The Role Of Anthony's Last Prom In Vietnam

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Thousands of men and women everyday put on a uniform to serve this country. Whether their role is seen as big or small, they all make an impact and put their lives on hold for us. War was never meant to be pretty, but one man can see the cup as half full rather than half empty.

From 1954 to 1975, hell broke loose to stop the spread of communism in Vietnam. The Viet Cong was attempting to gain control over the South. Leader of the communist guerrilla movement, Ho Chi Minh, had previously taken over the Northern city of Hanoi, after fighting with the Japanese and the French. During this time, Ho Chi Minh was rising to the top, continuously gaining more power. When Ho Chi Minh heard of the French’s move to create the region of South Vietnam, he immediately wanted to gain power over the area and spread communism throughout all of Vietnam. “In 1965, the United States entered the Vietnam war in order to defend the South Vietnamese, and help stop the spread of communism” (History.com-Vietnam War).

In 1968, recently graduated Russ Anthony was invited to his last prom, and it would be an eventful one. As the prom came to a close, Anthony fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into the back of an Air Force Recruiter vehicle. The …show more content…

The group of men joining each other by the river to swim and bathe, were later joined by occupants of the small village near by. It warmed his heart to share his soap with the village children, because that was a commodity they didn’t have. A few guys, including himself, also offered ice cream to the villagers. What would be a common dessert for us, but an unknown delight for them. In fact, the villagers had never heard of ice cream. Afraid to taste the sugary substance not knowing what it was, Anthony and the few men finally convinced an older woman to taste it, and her face immediately lit up with excitement. The carton was gone within minutes; everyone loved