OHquestions

= = Topic: Vietnam on the Home Front. Subject: John Harvey (Father)

Question 1: What was your life like in the duration of the War? I was a kid when it was going on, and I remember it being in my living-room. It was very frightening to turn the TV on, and see the images of the War. During that time, I was about your age, and I grew up with the War at my home. I was living at my parents house in Delevan, Wisconsin.

Question 2: What was the reaction to the War like in the area you lived in? It was certainly divided along generational lines. The older people felt the necessity of the War, and keeping the democracy, and the younger people didn't see, or understand why the War had to happen. They thought why should we fight a War that isn't on our shores, and wasn't politically necessary.

Question 3: What was you reaction to the War? At first, I didn't understand it. as i got older, i joined the side of the younger people. i didn't see the point of view of people older than me. The loss of lives also affected what I thought of the War. I didn't see, or think the spread of communism was a bad thing. also, if the spread of communism was going to happen, what could we do to stop it? I thought the loss of lives was to big a problem to be fighting a war like this.

Question 4: Do you remember the impact the media had on the Home Front during the War? I remember seeing the images of war in TV, magazines, just everywhere. The media was going crazy, and it was frightening, because no one had ever seen the War like that before. Turning on the TV would always bring images that no one really wanted to see.

Question 5: Do you remember the Kent State Massacre? Oh yeah. People thought it was just horrific. Even people that supported the War thought it was horrible. It made people rethink what they thought of the Government, and the War itself. It really surprised me to see that some people thought they deserved it. I mean, the poor guys didn't even have weapons! It really pulverized the country.

Question 6: Do you remember the Jackson State Massacre? Um, just vaguely. Was that in Mississippi? I don't really remember the circumstances. Could you refresh me on that one? (Then I told him about it.) Oh, I do remember that one. It just didn't have the impact of the white middle class. The media made people think that African Americans had started the violence. People didn't have any sympathy for them.

Question 7: What was the impact of the protests in your area? You know, because my community was small, I don't remember any protests in my school and town. But people did participate in political discussions/debates, but everyone was kind of on the same side. There weren't any protests where people waived banners around and yelled at passing cars. People pretty much just discussed the war in their own groups.

Question 8: Do you still see impact from the protests today? Thats an interesting question. I think what is see is maybe more of a, that was kind of the first really unified, public protest. The media blew it up, and that War really introduced protests, and opposing something like that. The Vietnam War showed that protests could be used as a method of change that everyone could participate in. = =