Women In The Vietnam War

The Vietnam war is one of the most memorable and conflicted wars to this day. The Vietnam war is also one of the most controversial wars as well. Controversial for many reasons; were American soldiers too harsh to the Vietnamese civilians? Should America have even entered the war? Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket," presents a story about one soldier specifically, "Pvt. Joker", and how his life is in the Vietnam war, as well as the lives around him. The movie starts when the soldiers begin their boot camp training for the U.S. Marine Core. The hardships of boot camp during the war are presented in the first part of the movie. The next part of the movie shows the soldiers' time in Vietnam, and the tragic events they face. These two parts

The soldiers were obviously shocked to see it was a woman, American soldiers didn't typically treat Vietnamese women well. Did women in Vietnam right in the war? Or was it just Kubrick's way of adding surprises to the movie? Women did fight for Vietnam, not many women, but some did. In fact the used women for strategy; American soldiers didn't take women seriously, so they could use that to their advantage. A photograph taken in 1968 shows a Vietnamese woman soldier. Women weren't treated well in Vietnam by both Americans and Vietnamese men, that is shown in the movie. There are two occurrences in the film when U.S. Soldiers harass a Vietnamese prostitute. But women soldiers could earn their respect by fighting in the war. Another source makes a statement on American soldiers' interaction with women; "The fact that American soldiers did not regard women and girls as threats increased their value as guerrilla fighters." The writer explains the role of women soldiers in the war and how American soldiers didn't consider them to be too harmful. Although in the movie the soldiers were not aware the sniper was a woman at first, they were surprised nonetheless, once they got up close. In this scene, Kubrick accurately depicts real historical facts that were not well known; such as the idea that Vietnamese women soldiers played a role in the war in Vietnam as

The Vietnam war was known for its direct media from the soldiers themselves. Kubrick excels in showing how media played a major role in the war. The historical accuracy on this aspect is strongly defended by countless sources. The last scene I will evaluate is the scene right after the transition from boot camp to war in Vietnam. It shows two soldiers casually hanging out in a Vietnamese city, talking and taking pictures. After a confrontation with a Vietnamese woman, it shows a Vietnamese civilian steal the soldier's camera. Most people would say United States soldiers would hangout at the base

camp in their off time. The soldiers appear to be laughing and joking around in this scene. Did American soldiers frequently hangout like this in cities? An article from New York Times defends this with; "In contrast to most images of a war that still reverberates decades later, they show soldiers lazing, showing off their squalid jungle living quarters, discovering the charm of the Vietnamese children they encounter, reveling in a rare ocean swim." The writer describes the casual confrontations between the south Vietnamese civilians and the American soldiers. Kubrick presents the reality that several soldiers would spend time in cities with the Vietnamese, not just in the base camps. A picture taken in 1969 shows a large group of U.S. Soldiers dancing with Vietnamese women as a band plays. Kubrick wanted to show the soldiers'