Honor & Sacrifice in WWII, Vietnam, and current generation. Draft 1

2. How was honor and sacrifice viewed and carried out by Americans during Vietnam?

3. What are the views of our generation, a generation that has not experienced military
conflict, about honor and sacrifice in the realm of our parents, upbringing, and
thoughts/beliefs?

4. How has the social viewpoint on each of these issues changed as generations age?

Specific Predictions:
1. We predict that people during World War II will have a stronger and more defined
concept about the notion of honor and sacrifice. This is partly because America, as a
whole, believed our role in the war was necessary and moral.

2. We predict that the view of America during Vietnam was not as supportive because of
our role in the conflict. Current American beliefs opposed many of the soldiers who
served, reasoning that they were not fighting for a clearly defined cause. (As opposed to
the clear cause found in World War II). Consequently, many soldiers could not find honor
in sacrificing themselves for a vague cause.

3. We predict the views of our generation will not hold as much importance in the areas
of honor and sacrifice. One reason is that our generation has not seen military conflict,
nor a social movement that would instill the ‘pride’ associated with dedicating one’s life to
a cause.

4. As generations have progressed, the concept of honor and sacrifice have slowly
declined. Soldiers during World War II are commonly referred to as ‘heroes,’ while
soldiers during Vietnam have received little recognition until recent years. Thus, ideals
that the WWII generation passed on to their children would not be the same as parents
instill in the current generation.

Preliminary Research Design:
We plan to carry out our research by interviewing members of the World War II, Vietnam,
and current generations. Each person interviewed will be asked to give their definition of
the concepts of honor and sacrifice, their beliefs about it, and their perception of the other
two generations. After initially interviewing each group, the current generation will be
asked another series of questions, supplemented by responses already given. We will be
specifically looking for answers that pertain to the reasoning why views are different and
what factors attributed to their change.

Sources:
Essinger, Nicholas S. Personal Recollections.
Leff, Mark H. The Politics of Sacrifice on the American Home Front in World War
II. The Journal of American History, Vol. 77, No. 4. (Mar., 1991), pp.
1296-1318.
Schmid, Charles E. Interview.
Sturken, Marita. The Wall, the Screen, and the Image: The Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Representations. No. 35, Special Issue: Monumental Histories.
(Summer, 1991), pp. 118-142.
Tweed, Bob. My Life with the Rainbow Division. 1999.
Wagner-Pacifici, Robin and Barry Scwartz. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial:
Commemorating a Difficult Past (in Focus on Culture). American Journal of
Sociology, Vol. 97, No. 2. (Sep., 1991), pp. 376-420.
WW II U.S. Veterans Website. ww2.vet.org

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