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Million Shades of Gray || Jacob Dusansky

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Million Shades of Gray || Jacob Dusansky

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This story A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata is about a twelve year old boy named Y’Tin. Y’tin is very original and I feel he likes only be with him and the elephant. The place that the boy is living in is in Vietnam. Y’Tin is  in a little, poor village. Throughout what we are reading through I stop and think about the date of the story. After reading I research the date. Google says that the date was very close to the war. The war is called the Vietnam War. I question I have is if the troops come into Vietnam how would Y’Tin and his family including the elephant be safe?

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bicycle spy is a book about a boy named Marcel who loves biking and is obsessed with the Tour de France. One of the struggles he is facing is not being able to race in it because it his passion in times of war. This probably motivates Marcel to try harder because of the fact that a war is trying to silence him and he is being brought down. His passion is probably impacted by the time period a lot because of the fact that France is getting bombed and there is not many things you can do during a war and he is persevering and trying harder so he can show the Nazis that they can't control him. Also one lesson that the reader can learn from Marcel is that you should try hard even when you are being pushed down.

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Rachel Monaco- The war that saved my life

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Rachel Monaco- The war that saved my life

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I think Ada feels sad when sad, defeated and disappointed when the doctor told her she would never have a normal foot. After a while she had to accept that but it stuck with her that she would be different her whole life. Her old mom always treated her badly because of her foot. She would not let her go outside or make friends, instead she had to wait on her mom. Now all those memories will trigger  emotions that make her upset and sad.

I also think that Jamie wants to help Ada but some things he can’t do like fix her foot. Ada appreciates the help Jamie gives her, she would not be where she was now without him. When they were back in England without Jamie Ada wouldn’t of eaten because the mom never gave Ada food. She was grateful for Jamie and what he has done for her.

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Nikolet Vataj- The war that saved my life

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Nikolet Vataj- The war that saved my life

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One thing that I found shocking is that the officers actually trust Ada to know if the man was a spy or not. I think that by doing this, the officers are not taking much consideration into this. Not because Ada is untrustworthy, but because Ada could have been a spy, acting all innocent, just so she can go tell everything to Germany. If this was true, then the officers would've been really careless with their decision. But thankfully, Ada is not a spy. This is shown on page 281, when Ada responds, "Lose lips sink ships." This assure the Officers that Ada can be trusted. One thing that this reminds me of, is when Ada tells Ms. Smith something, and she responds, "I don't believe you." This shows that earlier in the book, Ada was not trusted. But, when the officers believe Ada, something is different. Ada is finally being trusted with things, unlike before. I think this is the part of the story when Characters have change of heart, and start both, one, becoming closer, and two, start  finding out things about each other that was not obvious before. I think that now, Ms. Smith will open up, and they will become closer then earlier.

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A struggle that the characters face is slavery. They were trying not to get her brother Jesse sold. Since Sarah's mom already passed away, what would she do without her brother? One problem I saw with Jesse was that he didn't want to be sold but he also didn't want to leave his life behind so they brought Ranger in the boat. I noticed that the guy came back and he told Ranger that he was a worthless mutt. They got to the place and it was dark, no lanterns. Jesse didn't like that there was nowhere to go so he got angry and ran away. Ranger is trying to find him by his scent. Jesse fell off a tree branch and was about to be eaten by wolves but Ranger got him away from them. Sarah knew that the north star had to stay on your left if you are going east. They wanted to go to Pennsylvania to have freedom.

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A struggle that Ada is making is that she keeps having moments in her life when she thinks about her mom and all the things that her mom has said to her, when ever someone says something nice Ada always reacts by thinking about what her mom has said because she has always been mean to Ada and dosent believe she will ever be loved or wanted. Something that I found was surprising was when the officer looked at Ada's foot and then looked at her like she was  dumb because of her foot or something.

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WW II : RARE COLOR FILM : D-DAY : JUNE 5TH 1944

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http://protectacow.typepad.com/prabhupada/ 731212mw.la Conversations Prabhupada: ...two classes of men: the communist and the non-communist. Not exactly communist and capitalist, but communist and non-communist. Out of these two, the communists are going to be powerful. This is the world tendency. So if the world becomes full of communists, then the human civilization will be finished.

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Adam a boy who is living near Honolulu, has been living a good life, his dad is a Navy lieutenant. One Day, Adam see explosions, Japan is attacking one of the U.S Naval Bases. Adam wonders if his father's still alive. In this story Adam's dad shows courage and Bravery to fight for his country. Adam is curious of what happened to his father. The Bombing of Pearl Harbor came a surprise to Adam and is Dad, sometimes you have to be prepared for situations you don't expect. Do you think Adam's dad is safe.

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Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, that was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. Just before 8 a.m. on that Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base, where they managed to destroy or damage nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and another 1,000 people were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan.

Japan and the Path to War
WATCH VIDEO: The Path to Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise, but Japan and the United States had been edging toward war for decades.

The United States was particularly unhappy with Japan's increasingly belligerent attitude toward China. The Japanese government believed that the only way to solve its economic and demographic problems was to expand into its neighbor's territory and take over its import market.

To this end, Japan declared war on China in 1937, resulting in the Nanking Massacre and other atrocities.

American officials responded to this aggression with a battery of economic sanctions and trade embargoes. They reasoned that without access to money and goods, and especially essential supplies like oil, Japan would have to rein in its expansionism.

Instead, the sanctions made the Japanese more determined to stand their ground. During months of negotiations between Tokyo and Washington, D.C., neither side would budge. It seemed that war was all but inevitable.
WATCH: Pearl Harbor: The Last Word on HISTORY Vault
Where Is Pearl Harbor?

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is located near the center of the Pacific Ocean, roughly 2,000 miles from the U.S. mainland and about 4,000 miles from Japan. No one believed that the Japanese would start a war with an attack on the distant islands of Hawaii.

Additionally, American intelligence officials were confident that any Japanese attack would take place in one of the (relatively) nearby European colonies in the South Pacific: the Dutch East Indies, Singapore or Indochina.

Because American military leaders were not expecting an attack so close to home, the naval facilities at Pearl Harbor were relatively undefended. Almost the entire Pacific Fleet was moored around Ford Island in the harbor, and hundreds of airplanes were squeezed onto adjacent airfields.

To the Japanese, Pearl Harbor was an irresistibly easy target.

USS Arizona

The Japanese plan was simple: Destroy the Pacific Fleet. That way, the Americans would not be able to fight back as Japan's armed forces spread across the South Pacific. On December 7, after months of planning and practice, the Japanese launched their attack.

At about 8 a.m., Japanese planes filled the sky over Pearl Harbor. Bombs and bullets rained onto the vessels moored below. At 8:10, a 1,800-pound bomb smashed through the deck of the battleship USS Arizona and landed in her forward ammunition magazine. The ship exploded and sank with more than 1,000 men trapped inside.

Next, torpedoes pierced the shell of the battleship USS Oklahoma. With 400 sailors aboard, the Oklahoma lost her balance, rolled onto her side and slipped underwater.

Less than two hours later, the surprise attack was over, and every battleship in Pearl Harbor- USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, USS California, USS West Virginia, USS Utah, USS Maryland, USS Pennsylvania, USS Tennessee and USS Nevada-had sustained significant damage. (All but USS Arizona and USS Utah were eventually salvaged and repaired.)

Impact of the Pearl Harbor Attack
WATCH VIDEO: Pearl Harbor Survivors Recall the Morning of the Attack
In all, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor crippled or destroyed nearly 20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes. Dry docks and airfields were likewise destroyed. Most importantly, more than 2,000 people died.

But the Japanese had failed to cripple the Pacific Fleet. By the 1940s, battleships were no longer the most important naval vessel: Aircraft carriers were, and as it happened, all of the Pacific Fleet's carriers were away from the base on December 7. (Some had returned to the mainland and others were delivering planes to troops on Midway and Wake Islands.)

Moreover, the Pearl Harbor assault had left the base's most vital onshore facilities-oil storage depots, repair shops, shipyards and submarine docks-intact. As a result, the U.S. Navy was able to rebound relatively quickly from the attack.

How Many People Died in Pearl Harbor?

The attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2,403 U.S. personnel, including sailors, soldiers and civilians. Additionally, 1,178 people were wounded. 129 Japanese soldiers were killed.

Half of the dead at Pearl Harbor were on the USS Arizona. Today the sunken battleship serves as a memorial to all Americans who died in the attack.
READ MORE: 8 Tales of Pearl Harbor Heroics
President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress on December 8, the day after the crushing attack on Pearl Harbor.

"Yesterday, December 7, 1941-a date which will live in infamy-the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

He went on to say, "No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again."
Click here to watch the full episode on Pearl Harbor and more from WWII in HD on HISTORY Vault
America Enters World War II

After the Pearl Harbor attack, and for the first time during years of discussion and debate, the American people were united in their determination to go to war.

The Japanese had wanted to goad the United States into an agreement to lift the economic sanctions against them; instead, they had pushed their adversary into a global conflict that ultimately resulted in Japan's first occupation by a foreign power.

Did you know? The single vote against Congress's declaration of war against Japan came from Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana. Rankin was a pacifist who had also voted against the American entrance into World War I. "As a woman," she said, "I can't go to war, and I refuse to send anyone else."

On December 8, Congress approved Roosevelt's declaration of war on Japan. Three days later, Japan's allies Germany and Italy declared war against the United States.

For the second time, Congress reciprocated, declaring war on the European powers. More than two years after the start of World War II, the United States had entered the conflict.

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Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, that was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. The day after the attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan.

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One of my ideas is, that Y'Ting, is very brave and motivated. I think this because, Y'Ting really wanted to go on the "special" mission, and brave because, he didn't wimp out once he got permission to go along. I think that it is very important that Y'Ting is very brave, because, for one, it will really help him later on in life, and it will help to build confidence in himself. I think a lessen that Y'Ting learned is that, braveness will always get you far in life. One struggle that I think he has is, that he has a little bit of guilt, this was caused when Y'Tin made everyone wait for him to finish counting tracks.... and Ama's friend got shot because they were there too long.

Another idea of mine is, that Y'Ting's father will make him go far. I think this because, his father is letting him go on this "special" mission. Going on special missions is an amazing experience, but is sometimes dangerous. I think that his dad believes in adventure, and thinks it is an important part to life. I think that Ama, learned that, adventure is key, to having an interesting, and full life.

Learn about Vietnamese tribes:

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Whichever their tribe, the men wore modern clothes. Our guide Quang told us that women, especially unmarried ones, had less sartorial freedom because their reputation as a "good girl" would be at risk if they chose to abandon the traditional dress. The youngest had abandoned one practice however - the chewing of betel leaves. The older women were all betel chewers, their blackened teeth considered by them and their peers to be beautiful.

Such is the comparative rarity of tourists in Ha Giang that we were as much an object of fascination to them as they were to us, a fact that lessened that uncomfortable feeling of voyeurism that you can sometimes suffer when you travel off the beaten track.

There was very little food to be bought - dried fish and pork was pretty much all that was left by the time we got there. Instead there were numerous stalls selling the yarns and the braiding that decorated the Dao costumes. When we walked out of the market up into the surrounding hillsides we quickly saw how self-sufficient the Dao were; why there was very little they needed to buy.

Every house was the Good Life personified: aside from the rice paddies themselves there were immaculate vegetable and herb gardens (the Vietnamese diet includes copious herbs and salad leaves at every meal, often added to a meat-based noodle broth called pho or bun). Most of the dwellings were traditional wooden affairs, the Red Dao houses built on the ground, the Black Dao houses on stilts. Outside several homes, a woman was winnowing rice using a large flat-bottomed basket, tossing the rice up high into the air to separate it from the dry husks.

Unfortunately, we had lunch at the home of someone who was going up in the world, which meant we ate our delicious picnic not in a picturesque traditional house but in a breeze-block carbuncle, breeze blocks being such a status symbol as to be like the Rolex watch of the Dao world.

We sat with the son of the family and a son-in-law, the former a city worker back to visit for the weekend, the latter still a country boy. They were both in their late twenties, yet the difference between the two was remarkable, the former confident and chatty, asking us lots of questions and telling us about himself with the help of Quang, and the latter not uttering a word, barely able to bring himself even to look at us. This was a typical distinction between city and country folk, Quang told us.

The next day we drove a couple of hours to the Phong Thien commune, home to the Black and White Tay and, as we were later to find out, that excruciating cockerel. The Tay villagers no longer wear their traditional costumes - they are nearer to the city, and its influences - yet it is still an ancient-seeming place. It was raining on our first morning and we saw one woman using a large leaf as an impromptu umbrella. In the paddy fields the women - and, yes, it is the women who work there - wore not only their traditional woven conical hats but a kind of backplate, also made of woven bamboo, to protect their body from the rain as they bent over.

Even aside from the rain, this was a watery place, with numerous little rills and jerry-built aqueducts made of rubber piping and bamboo, all designed to bring water down into the villages from many miles up in the mountains. We saw one local woman with the ubiquitous twin baskets, one on each end of a carrying pole, transporting her ducklings between home and paddy field, where she took them daily to gobble up insects and snails.

Our walk around the local villages was full of such unforgettable sights. Lunch was similarly memorable. Our hostess was a 75-year-old tribeswoman, little more than 5ft tall, a mother of 10 and a brewer of rice wine. Hers was a specially doctored variety of the local spirit, the noxious-looking bottle steeped with ginseng and assorted other anonymous roots and leaves, all of them believed by the tribespeople to give their elderly extra pep.

Well pep she certainly had, in abundance. We had to down a heady shot as a sign that we were grateful to enjoy her hospitality. As I reeled, my boyfriend jokingly held up five fingers, implying he was game to drink five measures. She quickly held up all 10 fingers. "Ten!" she exclaimed in the local dialect excitedly.

"Ten! Ten!" Quang told us that the old women can often drink their visitors under the table, hardened as they are by their traditional role as party starters at village gatherings. Several shots later, Quang had to lie down, and his excellent commentary went quiet for a while.

Back at the house that night we were given a local footbath, stewing our feet in a herbal brew that looked remarkably similar to what we had been drinking that lunchtime. Then there was a delicious supper of rice-paper spring rolls, sweet and sour pork, carp with tomato and garlic, deep-fried tofu and perfectly nutty white rice.

Lying down on our floor mattresses, in a corner cordoned off from the rest of the open-plan floor space by sheets hung on two lines, we were buzzing with delight at all that we had seen. Our stay in the mountains had been worth those 3.30am wake-up calls, we told each other. It was 10pm. Five and a half hours later... well, our thoughts were a little different. But as we drove back to Hanoi the next day, we knew we would never forget our Vietnamese mountain interlude.

Getting there

Vietnam Airlines flies once weekly from London Gatwick to Hanoi, via Frankfurt, from £555 per person, including taxes ( vietnamairlines.com). A four-night tour of the Ha Giang region costs from £650 per person, including transfer by car from Hanoi, full-board accommodation (two nights' homestay) and an English-speaking guide ( pettitts.co.uk).

The tour can be made as an extension to Pettitt's 13-day Land of the Ascending Dragon trip, which includes the country's main highlights, such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, pretty Unesco-listed Hoi An, the ancient capital of Hue and a night on a junk in the picturesque Halong Bay. It costs from £3,100 per person, including flights, and guides.

When to go

Vietnam is a long country - its coastline stretches for more than 2,000 miles - which makes for a great deal of weather diversity. Ha Giang is best visited in its dry season, October to April, though in December and January it can get cold, with night temperatures as low as 10C. Hoi An and Hue in central Vietnam have hot, dry weather from mid-January to late August.

Beach stay

Vietnam is justly famous for its spectacular coastline. A few post-sightseeing nights at the beach are strongly recommended.
At the luxurious Nam Hai hotel in Danang you can combine relaxation with sightseeing in pretty Hoi An, famous for its grid of canals and restored old town houses. The Nam Hai has top-notch modern Asian style-rooms - some with private pools. Doubles from £357 ( thenamhai.com).
One-way flights from Hanoi to Danang with Vietnam Airlines (see above) start from £30.

What to bring

An eye mask and earplugs are a must if you are going to experience mountain life and still get some sleep. A torch that fixes to your head is also a good idea for night-time bathroom forays. Ha Giang is a malarious area, unlike much of Vietnam, so ask your doctor about malaria tablets. You should take rainwear, any time of year.

Telegraph tips

Don't pack too much luggage - you want to keep things as simple as possible. Make sure you have small notes to tip the local hosts and guides.

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Vietnam: A taste of village life in the north

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Whichever their tribe, the men wore modern clothes. Our guide Quang told us that women, especially unmarried ones, had less sartorial freedom because their reputation as a "good girl" would be at risk if they chose to abandon the traditional dress. The youngest had abandoned one practice however - the chewing of betel leaves.

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Adam is a boy who lives near Honolulu and is knew at the high school and he is a navy lieutenant. The teacher is asking if he had a hometown but he didn't he had grown up in the military and the military you moved all the time. So he just said he was from Adam Center which was technically not a lie because his grandfather lived there and he visited there. The teacher never heard of that place before so she told him to find it on the map. He was looking but he couldn't find it he said it wasn't on there but he did say it was near one of the great lakes. One day Adam sees explosions Japanese fighter planes attacking the U.S naval Base. Adam was nervous if his father was still alive. Is Adams father still alive?Attack on Pearl Harbor

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Marcel is a kid that loves biking. Every time Tour De France is on he'd watch. Ever since Germany invaded France the race hasn't been on. Marcel is struggling about this because he loves biking and wants to bike in Tour De France. Marcel doesn't know if Tour De France will ever happen again.
A good theme for this story is you don't have to quit loving things just because of what is happening around. And also if someone is mean to you doesn't mean to be mean back. There is never a bad time to be polite. Finally if you are in bad times doesn't mean your life has to be a bad thing. You can still have fun and enjoy life.

http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/ww2/section2.rhtml

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I think that Marcel's parents were very clever about making Marcel think that he was just delivering bread because you could tell that a secret was much harder to keep when you actually knew the secret.
One Idea I have about Marcel's social life is that he is very strong and competitive but he is still picked on just because of his physical appearance
Another Idea I have about Marcel's social life is that he has a crush on Delphine but he wants to play it cool. When he hears Delphine's story about what happened to her favorite place in the world I think it motivated Marcel to stop the Germans Occupation.

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Adom has been living a good life in honolulu, and with his dad in the navy. One day Adom sees explodeshions coming from pearl harbor them he shortly finds out that japan is attacking pearl harbor. Adom is scared and he wonders if his dad is still alive. In the story Atoms dad showed braver because he fought for the country. Adom was scared because he did not know if his dad still alive.

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Kiley Blackmar II Ranger In Time- Long Road To Freedom

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Kiley Blackmar II Ranger In Time- Long Road To Freedom

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One struggle that Sarah faces is that her and her brother are slaves. Another struggle for Sarah is that her brother Jesse might get sold to another slave owner so they are trying to run away. Without Jesse, Sarah would be all alone because they don´t have their parents anymore to look after them so it would be really mean to sell Jesse because that's all Sarah had.

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Boy at war is about a kid named Adam. His dad is in the army. Adam lives in Honolulu. He is living a good life. Later out of nowhere he see's bomb's exploding. He worries about his dad. He is wondering if he is alive. Having a dd in the army in Pearl Harbor while it's happening is very scary. Adam has many struggles because his dad could die or get really injured. The time period adds to the struggles because, In Pearl Harbor many people died and you could or your family members could. Also having bombs dropped is scary and you don't have much protection.

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One struggle for Y'tin is that the elephant (Lady is her name) won't listen to him. For example, Y'tin kept yelling "Muk!" but Lady wouldn't listen to him. Then when Tomas yells "Muk!" Lady listens. I think this is impacted by the time period because they didn't have as modern of training that we have in the zoos we visit. I know this was only 1973 and some of our parents might've been alive but everything was not too modern, especially in a place like South Vietnam.
Another struggle Y'tin's dad is facing is the fact it takes him awhile to make decisions. For example, it took him two years to decide to let Y'tin be with the elephants. I think this was impacted by the time period because back then especially in a war, your decisions could lead onto further decisions, and really impact something or someone else's life. It may not seem like such a big decision to let your son be with elephants but back then it was probably huge. I agree a bit with Y'tin's dad and how he was indecisive because elephants can get a bit viscous and dangerous. For instance, when we take a family visit to the zoo their is a special spot for the elephants with gates around it. But now they do not have fences or a certain spot for Lady to live.

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The following was written in 2004 when, yet again, the author was reliving a profound personal experience that shaded his life ever since and re-erupts at the same time every year. Don Ecker now hosts a podcast called Dark Matters Radio-not about war and other daily dark matters that have engulfed humankind, but about the paranormal. To those who have never experienced war first-hand, though, this is about as paranormal as it gets.
Tomorrow, April 02, it will be my anniversary of my wounding in Viet Nam in 1972. 11 years ago, when I was doing DMR with Dwight Schultz he suggested I talk about my experience with our audience because of the war then raging in Iraq. Instead I did a "blog" and made it available to the audience. Here it is ... the day is important to me and you might find it interesting. It is somewhat long ... so hang on.

Tuesday, March 30, 2004

Remembering the Elephant
Today I'm going to blog again and call it "Remembering the Elephant." For whatever reason, this is not something I can do daily. First, I don't even know if anyone cares what I think so why subject them to daily ramblings?

As I write this, it is March 30, 2004. Exactly 32 years ago today, I saw the "elephant." Now, I don't know if you will understand that, so allow me to explain. Back during the Civil War, or as our southern friends call it, the "War of Southern Secession," young troops, their heads filled with mush, proudly marched off to battle. Most of them believed that glory awaited them. They thought that war was marching bands, fluttering banners, colorful uniforms, and gleaming bayonets. Men proudly marched to their doom thinking only of how proud they were to die for their cause. This was all before the first battle. After the shot and shell started flying and men started dying and men were maimed, the horror of war was driven home. They said they "saw the elephant" and the meaning was clear: They witnessed what a horror story war truly was.

32 years ago I was part of a nine man American team stationed at a base on the DMZ called Alpha 4. We were attached to a South Vietnamese unit, which belonged to the ARVN 3rd Division. Our mission was running intelligence operations against the North Vietnamese Army. We were as far north in South Vietnam as you could legally be; I could actually climb up on our bunker and look north and see a NVA camp across the Cau Viet river. The Cau Viet marked the DMZ, and to say we were in the middle of nowhere would be an understatement.

All our electronic equipment was classified top secret. Our mission was gathering electronic intelligence from the North Vietnamese using different types of methods. Our unit was a part of the super-secret Army Security Agency, which, by the way, the government denied was even in Viet Nam. If any of our team were to be captured by the NVA, we could look forward to torture, brutal interrogations and possibly even being shipped to the Soviet Union for further interrogations. Even though we were Army, and a part of special operations, we were NOT U.S. Army, we were the military arm of the National Security Agency, or as we joked "No Such Agency." And ASA had been in Viet Nam since 1961.

Now, if you were not around then or if you were but not paying attention, this was the situation. By 1972 the U.S. was pulling combat troops out of Viet Nam and turning over to the South Vietnamese combat missions that the U.S. had been previously doing. We were in the middle of what was called "Vietnamization" of the war. The story that was floated around was that no Americans were even above the city of Da Nang. Horse pucky. Be that as it may, the real story was if the "stuff" hit the fan, we lonely troopers were waving in the breeze. And of course something did happen.

On March 30th, 1972 the might of the North Vietnamese Army was unleashed all over South Viet Nam. Early that morning we were suddenly hit with a massive artillery barrage. Hundreds and hundreds of shells began impacting all over the area. We went to "red alert" and contacted our site in Quang Tri, advising them what was going on. I was providing security for our bunker; our stuff was so secret that even the ARVNs (or South Vietnamese troops) were not allowed near our bunker. I was tasked with manning the M-60 machine gun, and I grabbed several hundred rounds of belted ammo and set up in the bunker doorway. That is when I looked north and saw what looked like a "million NVA" heading right for me! As I later found out, elements of two NVA divisions were assaulting us. And I do mean assaulting ... parts of the NVA 304th and 308th Divisions were heading right for our wire. I yelled to the guys getting our top-secret equipment ready for destruction, that we had "gooks in the wire!" This was very bad news for us. We all knew that whatever else the NVA were planning to do, we HAD to be at the top of their list. Somebody started a frantic radio call back to Quang Tri for an EVAC. "Send the choppers to get us the hell out of here!" We knew that there were no American troops available to help us, and quite frankly the South Viet 3rd Division guys were not worth a shit. Well, I digress.

My guys inside were popping incendiary grenades on our electronic equipment to destroy it before the NVA could get to it. My job was to make sure no one got in the bunker before they could finish the job. That meant that anyone, even ARVNs ( who could have been NVA infiltrators ) could look forward to being shot if they tried. I opened fire on the onrushing NVA hitting our wire. Looking back now, after 32 years, it is as if I were looking at someone else's life. Three times I was blown out of the doorway by impacting explosions close to the bunker. Other than being shaken up, I was not wounded ... then. Someone brought me more ammunition for my machine gun and quickly told me we DID HAVE AN EVAC chopper on the way. We had to break out the rear of the camp. We already had an escape and evasion route planned ahead of time-that was only prudent. Now that I had someone to feed ammunition to the gun, I got back to work.

I do not remember how long we fought before the chopper was in our area. Someone once asked me what the experience of combat was really like. How can you explain something that is unexplainable? I thought for a second and then told them "imagine you are going to a biker bar and you drop a tab of acid before you get there. Then once inside a HUGE fight breaks out with clubs, knives and guns. And suddenly EVERYONE is clubbing, stabbing or shooting everyone else! And you are standing there with your mind filling up with a million colors and everything including your hearing is enhanced. And it hits you, you are in another dimension." That is combat.

Suddenly someone kicked me and told me it was time to book out of there. I dropped the machine gun, grabbed my rifle and we headed to the wire where we had to blow holes in it to get to the chopper. I do remember it was like charging into a madhouse where all the inmates had suddenly escaped. We blew a hole in the razor wire, and made our way out of the camp. Suddenly, Thank God! the Huey chopper showed up. We sprinted to the chopper and began to jump on. There were nine of us, several were wounded, and that meant a tight fit inside. But the problems were not over yet. A dozen or more South Vietnamese soldiers were suddenly there and they all tried to jump onboard, too. We couldn't have taken even one, much less a dozen. We butt-stroked them off the chopper skids, and had to threaten to shoot them to get them to back off. The pilot hit the gas.

That was March 30th, 1972, the beginning of the spring NVA EASTER OFFENSIVE. They flew us all the way to Phu Bai, where we were met by the Army brass who wanted to know what the hell happened. South Vietnam was suddenly engulfed in flames and blood. I got very drunk that night, I and several other survivors stole a jeep, then got caught by the Major who was assigned the jeep. Luckily for us, he took pity on us because he was a Korean War survivor. He led us to bed to sleep it off. A new day was arriving, March 31st, where I made a fateful decision that morning. Maybe I will try to relate that tomorrow, but I got to tell you this is painful, this remembering. Tomorrow, I'll see if I want to continue with this. But one thing I will never forget, I will never forget the day I saw the Elephant.

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Remembering The Elephant - The Vietnam War

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The following was written in 2004 when, yet again, the author was reliving a profound personal experience that shaded his life ever since and re-erupts at the same time every year. Don Ecker now hosts a podcast called Dark Matters Radio-not about war and other daily dark matters that have engulfed humankind, but about the ...

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I think that Y'Tin is very brave and, confident and motivated. You see this in the story when it is okay for Y'Tin to go with his father as a tracker on a secret mission. Before he is allowed, he kept asking his father if he could go, and was not scared to do it. And when it was okay, he didn't chicken and was actually pretty helpful on the mission. This will take him far in life and it also teaches him a valuable lesson. A struggle that Y'Tin, his father, and the rest of the group have is that one of their fellow soldiers and villagers died in a shootout, and Y'Tin feels responsible for it because if they hadn't stayed behind so he could count out the soldiers himself, then they wouldn't of had the shootout and he wouldn't have died.
Another idea I had is that since they live in the time period that they do, they have villages, elephants and farms, while we have, towns/cities, dogs and cats, and back and front yards. One of his problems relate to the time period. His problem is that Lady, the elephant that he will train someday, will not listen to him.

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The Vietnam War was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States.

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I think that the time period adds to the struggles Marcel has.  One idea I have about this is that Marcel wants to participate and win the Tour De France, that is his struggle.  The time period adds to this because of the Nazi invasion of France, the Tour De France has been canceled.  So he can't race.  Also the time period adds to this because the Nazi and French authorities make it harder to cycle freely in town. Also there are many soldiers in Marcel's town, both Nazi and French, that make the village more intense on a daily day bases. Also, the time period adds to his problem in another way, because the Tour De France is canceled, many people don't talk about it. And because the Tour De France is so popular, it's cancellation hurts people psychologically. Also the time period are affecting Marcell's parents struggles, his mom has changed because she used to be nice, and now she was stern. And her dad changed because of the soldiers occupying the town. So in this book, Marcell's parents and him are affected by the time period.

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Race to the coast

A potentially decisive counterattack by two high quality French armoured and motorised divisions fizzled out into some fierce, but ultimately inconclusive fighting. Under the dynamic command of General Heinz Guderian, a pioneer of armoured warfare known euphemistically as 'Hurry-up Heinz', the German Panzers broke out of their bridgehead. They began to race towards the Channel coast, aided by the German aircraft that ruled the skies.

With the bulk of the Allied forces fighting in Belgium, there was little to stop the German forces as they sliced across the Allied supply-lines. The German spearheads reached the English Channel on 20 May.

Lacking a centrally placed strategic reserve, the Allies tried to pull their armies out of Belgium to respond to the new threat emerging in their rear. And the Germans did not have it all their own way, as French forces under Charles de Gaulle showed how vulnerable the flanks of the German forces were to bold counterattacks.

Then at Arras on 21 May, a scratch force of British tanks and infantry gave a rough reception to Erwin Rommel's 7th Panzer Division. Yet this was all too little, too late. With German forces pushing through Belgium and the Panzers looping up from the south and west, the Allies were encircled. The Belgian army surrendered on 28 May, leaving a gaping hole on the British flank of the Allied forces.

Allied high command seemed paralysed. General Weygand replaced General Gamelin as French commander-in-chief, but it made no difference. Then General Lord Gort, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), on 23/4 May took the morally courageous decision to abandon his role in a projected Anglo-French counterattack, and fell back on the Channel ports.

The French, not surprisingly, regarded this as a betrayal, but Gort's decision saved the BEF. Between 26 May and 4 June, a hastily organised evacuation by sea, code-named Operation Dynamo, lifted 338,000 Allied troops from Dunkirk.

That the German forces failed to press their attack on Dunkirk was largely thanks to grim defence of the Dunkirk perimeter by British and French troops, and the efforts of the much-depleted RAF.

Although as Churchill, who had become Prime Minster on 10 May rightly commented, 'wars are not won by evacuation', Dynamo was a victory of incalculable importance for the BEF. The return of the troops, even without much of their equipment, gave Britain a basis on which to rebuild the Army, sheltering behind the Navy and the RAF. It also strengthened the credibility of Churchill's insistence that Britain would fight on, thus influencing the neutral USA at a time when American aid was vital.

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A potentially decisive counterattack by two high quality French armoured and motorised divisions fizzled out into some fierce, but ultimately inconclusive fighting. Under the dynamic command of General Heinz Guderian, a pioneer of armoured warfare known euphemistically as 'Hurry-up Heinz', the German Panzers broke out of their bridgehead.

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Kiley Blackmar II Ranger In Time- Long Road To Freedom

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Kiley Blackmar II Ranger In Time- Long Road To Freedom

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One of the main characters named Sarah, struggle is slavery. Another one is that a character named Jesse is about to be sold to another slave owner. Sarah and Jesse are brother and sister and Jesse being taken away would be so sad for Sarah because Sarah loves her brother so much so it would be so hard to not have anyone left because her parents are gone and all she has left is her brother.

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Ariana Chace-Ranger in Time- A long Road to Freedom

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Ariana Chace-Ranger in Time- A long Road to Freedom

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In the story Sarah is facing conflict that blends into historic facts about the time period. For example Sarah got blisters and arm aches from rowing the boat for so long, this problem was cause by the fact that she was trying to run off with Jesse to be free. Which is a historic event, along the time of slavery many slaves would do whatever it took to gain their freedom. Another struggle that Jesse is facing is that he ran away from Sarah and now he is near a pack of wolves and he is hungry and Sarah has the food with her, so Jesse regrets running away from Sarah.
https://www.monticello.org/site/plantation-and-slavery/slaves-who-
gained-freedom

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a long road to freedom ranger in time boat - Bing images

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Road to Freedom Sarah Long Ranger in Time Main Idea in Time Long Road to Freedom Ranger Ranger in Time Sarah Long Walk to Freedom

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Marcel Is a Boy that loves biking and he is very passionate and hard working when it comes to biking even though he doesn't get to race in Tour De France he is very hard working and he keeps trying to. He can't Race because the war is making it much harder for him
The makes it much harder for mainly because the French are in the town which is hard but it makes it even harder because the Nazi are in the town also it makes him struggle much more with his cycling. But he is persistent and hard working.

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Adam is a little boy who lives near honolulu he lives a pretty normal life his dad is in the navy. One day he sees and hears bombs exploding and he realizes Japan is attacking Pearl Harbor Hawaii Adam doesn't know what to think but the first thing that comes to his head is WAS HIS DAD STILL ALIVE? He couldn't bare the pressure and sadness he was so scared for his dad.

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Ruby Smalheiser-A Ranger In Time- A Long Road to Freedom

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Ruby Smalheiser-A Ranger In Time- A Long Road to Freedom

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Jesse is having a hard time, a little bit more than a hard time because he's a slave in the time period of the book. If he were in current times he would be living his normal life. Ranger has time traveled into a past time where slavery is the acceptable. Medicine is better in the time period that Ranger is from so he brings that to help. The themes I see are about love and sadness and family. Jesse and Sarah try to hide so Jesse doesn't get sold.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War

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I agree with Lila about how motivated Y´Tin is because he was really motivated to go on the special mission. I also thought that him being motivated was very important. I really thought that it was great that Lila really gave a nice amount of evidence to support her ideas, which is very important to have because, then, your ideas really make a lot of sense.

I disagree with Jacobs response because, it didnt show anything.

I agree with myself.... because why wouldnt I agree with myself?

I thought it was interesting that Eliza did ideas that I didnt think of. But, I still agreed with her, because those struggles/ideas really made sense and fit in with the story. I really thought that its interesting that Eliza incorporated her real life experience at a zoo, and really made it fit into her response, so it made a lot of sense.

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Ruby-
I thought you didn't really describe the main problem that is happening in the book. I know this because you mostly just explained what the book was about and also how it's hard for Jesse to live as a slave when there was many other problem in the story.

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I agree with Ben because when he said that his father wants Y'Tin to go far and have a big adventure.  This makes me think that Y´Tinś father really makes Y´Tinś life more ease and lets Y'Tin enjoy the good stuff in life.

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Ariana Chace- response to Ruby's passage

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Ariana Chace- response to Ruby's passage

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I agree with what Ruby said about the themes this is because is in the story when Jesse ran away from Sarah noticed he needed her this brings us into the theme of family which Ruby stated. It was interesting how Ruby decided to bring up how different Jesse's life would be in a time that wasn't in slavery, this gave me much to think of such as would he miss his work and would he be happy, I think he would because by him trying to escape he must really want to be free.

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I agree with Jack because Marcel really wants to bike in Tour De France but can't because the Germans have invaded France and the race has not been on lately. Everytime Marcel is biking for speed to practice for Tour De France he gets stopped by one of the French soldiers that are on Patrol. I thought it was interesting when Marcel had passed by the guard three times and the second time he gave him a treat. So on the third time the Guard was very nice that he just allowed Marcel o go by without stopping.
I agree with everyone in my group because everyone stated that Tour De France was cancelled and how that put many struggles on Marcel and on everyone in his town.

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I agree with the whole group because we all wrote the same general idea but I think everyone's was different in a unique way. I wonder what will happen next in the book and will it be such a general idea like the past 30 pages were everyone writes the same idea because its so clear in the book. I thought Jon's picture was so interesting and detailed because it was a closeup photo of what really happened and ow devastating it really was when this happened. I think the boys dad might get hurt at war and he's going to realize in such a hard way.

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I agree with Ben's post about how Y'Tin is very brave and motivated because in the story, there is a lot of evidence that supports it like how Y'Tin didn't wimp out on the mission or that he was determined to train Lady and get her to listen to him. This gave me an idea about how the children from our time period are different than the children and earlier time periods. Since they didn't have technology or anything, they often had to work harder like on farms or in the army when the was a war. Wit h all of these things to do, it was obvious that the children needed to help out, so they were tougher. but in our time period, there is technology and things that help us thrive and we don't need as much physical work than we did back then. Don't get me wrong, we do need a lot of physical work, but they needed more.
I also agree with Eliza about Y'Tin's problems with Lady. I wrote something similar and I also showed how it related to the time period. I thought it was interesting how she related all of the actions, decisions, and time periods to the war.
I don't really understand Jacob's because it was mainly just a summary.

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I agree that Y'tin is very brave and motivated. I also agree that his father believes in adventure. I agree with this because Y'tin wants to go on the special mission but doesn't know what's yet to come. I also think Y'tin is being brave by being an elephant keeper. The reason I think he is brave by doing this is because, elephants can be dangerous.
I thought it was interesting when Y'tin asked his father if he could go on the special mission and he answered "yes" immediately. The reason I thought it was interesting is because earlier in the story it said it took his father a long time to make decisions, and he was indecisive. So this makes it seem like his father is definite about his decision.

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I agree with Jack's Idea about the cancelation of the tour de france affecting peoples psychology because fun races like that give people happy times even in times of sorrow.
I also strongly agree with Connors themes to the story because he found themes that fit into the story like the last piece of a puzzle
The one thing that I think the group could have included more of is how his social life with his friends and delphine effects his emotions and feelings toward the current situation.

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I agree and disagree with the group. I agree with the fact that Adam is wondering if his dad is still alive. I disagree with the fact that he didn't know for a while what was happening. I disagree because obviously he knew right away, it was a big thing at the time and he lives nearby so he could see the explosion, he could also see the planes and know it is Japan that is attacking one of the U.S Naval Bases. I think Adam's reaction to the explosion was surprised because he did not expect bombs to be dropped on Pearl Harbor on a Calm and Peaceful day.

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I agree with everyone because we all had the same Idea about the book. I agree because we all had the same idea about how Adam is wondering if his dad is still alive from the bombings.Also about the trouble he was having in school.

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I agree with what Kiley said about Sarah being very sad if her brother was sold because her mom passed from a very bad fever and she only has Jesse as real family. I thought it was interesting that Jesse would run away from his sister, then later be seconds away from being eaten from wolves. I agree with what Ruby said because its a good idea that they hid because he also could have been whipped but he listened to Sarah and got to these houses that were towards the north star so they started walking to Pennsylvania

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I agree with my group that the Nazi invasion of France did hurt Marcells dreams to win the Tour De France since the Tour De France was canceled.  I do agree with Adin in particular because the Tour De France does motivate him to try to bike harder and build up stamina because the war is silence him. I also agree with John's and Theos because they both say that he is passionate about his cycling and works very hard to keep it that way. I also agree with Connors because he is struggling because the Tour De France isn't on and he wants to bike in it. I wonder why Marcell isn't as aware about the war as he should be, because if he isn't as aware about the war, the horrors war would come as a huge surprise to him, and he wouldn't be prepared to face them.

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I agree with everyone in my group because we all had the same general idea that he is wondering if his dad is dead when he heard the bombs.

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I agree with Rachel because She is very sad when the doctor told her that she will never have a normal foot. And I also think that she would not be as upset if her  mom was nicer to her. If her mom was nicer, she would' ve accepted this. And, she would have just thought that she will have a club foot forever. Not be Different forever.

I also agree with Lizzie, because it is true that she keeps on comparing her mom to people, when someone is nice to her. I think, when she does this, she is thinking about how people who are not even related to her are being nicer, than her own mom is to her.

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I liked how Rachel and Nikolet both talked about how Ada is grateful, but also sad that the doctor said she will never have a normal foot and to her that means she will always be a cripple, and rubbish and no one would ever love her. But something that I found was repeating was that Rachel always talked about how Ada will never have a normal foot, but she also talks about something that has recently happened in the book. To add on to that it was helpful to readers when Nikolet said what page number she read a quote one and that she talks about how people should trust Ada.

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I agree with Jack that the cancellation of the Tour de France has a big effect on the town because it is the main thing to talk about and without it the town is not excited and they are emotionally drained without it.
I also agree with theo's idea that Marcel is a very strong character for with standing bulling and acts like he is not fazed at all by it. I think this is because he already tries to show the nazis they cant control him by riding his bike so he does the same thing with the bulling.

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Ruby Smalheiser- Response to Ariana's passage

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Ruby Smalheiser- Response to Ariana's passage

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I agree with Ariana because not only did she write important parts of the book but she also wrote with amazing detail and proved every single thing she wrote with evidence.

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I liked how lizzie made a connection with how Ada felt about her mother and what happened when someone complemented her. I like Nikolet's picture because it has to do with what is happening in the book. I also liked Lizzie's video.

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I liked how Rachel was descriptive when she was writing. I also liked what Lizzie,Rachel and Nikolet talked about. One thing that I really liked was the little story picture that Rachel put into the story. I also likes the idea of putting a video. I liked the idea of when you are writing to connect with the characters it helps the reader understand.['

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Jon: I think you should talk more about the Pearl Harbor attack. Otherwise it was good.
Lucas: Your's  was very good. You gave good examples. I agree with you because having a dad in the army during that is very bad and makes you scared.
Brian: You made some spelling errors but it was still good I could understand it. I agree with you because being in the army is a big risk and that takes courage and bravery to fight for your country.
Austin: Yours was very good. I like the text. I agree with you because having a dad in pearl harbor is very pressuring.

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marco i wrote about the trouble he was having in school

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I agree with Lila that Y'Tin is very determined, brave, motivated and mature. When he is put on a "special mission" he probably gets a little less determined and confident.

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Ariana Chace's  Response to Arianna Garcia's Passage

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Ariana Chace's  Response to Arianna Garcia's Passage

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I thought it was interesting that in the end of Ari's passage she included something she learned that blended into the characters journey. This happened in her passage when she talked about the North Star staying on your left this blended into historical facts because this meant they were on a journey, to run away from slavery.

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Marco: you should have wrote about how he is new in school or at least mention it

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I agree with my whole group because Marcel is a very hardworking kid and he was very angry because he couldn't race in Tour de France.

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I agree with Eliza because when Eliza write's about Lady not listening to Y'Tin I feel Y'Tin feels different and not as special as Tomas.

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Ariana Chace's Response to Kiley's Passage

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Ariana Chace's Response to Kiley's Passage

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In Kiley's passage I agree with her in her thought about how Sarah feels about Jesse being sold, For example it would deffinetly hurt her if she had no brother and no family to work with.

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Marco: you should right more about other things than pearl harbor, like something about his new school