A mortified United States Marine observes the dead body of the North Vietnamese as a victim of the deadly Vietnam War in October of 1966, photographed by Larry Burrows. In the photograph you see a soldier with a gun wearing little and torn clothing while looking down at a dead body. The dead body has blood on his chest and hands and is located in the middle of a grassy area. The U.S. Marine is standing over the dead body implying that he is more powerful than the body which lies helpless on the ground while the focal point is on the Marine whose hands are framing the gun he’s holding.The green color of the grass and leaves gives the photo an eerie tone and makes the soldier look helpless and lost. This image conveys the idea that the relationship …show more content…
The military draft was a very controversial topic during these times. Some people believed it violated a person’s inalienable rights while others argued it was a part of being an American to be honored to show your patriotism; however, if you refused to serve, you were shunned and beaten by local villagers (Greenberg). President at the time, “Lyndon Johnson, called the draft "a part of America, a part of the process of our democracy"” arguing that the draft was an honorable and patriotic sacrifice for young men to make for their country (Greenberg). With the major cultural difference between the the 1960’s and today, less young men are enlisting to serve in the military. According to the National Public Radio, an estimated 8.7 million men served during The Vietnam War while only 2.2 million men serve in today’s military. While this is a good thing that we don’t have conflicts where we need men to serve, the young men and women of this generation won’t ever understand the effects of combat related PTSD where the world of those affected with it “became a cacophony of nightmares, flashbacks, depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide” and the number of Vietnam Veterans left are slowly dwindling (Price). This photograph shows the remorse