Honors Essay Blog

January 8, 1945

U.S. First Army

Ardennes, Near Bastogne.

Dear Mom and Dad,

Aside from knowing that the Germans are trying to kill me and my buddies, I have seen some of Europe while I was back in behind allied lines as an replacement for the war effort. The people of France were charismatic about the Americans when I had arrived. They were very friendly and accepting, and I could swear that the chicks there liked me and the other American soldiers. During the time of my arrival to France our forces were moving up, taking territory from the Germans.

It was a quick transition and before I knew it, I was sent to the front lines. That was in the summer. Now I am here with my buddies, hollowed out German tanks, and the harsh frost.

I have been freezing my butt off for some time now. The European Winter is taking its hold on me, and I am developing symptoms of a cold and frost bite. The temperature is so cold here that our vehicles have been experiencing engine freezing when they aren’t running, and our weapons need to be looked after constantly. Other than the cold though, I am still in one piece.

My company has been facing the Germans for days, and now there has been some withdrawal on the German’s part. As my unit moves on, we have seen many German tanks and other vehicles, abandoned. A buddy of mine told me that they must have run out of gas, and by some of my own exploring in a tiger tank, I discovered that the arrow of the gas meter was pointed towards the bright red E.

Thank god, I would not want to be facing one of those things. I have seen them in action before, and nearly got blasted to bits; thankfully artillery took it out before the shooting started. As of now we do not know what to do with the abandoned tanks, the higher ranked men in the Company are probably planning what to do with the tanks.

I bet a Commander somewhere would like to take one home as a souvenir. So far the only souvenirs I will be taking from the war are influenza and maybe a bullet wound, considering my chances in the future.

These Germans are getting desperate as we close in little by little. They pulled out, which thankfully gives us the chance to zone in. I think that this is going to be big, even though I am just a part of infantry, there are chances that I could step foot in Germany, and show the Germans a thing or two about how to fight for one’s country.

I want to return home but at the same time, victory is so close. For now I can only follow orders and do my mission to the end. If only an assassin somewhere ended Hitler, then I wouldn’t have to worry about being shot up. I’ve lost some of my closest friends during this damned freezing war, And I hate to see new recruits get hit hard. It is very… grim to see one of my own company getting blown to bits or shot…

Orders are to move out in the next couple of hours. We are reinforcing the lines that were held before the German attack. We will be moving up more afterwards, and then the Germans will be sorry.

I have to prepare, before I end this letter, how have you guys been? Are you doing good, holding up since my deployment? Tell my little brother that if he is good, I will bring something back from the war. If he acts up and gives you any trouble then I might just put him through physical training for a week or two. Brutal stuff.

I hope to hear from you guys soon, whether the war ends or just another letter is sent…

May the war end soon, with an American Victory.

Love, your son,

Thomas Wills

(Wikipedia on Battle of the Bulge- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_bulge  )

Semester 2 Blog 9

WW2 Propaganda

This is a picture of World War 2 Ally propaganda.

The picture was made to entice fear into the hearts of Americans. It shows Hitler and a Japanese soldier, ready to invade America. The sheer size gives a feeling that the two men are monstrous forces that are ready to move in and smash America.

My reaction to this is just... woah. It is freaky with the idea that these two men are bearing down on the US. On the other hand, I am slightly amused at how they depicted it, with the proportions of the men distorted.

WW2 War Photography

A sobering photo of some of the cost of World War II: 121st Seabees, 4th Marine Division 1944. Same photo in "Life's Picture History of World War II" page 330 is captioned "Two Marines are shot by Japanese snipers as they hit the Saipan beach. This remarkable photograph, made by a Coast Guard cameraman, shows these members of an assault battalion at instant of their falling."

My reaction to this picture... It looks tense. Clear landing but at any moment the enemy could attack.

The date and author of the picture is barely visible. This image shows children who are contributing Aluminum for the war effort. It shows the public cooperation and work to keep their side of the war strong. This is what defines total war as an example, since this is one part of a total work force towards strengthening the U.S. Army.

Semester 2 Blog 8

Choice # 1) In a well developed, thoughtful piece of writing that uses direct quotes, explain the relationship between your honors novel and the time period that fostered it's creation.


My honors novel talks about the Vietnam War and the anti-war attitudes that were created during its duration. The author, Ron Kovic, describes his story of the Vietnam War. He illustrates the childhood fantasies of war and how society pushed him to join the military for the beginning duration of the book. Kovic talks about his childhood passions, and he mentions all of the people that were heroes to him when he was a child, "Like Mickey Mantle and the fabulous New York Yankees, John Wayne in The Sands of Iwo Jima became one of my heroes". The way Kovic was exposed to war and the military, the more inclined he was to join. This reflected a part of culture that was in the USA leaving World War II and nearing the Vietnam War. One scene really brings out the idea that society encourages military involvement when Marine recruiters come in to Kovic's high school and give a speech to all the boys interested in the military, "'The marines have been the first in everything... There is nothing finer, nothing prouder, than a United States Marine.'... I was going to leave on a train one morning and become a marine." Because of that one event, led on by American society at the time, Kovic joined the Marines and went to the Vietnam War, losing his legs and his lifestyle with 2 years of service and three bullets on the Vietnamese soil.


Kovic shows the change in attitude towards the war and growth of anti-war culture in America with his own internal change in view. He decided to protest against the war and partake in the anti-war cause as a speaker, telling his story to crowds of people. "The terrible injustice that took the lives of more than 58,000 Americans and over two million vietnamese. We had to act. We had to speak." This quote concisely brings out the feeling of the time, that nobody wanted the war anymore. This understanding of war and massive protest of it, routed in our culture now, is reflected today as it was during Kovic's time. And the same forces battle for supremacy, the forces that want to recruit people (including 18 year olds) for war, and those who want to prevent any military action as is possible. Kovics story thus covers the thinking of the time period and beyond, since before the Vietnam War, people were more ready to go into war for a cause. Kovic underlines the point with the anti-war argument that there was little point and reason for going into the Vietnam War.