A Soldier's Loss of Faith by Lobitos Creek Ranch

Scarred Lands Videos : Vietnam : A Soldier's Loss of Faith and Agent Orange

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The Scarred Lands videos portray very strongly the human cost of the Vietnam war.

Your Challenge:

Is to understand the severe impact of war on the environment, the soldiers fighting it and the civilians living there.

Follow this Process:

  1. Watch this video: A Soldier's Loss of Faith

  2. Discuss your reaction to this video in the class. Loss of Faith contains one of the most famous images of the Vietnam war (the young girl running from a napalm attack). Do you think this extensive bombing of forested areas was justified? What are the unexpected consequences of such actions (see Agent Orange )? At what stage do war actions become senseless – “is a deforested Vietnam worth fighting for”?

  3. Take it deeper New Zealand has been involved in many of the wars in the 20th century. It has also had throughout the century a very strong peace movement which has tested the reasons for New Zealand’s involvement in all these conflicts.

  4. Take action by looking through this website and see if this an organisation whose aims you share. Make contact and try one of their conflict resolution programmes for schools. Many organisations focus on war and war history. There are though some significant organisations which promote global peace and conflict resolution. One such organisation is The Peace Foundation.

  5. Capture and share your experience with the The Peace Foundation programme with other classes and schools and by commenting on your experience on this website.

    Educator Notes

    The first video is a little confronting with the image of the injured girl but this photo has been widely seen and is probably known to the children. I believe it is appropriate to the debate.

    To make this more accessible:
    I am confident the video will prompt some form of debate! What are their reactions to the soldier who is sad about his experiences in Vietnam. How do we think this will affect his life?

    To make this more challenging:
    When nations come into conflict what steps can the UN take to return them to negotiations rather than fighting? Do embargos (of oil or food supplies) on aggressor nations work? Can the Security Council force negotiations?

    Useful links