Vietnam Interview With Linda Rasmussen by Randy Cooper 1. How old were you and where were you in the early 70;s during the Vietnam war? In 1970 I was 16 years old living in Berlin NH.
2. What was your opinion of the war during this time? I thought it was terribly wrong of this country to enter into a war that did not concern us. I did not believe in the "communist threat", which is what seemed to validate for the politicians at the time to enter into this civil war.
3. Did you decide to protest the war in any way? I went to student led rallies that were held in the town I lived in. I did not go to any organized events outside of New Hampshire.
4. How did the people in your community feel about the war? I lived in a very conservative town, where the majority of the adults believed in fighting the war.
English: From George L. MacGarrigle, The United St...
A U.S. riverboat (Zippo monitor) deploying napalm ...
World War II nursesMany of the fathers of my peers served in World War II and many grandfathers served during World War I. They felt it was one's patriotic duty to go to Vietnam. The adults believed that the communists were a real threat to our democracy.
5. Did you know any one who got drafted into the war? Yes, but not anyone I really knew well. Most of my friends were too young.
6. Did your opinions of the war differ from your parents? Yes, My grandparents stood by the decisions made by the political leaders of that time. We had many arguments about the war. We eventually decided not to talk about it, because it became too uncomfortable for everyone in the family. My grandparents also didn't believe that children had a right to their opinions. My father, their...