history of america
In studying the history of America's development from a colonial nation to the modern world power of today, it is necessary to pay special attention to the several major wars the United States was involved in. These wars varied in severity ranging from "minor" skirmishes such as the Spanish American war, to more costly conflicts. Costly in terms of money and loss of life, the Civil War, Vietnam, and both World Wars left lasting impressions on the people who endured them. These wars often defined entire generations of Americans. More often than not, everyone alive in each of these major campaigns was somehow affected in the war. Some served in the military, some worked in the factories that made weapons, while others had relatives who actively participated in the war effort. Recently, the topic of World War II has become a "hot topic" for Hollywood filmmakers. Movies such as "Saving Private Ryan", and "The Thin Red Line" used graphic scenes of violence and depictions of the hardships of the average soldier on the front line in ways previously unseen in prior World War II movies. The goal of the directors was to remind the younger generations of the bravery and selflessness of the soldiers who served in World War II. The
Richard Lockyer joined the Navy on Washington's Birthday in 1942. Much the same as many others of his generation, he volunteered for service. He finished his military duty on Christmas Eve in 1945. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Second-Class Quarter Master. For his service he received six medals. Four were for service in several different campaigns. One was a Victory medal, and the final medal was for good conduct. I asked him if this was because of his exemplary behavior, and he replied that he was just good at not getting caught. His assignment on the ship was standing watch on the bridge for his first year of service, after which he was in charge of steering the ship for the next two years. His ship, a destroyer by the name of U.S.S Hambleton received seven stars for battle. soldiers in these movies were purposely portrayed as a group of men from diverse backgrounds who came together to fight for a common cause. These soldiers were also depicted as average men, not the superhuman men portrayed in earlier films, of which John Wayne is an example. Yet in these movies, these "average men" were the ones who committed the greatest acts of bravery. In conducting my interview, I realized that this depiction was not far off the mark. The subject of my interview was a man by the name of Richard Albert Lockyer. He is the Grandfather of my girlfriend. He lives in Brewster, Massachusetts, in a small beachfront community of fellow retiree
Some common words found in the essay are:
War II, German U-boats, Quarter Master, World Wars, U-boats Millions, , U-boats Radar, John Wayne, Britain America, Red Line, world war, war ii, world war ii, german u-boats, sent bottom ocean, north atlantic, fighting u-boats, method fighting, route america, main supply, method fighting u-boats, war ii experience, sent bottom, richard lockyer,
Approximate Word count = 980
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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