APO 96225

This poem reminded me overwhelmingly of The Things They Carried. There is a similar motif in that the people at home pretend to care and understand, but really just want to forget about the war. I think that this poem is written in the objective point of view because there is not embellishment or feelings that the writer conveys, just the facts. However, while the POV is objective, the author assumes the role of the speaker to convey his thoughts on the war through the poem. I think that by being objective, the speaker really shows how he feels and conveys that emotion. The Vietnam War and the Iraq War are very similar in the regard that after awhile people stopped being horrified and just wanted to forget. I will always remember something Mrs. Helbing taught us that is that the veterans of WWI and WWII received floats and parades and were considered heroes when they returned, but the veterans of Vietnam received nothing and people would not even listen. The author is expressing frustration in the American public for their lack of compassion and concern.