In the Truth of War project, we explored the Vietnam war, and the truth of war in general. In the beginning, we learned about what was happening right before the war and how the war allegedly started. After understanding the public view, we made good use out of our resources, and dove deeper into the truth. We read up on the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which had started the war, and realized some inconsistencies with the primary documents vs the public view. After this, our class read The Things They Carried. This book really opened up my eyes and showed me how intense war was, and how many sides and stories there were. Reading and discussing this book was actually one of my favorite parts of this project because I gained a new perspective on war. It showed me that war can be horrid and beautiful at the same time, and that no matter what really happened, each person's view is real in their mind. Before we started getting into exhibition work, we watched the Ken Burns documentaries on the Vietnam war. As well as solidifying and clarifying what we had already learned about, it also showed me new things. For example, I learned about the Kent State Shooting, and seeing pictures from that day of tragedy dug into my emotion. One last big thing we did was interview Vietnam Veterans. Hearing their stories and watching them talk about their experiences amazed me, because there was so much life that they had lived and were now sharing with me.
For our Truth of War exhibition, we created a walkthrough/interactive exhibit where visitors could walk through the rooms and learn through the experiences we provided them. After a process of ideating and choosing, my team was assigned the living room. This room was meant to show the American family and how the war was affecting them, and their beliefs at the time. When we first started our preparation, we mapped out a simple room with a chair and a TV that would show what the advertisements and shows were like at the time. As our planning went on, we decided to have two rooms of a house; a dining room and a living room. In the kitchen was a conversation between a dad and his child, talking about the child’s brother who had been drafted into the war. They also discussed the threat of communism and suspicion. In the next room that our team created was a scene between the father and the mother. They talked about the worries of war, and the unknown truth. On a TV we played a short clip of a communist awareness ad, and some news coverage of the “current” state of the Vietnam War. The people were led through these scenes and watched as the actors talked together and moved around the set. The audience was then led on to the next room, which my team did not work on.
Throughout this project, I learned and strengthened my skills, as well as gave myself some things to work on in the future. One thing that I thought I did really well on was being more ‘out there’. During our group work, I would ask my group members if I needed help or clarification. In the exhibition, I had an acting job, which surprised me because I’m usually the person that does things behind the scenes. Socially, I think this was a good project for me. Another thing that I am proud of myself for would be the new perspectives that I understood. Specifically, one thing that stood out to me was how many stories and truths that there are in the world, and how all of them can be the exact truth, even if it is not what actually happened. I thought that this was very interesting as well because someone could describe something made up, but the truth to them is the emotion that they’re conveying. Something that I could have done better was staying on task. Towards the end of the project I was using my time well, but at the beginning, I wasn’t very motivated and strayed off topic multiple times. If I were to do this again, I would have been more engaged throughout the whole project so the final project would have been even better. (Although I am proud of our final product, and my team and I worked hard on it.) The Truth of War Project opened up a whole new world of realizations and ideas for me. Most importantly, I gained a lot of understanding for those who went to war, those who were affected, and those who did not make it back from Vietnam. I learned in this project that everything is true in war. There is no emotion that is not experienced, and no matter what, there will be beauty and tragedy in everything. Another huge takeaway that I got from this entire project really came to me when the veterans came into our class and talked to us. I realized that with every picture, every word, every look that the veterans showed us, there was an entire story and life behind it. Although this doesn’t have to do with academic learning as much, this changed my perspective on the human life. I realized that so many people can carry within them lifetimes of emotion and stories. As a young person, I have already lived so many good and bad experiences, and talking to these people with so many years of life within them made me excited for life in general. The Truth of War project also brought into light how much false information is fed to us, and how we can dig through them to find the truth. I also thought this project was important for the future because, in our current state of the world, war is becoming a threat. Knowing what has happened in past wars, and finding out what really mattered then will help us in understanding what to do and who to believe.