Class Expectations

Expectation #1 - Do Research

Demonstrate the ability to develop lines of inquiry that are relevant, focused and imaginative

With that said, we can safely assume that PTSD was a big problem for most of the men fighting in WWII. This kind of personal price will follow them for the rest of their life. In fact a study of Harvard University alumni has shown that 59% of World War II veterans who experienced heavy combat were either chronically ill or dead by the age of 65. One such person who might have experienced this kind of guilt is Brigade General Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. On July 26, 1945 , the three largest Allied powers at war in the Pacific: the United States , Britain and China issued the Potsdam Declaration. It demanded the Japanese government to surrender immediately or face “prompt and utter destruction”. On July 28, Prime Minister Suzuki announced that his government would ignore the Declaration. Strangely, Harry S. Truman gave the official order to drop an atomic bomb over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on July 25, a day before the declaration was issued and three days before it was rejected. This kind of eagerness displayed by Truman was later criticized by the American people. According to General Groves, though, Truman's decision "was one of noninterference--basically a decision not to upset existing plans." Paul Warfield Tibbets then began his journey to where he would be part of one of the most influential events in history. On August 5, 1945 , Tibbets writes in his journal, “ I am not sure if I should do this. I am going to kill so many innocent people. People like my mother with little children whose only mistake was living in Hiroshima . I am not sure what I will do when I get over Hiroshima , will I lose my nerve and not drop the bomb, or be brave and do my job and let it go? I am not sure which would be worse, being brave and following orders or losing my nerve and not dropping the bomb. But tomorrow I am expected to follow the orders of President Truman, and that is what I am obliged to do.” In his journal, he feels guilt for what he's about to do. Ironically, while he worries about killing people like his mother, he names his plane Enola Gay after his mother.

This plane would later end many the lives of women like his mother. However bad his uncertainty was the night before; Tibbets still dropped the atomic bomb over Hiroshima on August 26, 1945 at 8:16AM , killing over 140,000 people. Three days later, another atomic bomb was dropped over Nagasaki . Tibbets was not proud of his actions. In his subsequent diary entries, he experiences many typical symptoms of PTSD. In the end, he couldn't even bring himself to marry and have children.

9/6/45 : I am having terrible nightmares . In my dreams, I see little Japanese children screaming and crying. It is horrible. I can't write about this anymore.

8/6/55 : Ten years have passed since that day. I still have the nightmares. I have remained a career soldier. I could never bring myself to marry and have children . I would always imagine what it would be like to suddenly lose them in a bombing. I would feel guilty having what I took away from so many others.

Expectation #2 - Write clearly

Develop contentions that are clearly stated.

The world around these men recovered. Europe embraced Germany and Italy again. Japan began marketing its technology successfully around the world. The United States had once again, got themselves involved in a conflict. But the personal effects of the war would stay with these men forever. Whether they had watched their best friend die in front of them, pushed a button that killed thousands of people or had their first love disappear from their lives, each one of these soldiers had paid the personal price for their actions.

Expectation #3 - Build a solid " Factual Base" and synthesize

Demonstrate that they can support their contentions (and expect others to do the same) with evidence drawn from a wide variety of sources , and different types of data.

But the same data shows the maximum years of America staying in a country to be at 15 years, the Vietnam War. The data above also doesn't show the number of conflicts going on now. There are still 9 foreign conflicts that have American soldiers still abroad. Look at the picture below. It shows the concentration of US troops worldwide:

The number of troops deployed in Iraq is by far the most, with over 130,000 troops deployed there and talk of sending more. In a recent poll conducted by USA Today, 63% of Americans said that they wanted all troops back by the end of '08. Most were also against sending more troops to Iraq :

As you may know, the Bush administration has begun to significantly increase the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to help stabilize the situation there.  Do you favor or oppose this?

Source: Gallup Polls