The Pullout From Vietnam

You are an American soldier on his way home after the pullout from Vietnam. Write a letter to a friend or family member describing your feelings about returning home.

Dear Elizabeth,

I'm finally on my way home and I can't wait to see you and the kids! It's been tough for me without being with the ones I love so much. Let Brandon know that I'm looking forward to helping him out with his baseball skills when I get back. Has he grown much since I last seen him? Who knows, maybe by the time I get back, he'll already be past my waist! How is Alicia doing? I miss seeing her cute little face. I have pictures of all of you with me, but it's still not the same as seeing you. It's been stressful for me fighting in the war, but soon I'll be back home again. I never thought I'd be as happy to see our little brick house as I will be soon. Everything that I had taken for granted before now seems so precious to me. I feel proud to have fought for our country, but am extremely sad for some of my other troop members who never survived to reunite with their families. We have been pulled out of the war as a result of the people of our country wanting the war to end. Although we had been told by our government that this would be an easy win, it didn't turn out that way. Vietnam was more tough to fight than we'd expected. Anyways, I'll see you soon. Say hi to the kids for me!

Love, Karl

Returning To Canada

You are a Canadian soldier recently returned to Canada. Post to your blog about your experiences and feelings about returning to civilian life.

I am so happy to be back home again with my family! We Canadians are so lucky to have the freedom that we do. War is a very hard situation to be involved in. The toughest part for me was watching my friends die right in front of me. I had grown very close to them while working with the Canadian forces, and it was hard to see them go. However, this did make me more thankful for my own life. I realized how precious it is, and how soon it can be taken away. I thank God every day for answering my prayers so that I could return home to see my wife and my two children. The smiles on their faces as I came in the front door made me feel like my life couldn't get any better. It is more relaxing for me to be able to wake up to the birds singing instead of gunshots. It was so terrifying not knowing when or where others would come and attack. I felt so jumpy and my eyes were constantly scanning my surroundings. I always had to be on the lookout to warn my fellow troop members if they were in danger. I will always remember those I fought with and will live my life to the fullest, because I never know when it will end.

Generation Explanation

All of the other generations that I studied in this unit had very unique and different components. I can say right away that my generation(Generation Y) is not like the baby boom because there are way less people. Many soldiers had returned home at the end of World War II and as a result of this, many babies were born. These births had not been restricted in any type of way like they now can be by birth control pills or abortion. That is one of the reasons why the birth rates declined. During my generation, people started to become dependent on computers and technology. Although generation Z is really those who are more reliant upon computers, my generation led others into this type of living. Technology changed the way we go about our everyday lives and the types of jobs that are now available. It made communication easier but it also decreased verbal communication skills. This would lead to tough times while dealing with other people or co-workers because they are not used to communicating with people face to face. I think that the music of this time was people's ways of entertainment, and what they enjoyed listening to. The fashion statements that people made expressed who they were as an individual. It makes other think about how they are judging each other. Although judging people by their clothing seems shallow, many people fall into that trap and come to a conclusion of who that person is before even meeting them. The major events of my generation affected the world, and how people responded to what was happening was also very important. Major events can completely change many people's direction in life, but it is up to us if we let that happen.

What's With Wardsville?

What is the approximate distribution of the population in terms of ethnicity, sex, and age?
In Wardsville, there are approximately 500 people. Out of those people, there are more senior residents than middle aged or younger people. There is a senior citizens apartment building as well as two nursing homes in my town. There are also more males than females as some studies show that females live longer than males. There are more caucasian people in my town. However, there is a wide variety of people with different ethnical backgrounds.

Has your community changed over the years, or has it remained pretty much the same?
My community has pretty much remained the same over the years. I am aware that houses continue to go up for sale but they are soon moved into by other families, which keeps the population constant.

What are some of the unique challenges presented by the demographics of your community?
A unique challenge presented by the demographics of my community is that the population signs for Wardsville haven't been changed for at least seventeen years. This could be because the population has remained within the same number, which would mean that there hasn't been any poulation increase or decrease.
Another challenge is that my town is so small, so not many people would choose to live there if they wanted to close the business. There is another slightly larger town located fifteen minutes away, but most job opportunities are 30-45 minutes away.
Another challenge is that since Wardsville and surrounding area is so small, it is hard to keep schools open. There aren't many people who attend some of the local schools, and some think it is better to close these small schools down.

If the community has changed over the years, what are some of the challenges presented by that change?
One of the changes over the years is the economic recession. This is the cause of many people losing their jobs and because of this, families have to move to where many jobs are offered. Since my town and surrounding area doesn't have a large amount of businesses, people would be moving away from Wardsville.