"APO 96225"

“APO 96225” by Larry Rottmann

Question #2

                The American public did not know what was going on in the Vietnam War. People longed to find the truth. “ ‘We’re quite concerned. Tell us what it’s really like,’ ”(Rottmann). The young man’s mother reflects the attitude of the American people because they wanted to know what it was really like. American’s were not supportive of the war. When Americans heard negative things, their support for the war declined. Because of the poor support, government authorities felt the need not to reveal the truth of what was happening in Vietnam. When the young man finally writes the truth to his mother, she becomes upset. This reflects that attitude of  Americans because they only want to receive positive news about the war despite wanting to know the truth. The attitude of the American public was ironic because they wanted to know the truth, but they had high expectations. When they heard something negative about the war, they decided that they did not want to hear it.