Response to A Rumor of War

Prompt: Philip Caputo’s A Rumor of War chronicles the experiences of one American soldier in the quagmires of the Vietnam War. Caputo’s narrative of his own personal service in the war is torn between, on the one hand, a critique of the many errors and failings of the U.S. military’s conduct in Vietnam, and on the other hand, a sense of futility concerning its ability to have ever achieved victory. Which of these positions do you side with? In other words, do you believe the American war effort in Vietnam was doomed to fail, or was that failure the result of the course of action taken by American leaders, after they arrived in Vietnam? Requirements: Papers must be 1500-2000 words in length (approximately 4-6 pages), submitted to the course website no later than 11:55 p.m. on Sunday, December 8. You may draw on any number of sources in making your argument, including but not limited to: our textbook, books and articles from Kent Library, and reputable online sources. Whatever sources you choose, make sure to cite them with footnotes or endnotes and a “Works Cited” page. (Caution: Be careful about the use of online sources; the Internet being the Internet, some webpages claiming to be historically accurate will be nothing of the sort. Search for sites that are scholarly, well-documented, or both.)