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[|1984 Lesson Plan Book Three]

check out this [|article] about information control by the government

[|1984 Lesson Plan] [|1984 Lesson Plan Book Two] Picture for lesson plan 2

check out this [|link] on hate week to get some background for my lesson

A 52 year old stay at home mother enters the room anxious and excited to see what awaits her in this "exclusive" interview. Dreyna Okimatsu impatiently awaits the first question for she wants to get back to dinner cooking in the kitchen. She is uncomfortable yet confident at the same time. Being in front of a camera is not one of her favorite things to do to say the least, but her stage presence is calm. Born in 1956, Dreyna has lived through all kinds of disasters and national crises such as the assassinations of [|JFK], [|Martin Luther King, Jr]., and [|Bobby Kennedy]. The [|Watergate scandal]dominated her high school history classes, but none of these events hit home as much as the Vietnam War. Exposed to the war at a tender age, Dreyna's greatest fear was "the safety of my brother." She is the youngest of three; two brothers older than her. "He and his peers, all of them, it became a thing of how not to go to Vietnam." Her insight on the war is detailed and honest. It is easy to see, as she continues to reminisce, that her major concern at the time was the safety of her oldest brother, Keith. "They were not drafting people who were in college, but Keith had just graduated. His resolve to avoid the war was to join the [|National Guard]." Although it may seem unpatriotic, it was an uncertain time and people were desperate not to go. The National Guard, though still a branch of the military, never really had been known to get much action. To my uncle, this seemed like the safest alternative. As the interview continues, I can hear in my mother's voice that she is beginning to grow more comfortable. My questions move from a personal side to what the country's perspective was. "The country reacted totally negatively. The troops were not supported, the troops were ridiculed and harassed when they returned." This war was broadcast live into the living rooms of every American family. They saw firsthand the horrors and carnage of war. No amount of flag-waving and political rhetoric could erase these graphic images from the minds of the average American. At this point, Dreyna's tone changed from apprehensive to passionate. Her discontent toward the country and its citizens at the time was palpable. "Most people didn't want to be there. They didn't think it was a war we could win. We just saw people dying and there was no progression, there was no plan, there didn't happen to be any exit strategy. We just seemed to be stuck." Her observations are dead on. It is an honest and accurate account to what the political climate was like during Vietnam in the early 1970’s. As the interview nears its end Dreyna sums up the situation perfectly as she says the war was like a "nagging ache." The war spanned between 1959 and 1975 making it truly a tremendous burden of the country. It survived through 16 years of death and disillusionment. Memories and thoughts of the Vietnam War still evoke a substantial amount of emotion to someone who experienced the event at such a young age. Imagine the scars it left on those who actually served.

[|Check out this Vietnam War Veteran and his interview in this podcast.]