federal Emergency Relief Act appropriated 500 million for aid to the poor to be distributed by state and local governments. The Civilian Conservation Corps enrolled young men to work on fluid control, soil conservation, and forest projects under the direction of the way department.

Honor Novel #1

Steinbeck’s Turtle

By

Osamah Elhams

Steinbeck’s Symbolism

By

Osamah Elhams

The turtle in John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath symbolizes the perpetual struggle of the hard luck farmers will to survive against all odds. In Chapter three, the turtle that Steinbeck describes crossing the road overcomes obstacles that cross it’s path. It’s very life is in peril when a man tries to run it over. It is at the mercy of its surroundings and can do very little to escape its fate. Even so, the turtle struggles on.

Much like the farmers who are striving to get to California to start a new life, the turtle is also struggling to get to a safe place. Like the farmers, it encounters dangers along the way. Even though the farmers get beaten down in life, they like the turtle, persevere. Tom Joad’s character is much like the turtle on the road. They both show strength and tenacity when confronted by life’s difficulties. The turtle doesn’t give up when a passing car causes it to flip over. It struggles to get itself upright so it can continue it’s journey. Likewise Tom Joad doesn’t give up even though he experiences many hard times with his family. The Joad’s are forced to leave the land they grew up in order to survive. Drought has destroyed their ability to grow their crops and they have been forced into a desperate situation. Once fertile farmlands are turned to dust. People are being thrown out of their homes by greedy landowners and unsympathetic banks. Without an income, people find themselves without food or shelter. The turtle on the road is probably also seeking food and shelter. It must venture out in the world in order to find what it needs to survive. Doing so however, puts it at great risk to the dangers of it’s environment. Even though there are some kind people that try to avoid hitting the turtle when it crosses the road, there are those who would deliberately do it harm. The farmers on their journey encounter many hardships but they, like the turtle, have no other choice but to keep moving in order to survive.

Towards the end of the novel, as the Joads along with other families continue to struggle against the injustices of landowners who take advantage of them, Steinbeck also speaks of the “grapes of wrath” symbolizing the growing anger of the migrant families. Grapes that could have provided nourishment have instead been left to decay because of greed. Rich landowners unjustly seek to get farmers who have no other choice to work for very low wages. Because they are desperate and starving, migrant families will accept the low wages to feed their children. Even though bad things happen to them they try to show kindness to others that are also struggling. They suffer many misfortunes like the loss of several family members and pets throughout the story. The Joad family grandparents die during their move to find a better life in California. A baby is stillborn. Many things happen to test their endurance but through it all, they still survive and never lose their humanity.