The Vietnam War: Looking Back 50 Years – – a GI’s Personal Perspective 

This colloquy will be a conversation about the Vietnam War, offering one man’s personal experience as anti-war protester, as a GI in training in the US and in combat in Vietnam, and as a veteran of the war. The facilitator, John O’Shea, offers his own story and invites others to share theirs, as they to look at the multi-faceted story of the Vietnam War era which has emerged in film, plays, music, and fiction and non-fiction works. The colloquy begins with a review of the history of Vietnam, discussing presidential decision making that drew America into the war. It will look at the draft, anti-war protests, and the media‘s reporting as the US committed its soldiers and poured resources into the war. We will end with a conversation about the aftermath and current effects of the war. 

John O’Shea received BA and MA degrees in English Literature, from New York University, a JD degree from St. John’s University School of Law, and an LLM (Master of Laws in Trade Regulation and Intellectual Property) from New York University School of Law. Retiring after 35 years of the practice of law, John and his wife, Diane, now live in Sedgwick, ME and Jupiter, FL. 

  ▼ Syllabus/Reading