Hated War.

In chapter 4, On the Rainy River, Tim O'Brien begins to tell a story "[he's] never told anyone before." He starts by telling about the receiving of his draft letter. The letter that drafted him into "the war [he] hated." He continues with a rant of questions that were commonly asked then, and commmonly asked now about the Vietnam War.

"Who started it, when and why?...Was Ho Chi Minh a Communist scrooge, or a nationalist savior, or both, or neither? What about the Geneva Accords? What about SEATO and the Cold War?" (page 38)

It is funny to me that all these questions were ones unanswered both at the time of the War.. and now, as we all sit in history class with Mrs. Helbing. She tries to explain the purpose and the reason but yet it still all remains undefined. I took a test and a final exam with the Vietnam War included. I passed. But as I continue to read the novel and hear the questions, they still remain unanswered. Will anyone ever know the true purpose of the war? I could tell anyone the purpose and reasons for the Civil and both World Wars. But not this one.