The Interesting Facts about War

Nunez, Christopher

Ms. Moreno

Honors English 8 Period 6

11 September 2010

The Interesting Facts about War

                             How would you be if your father went to war? How feel or react when you find out that he has Vietnam Syndrome? In the fictional short story ‘Stop the Sun” by Gary Paulsen, we are introduced to a young adult named Terry, whose father went to the Vietnam War and he was severely traumatized. Throughout the story Terry will change emotionally, when he and his father talk about the war. The text is sad because we see how war changes how a family is. It changes how they act and how they feel.

                                    When people go to war, it can be traumatizing for them and their loved ones. When people witness something bad or see something bad they can get diseases and they can also be traumatized. When Terry’s father saw his fellow soldier get ambushed and die, he became traumatized.  For example, when Terry’s dad saw people blow up and get shot at and died, he became severely traumatized because he was the only survivor. This is what Terry’s Mom explained to Terry “It’s from the war,” his mother had said. “The doctors at the veterans’ hospital call it the Vietnam syndrome.” (Paulsen 50). People with illnesses have different personalities and attitudes. When Terry’s dad is in the hardware store, he goes into a traumatic flashback and he is crying and squirming on the floor. They Experience bad things and are sometimes misunderstood. After Terry’s dad squirms, Terry and his mom move away from him because they don’t understand what he is going through. War is traumatizing for many, who make it back alive.

                                    War is a painful and a devastating thing and some people don’t make it back the same. When people go to war they can get injured, both physically and mentally. For example, Terry’s dad came back to war traumatized with the Vietnam Syndrome. Here is a quote to explain what Terry is wondering, “ What do you want to know about Vietnam, Terry?” Mr. Carlson had asked. “It was a big war.” (50) People go to war, when they come back they can lose a limb. A lot of soldiers go to war, when they come back they wear prostatic limbs. When they go to war, they lose their fellow comrades. For example Terry’s dad saw his fellow soldiers get ambushed and attacked. War is painful to many who have experienced something bad.

Many soldiers don’t come back from War, we called those people who don’t come back loved ones. Many soldiers die in war known as a hero or just as a friend. Many of Terry’s dad’s friends died in the war when they got ambushed. Many people go to war, come back different mentally. Terry’s dad fought, came back very different with some traumatic disease called the Vietnam Syndrome. People die in war by the thousands each year. During many wars, thousands of people die each several months or each year in the thousands, that ends up being in the millions. War is very bad because many people die. Here is what Terry’s dad explained what had happened, “So we were crossing the paddy, and it was a straight sweep, and then we caught it. We began taking fire from three sides, automatic weapons, and everybody went down and tried to get low. We couldn’t get low enough. We could never get low enough, and you hear rounds hitting people. It was just a short time before they brought in the mortars.” (53)

                                     Many soldiers who went to war with Vietnam, they came back severely injured of traumatized. The short story “Stop the Sun” is a fictional short story written by Gary Paulsen. By reading this story, we learn how war changes a family. By reading this story, we find out about the Vietnam War and the Vietnam Syndrome and how war can be very traumatizing.