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The Vietnam War

Below is a list of Writing Ideas to help you with your biography. See our instructions if you need help printing these Writing Ideas or finding Writing Ideas related to other Topics.

  1. Which branch did he serve in? What was his rank? Did he enlist or was he drafted? How did he feel about the draft? Was he philosophically or politically opposed to serving in the military or was he proud to serve his country?

  2. Describe basic training. Who was his commanding officer? Who were his peers? Where and for how long was he trained? What did he learn?

  3. Did he have trouble getting along with anyone in his unit? Why? What became of it? How did he deal with it?

  4. Did he have a nickname? What were the memorable nicknames of others?

  5. How did he feel about sharing his space with others? Did it feel cramped at first? Was it easy to get used to?

  6. What was his most vivid memory of this time? Specific people or places? A certain event?

  7. Which weapons was he trained to use? How did he feel about using weapons? Was he comfortable with one in particular?

  8. Was he especially skilled at one particular task? Did it become his "specialty"?

  9. Did basic training build up or cut down his self-confidence? Why or why not? Did he feel as if he was well-prepared for his duties? Did it turn out that he was prepared?

  10. Where was he stationed after basic training? What were the people and the surrounding area like?

  11. How did he keep in touch with his friends and family back home during this time? Did he save any letters from this time?

  12. Which battles did he fight in? Describe the time, place, number of participants, and what happened. How did these battles affect the war as a whole? What role did his unit play in these battles?

  13. Did he become close friends with any of those he fought with? Did they keep in touch in later years? Did he save any of their lives? Did they save his?

  14. Was he injured in any way? Describe what happened. What went through his mind when he realized he was hurt?

  15. If she was injured, did he heal quickly or not? Did he return to the fighting, or was he sent home? How did it change him in ways that he still noticed years later?

  16. Did he ever need to take someone's life? Describe the experience.

  17. Why did he leave the service? Honorable discharge? Injury? End of active duty? Describe the circumstances and how he felt about them.

  18. What did he find when he returned home? Did he receive a cool reception from those opposed to the war? Did he feel proud for having served, but at the same time avoid talking about it to others?

  19. Was he able to return to "normal functioning"? Was it easy to put it all behind him and get on with his life, or did he have to struggle? What was hardest to adjust to once he returned?

  20. Was there someone or something that was helpful in getting him through this time of adjustment? Could he suggest anything helpful to someone going through a similar situation?

  21. From his perspective, when was the war over? When the peace treaty was signed in 1973? When he came home?

  22. After all was said and done, what did he learn from his experiences in the military? Why were these lessons valuable to him? How did they change him and his ideas or values?

  23. How would he be different if he had never had these experiences?

  24. What sort of memorabilia did he save from this time? What did it symbolize to him? What memories and feelings did it bring back in later years?

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