In John Kerry’s testimony to the U.S. Senate, he highlights the need to speak up about what went wrong in Vietnam. The ultimate goal in this war was to improve the rights and values of the South Vietnamese people. Instead, the American soldiers are doing the opposite, they are murdering innocent people. Kerry feels that Americans should use their right to freedom of speech to stand up, speak of the crimes being committed and end this unnecessary war. In Martin Luther’s speech “Beyond Vietnam” at a meeting in New York,  he points out that the horrendous things we are doing to Vietnam directly contradicts our rights as Americans. The phrase: actions speak more than words is the goal that Martin Luther King is trying to spread. We say that we want to help the poor but we chose to spend it on our military like there is no tomorrow. He feels aiding the poor and spending the money on improving their lives should be valued more than improving the military.

Not only did the Vietnam War affect the soldiers but it indirectly affected the communities in America and Vietnam. As shows in the photo taken by John P. Filo, a classmate at KSU lies dead on the ground after National Guardsmen opened fire on student demonstrators  protesting because they opposed the war. This event killed 4 and wounded at least 10. Two of the students who were killed were innocently walking to their next class. In parallel, the photo taken by Nick Ut, titled “Harmless Children Terrified”, captures an innocent 9 year old girl running for her life after her life was turned upside down. It captured her frozen face of heartbreak. Another photo that shows the innocence of families in Vietnam during the war is the photo taken by Horst Faes. It captured how terrified they are. They are holding on to one another, afraid to lose their loved ones. In the song “War”, Edwin Starr sings about the effect war has on the families that have to send their children away. It is devastating to watch their sons be a part of this horrific experience knowing that they could die or come back torn apart. Parents are overcome with worry about whether their children are alive and well. Americans are all in this experience together.  All of these images, quotes and song lyrics illustrate the truth about war. Soldiers lose their innocence at war never coming home the same person they were when they left. War also rips families apart both at home and away. You never know what’s on the other side of the war until you are there yourself.