Middle East

War in the Middle East

Iraq

This is Saddam Hussein.
He is the leader of Iraq
and was believed to have
WMD's

Causes

      There are many reasons that the United States went to war with Iraq. The most important though was that we had knowledge that they were producing Weapons of Mass Destruction or WMD’s. The Bush administration believed that the rulers of Iraq couldn’t have Weapons of Mass Destruction because they would use them carelessly. Also the United States wanted to eliminate there harsh ruler, Saddam Hussein, because he was ruthless and horrible to the people. They wanted to liberate the people of Iraq. The Bush administration also said that there was a connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda who was responsible for 9/11.

US Involvement 

          The whole reason for the war in Iraq is because of the United States. The United States claimed that they had Weapons of Mass Destruction and that Saddam Hussein was somehow linked to 9/11. Prior to the war the United Nations sent in weapons inspectors to investigate if Iraq actually had nuclear power or not. They concluded that they saw no signs of weapons of mass destruction. The US claimed, however that they had secret knowledge of WMD’s being produced by Iraq. The United Nations was completely against the United States invading Iraq along with the rest of the world. In the end, though the US invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003. 

This is the seal of the United Nations. They were completely against the United States going to war with Iraq.

 

This is the statue of Saddam
Hussein falling in Baghdad.
It signifies the end of his rule.

Setting

            The setting of the Iraq war was completely in Iraq. In the beginning when the US invaded Iraq, their main focus was to find and kill Saddam Hussein. The first major thing that they did was capture Baghdad, which was the capital of Iraq. Also before the invasion 100,000 US troops assembled in Kuwait to prepare on February 18, 2003. During the invasion the Special Forces led as assault on the Persian Gulf. They then helped the rebels and secured the Northern part of the country. Soon after this Saddam Hussein who was the Iraqi president went straight into hiding. May 1^st was officially the last day of the invasion and first day of military occupation. 



This is a chart depicting the cost of the war on terror. It just shows that no matter what happens the cost is continually going up.



US Home Front

          There were some major effects of the war in Iraq back in the United States. To date, the United States have spent over $500 billion on the war. Many people are also opposed to the war. The majority of the United States is opposed to it. No one is really sure why they are there and don’t necessarily believe the government’s reasons why we are there. Overall there is much oposition to the war in Iraq. The government has said that Saddam Hussein has had some connection to 9/11, but that is completely false. Also the United States claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction even after the UN sent in inspectors that said that they didn't. Some critics of the war believe that the United States is just over there to take all of there oil.


This is a political cartoon talking about former President George W. Bush and the war on terror. It is making fun of the fact that we are blatantly involved in the war with Iraq for there oil. 

End

         The end of the War in Iraq was officially on December 15, 2011. It all started when Barrack Obama was elected resident of the United States in 2009. He said that there would be an 18 month withdrawal period but 50,000 troops would stay behind to help advise the Iraq’s. On September 1, 2010 the name was changed from “Operation Iraqi Freedom” to “Operation New Dawn” President Obama announced on October 21, 2010 that all of the troops over in Iraq would be home by the end of the year. Obama kept his promise and the last of the United States troops left Iraq on December 18, 2010.

Afghanistan 

 

                                            Causes

This is the symbol for al-Qaeda.
They are the ones responsible
for 9/11.

         The cause of the War in Afghanistan was 9/11. On September 11,2001 a terrorist group from Afghanistan launched an attack on the United States. The terrorist organization was called al-Qaeda and the goal of the war was to dismantle al-Qaeda and end the group being in Afghanistan. Also the United States wanted to remove the Taliban from Afghanistan and help create a democracy. The United States also wanted to find Osama bin Laden, the leader of the Taliban, and put him on trial. The main cause of the War in Afghanistan was the attack on America on 9/11 by al-Qaeda. Everything that followed was a response to this. 

                        US Involvement

This is Osama Bin Laden. He
was killed on May 2, 2011
and was the leader of the
Taliban.

         The War in Afghanistan started because of what happened in the United States. Al-Qaeda attacked the World Trade Centers in New York and caused this entire war. We went to Afghanistan to get rid of al-Qaeda and kill Osama Bin Laden. We also wanted to take the Taliban out of power becuase they were controlling Afghanistan. We have been there for over 10 years and are still fighting. On May 2, 2011 a team of Navy SEALS carried out an operation called "Operation Neptune Spear." The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) led it and it was headed by President Obama. This operation was successful and the whole point was to find and Kill Osama Bin Laden.

Setting

           The war in Afghanistan is being fought primarily in the Middle East. Although they did attack us on our home turf, the war didn’t officially start until we invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001. The United States along with the United Kingdom, Australia and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom. The current conditions in Afghanistan are only getting worse. President Obama sent 30,000 extra troops over to Afghanistan and the Afghan people don’t even want the United States there anymore. Most of the people of Afghanistan have had to live with our presence for a very long time and are sick of it. Overall this war has been completely fought in Afghanistan.

This is the World Trade Center
in New York City. This picture
is from before 9/11.

US Home Front

            Most of the United States were all for the war in Afghanistan right after September 11. Everyone wanted revenge and wanted to find the people who did it. On 9/11 about 3,000 people died and most Americans wanted a retaliation. This has also been one of the most expensive wars that America has been involved in. The United States has spent over $527 billion since 2001. The cost is still growing and will be growing everyday. It actually costs about $6.5 billion per month. There were many people who signed on to go to war the day after the attacks. American support was huge at the time. Overall this war is very expensive and has been felt on the home front. 

This is ground zero. It is where the Twin Towers once stood. It is now a memorial.



This is the Twin Towers
during the attack.
Through this you can
just feel the fear & panic.



End

        The War in Afghanistan is still going on today. In 2010 there was an International Conference on Afghanistan held in London. 70 countries came together to try and initiate peace talks with the Taliban. The Taliban refused and there was lots of hostility in return. President Barrack Obama said that he hopes that the withdrawal date for the troops will be in 2014. 10,000 troops were withdrawn at the end of 2011 and hopefully by summer 2012, 23,000 more troops will leave Afghanistan. On April 18, 2010 the United States and NATO signed an agreement to lead the Afghans to combat, keep some troops in Afghanistan to help and give them billions of dollars a year to help with security after we leave.

Quotes

1. My father, Frank Bertarelli, believes that we have no place being over in Iraq. "I'm happy that the war is over but I still don't quite know why we were over there in the first place." His opinion goes right along with most Americans not even knowing why we were there.
2. Charles Brett Adams, a marine in the Iraq and Afghanistan war, shares a little bit about his time training in Kuwait. "...we started out in Kuwait, in a place called Mutalla Ranch, which was a very loose term for a ranch. It was nothing but a desert." He also said that that was his first tour and it was very interesting.
3. My mother, Julie Bertarelli, thinks that we had all the right to go to war in Afghanistan. "They hurt us so we had all the right to go over there and find who did it." She is obviously very passionate about this.
4. My uncle, Jacl Croghan, said that he doesn't believe the governments reasons for War in Iraq. "We're clearly over there for oil. I think that everyone can see that." He thinks the government should just come out and admit their fault.

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War


Causes

                The Vietnam War has a variety of different causes. The main cause of the Vietnam War was to stop the spread of communism. The Vietnam War was going on way before the United States ever got involved and was fought just between the North and the South. This started after World War II when France withdrew from Vietnam and divided the country into the communist North and the non communist South. There was supposed to be an election in 1959 to unite the country but this ultimately failed to happen. After this the United States started giving money and sending over “military advisors” to help South Vietnam protect them against the North.

This is a picture of the old South Vietnamese flag. At the end of the war it was changed.

This is a picture of Nixon telling his aides about his plans in Cambodia.
We now know that he was secretly bombing them the entire time.

Setting

                The Vietnam War was fought over in North and South Vietnam. The dividing line between the two was at the 17^th parallel and around it is a demilitarized zone called the DMZ. This is where military leaders between the North and the South can go and communicate peacefully. Also during the Vietnam War, President Richard Nixon started secretly bombing Cambodia and Laos. He did this because he believed that the communists in Northern Vietnam were using the countries to spy on the South Vietnamese’s. Nixon kept this a secret from the American public for a long time. Overall most of the fighting was just done in Vietnam but because of the secret bombings in Cambodia and Laos, some was there as well.

This is map of Vietnam during the
Vietnam War. You can see where
certain fights happened and also
the 17th parallel

Here is another map of Vietnam.
You can see where the 17th parallel
or demilitarized zone is.

US Involvement

                The United States got involved in the Vietnam War soon after World War II. It started in 1950 when President Truman decided to send $10 million in military assistance to South Vietnam to help with the anti-communist efforts. The official beginning of the US involvement in Vietnam was when President Eisenhower sent over an advisory group to help train the Vietnam army in 1955. On August 2, 1964 an American ship, the USS Maddox, was patrolling the Gulf of Tonkin. It is believed that the Maddox was fired at by North Vietnamese torpedoes and the Maddox fired back. This is called the Gulf of Tonkin incident. President Lyndon B. Johnson said that this was the reason to go to war in Vietnam.

This is a picture of the USS Maddox. The incident that it was involved in is called the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

Home Front

This is a picture from right after the Kent
State shooting. A student is mourning

over the loss of her friend.

                The Vietnam War was a huge debate in the United States at the time. A huge Part of this was the fact that the Vietnam War was using the draft system. Some people fled to Canada, avoided the draft all together or even burned their draft cards in protest of the war. Many people believed that this war was immoral, didn’t benefit the United States at all and felt that so many people were dying for no reason. Also people believed that this was a civil war in Vietnam and we had no place to be over there and helping to fight. There were lots of riots and demonstrations all across different college campuses. One of the most famous cases was at Kent State when the National Guard opened fire on a group of student demonstrators and wounded 11 and killed 4.

Here is a man opposed to the war who is burning his draft card.
This young man was actually the first person arrested in the anti
war movement.

  

This Uncle Sam poster was propoganda during the Vietnam War. You can see the views of the American government just telling poelpe that its their responsibility to go fight for their country.

End of the War

                A peace agreement was reached in Paris on January 27, 1973. The conditions of this agreement was that the prisoners of war were released and the withdrawal of all United States and allied troops from South Vietnam. Even though there was a peace agreement, the South Vietnamese and the communists kept fighting. South Vietnam asked the United States for more help in 1975 but the United States denied the request for help. Eventually on April 30, 1975 North Vietnamese troops took over South Vietnam. In July of 1976 Vietnam was reunited and the capital city, Saigon, was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the Northern Vietnamese ruler.

Here is a picture of Ho Chi Minh. This is the communist leader who renamed the old capital Saigon after himself.

This is the new flag for all of Vietnam. It changed at the end of the war.

Quotes

1. Doug Tate was one of the soldiers that came in to talk to us during the History Alive project. "Johnson had a lot of power and got us involved in Vietnam." He said that the reason we even went to Vietnam was because of President Johnson.

2. Doug Tate was actually fightint over in Vietnam and had alot to say about the protests that were going on back in the United States. "I was really angry, you live in the jungle for 24 hours a day and then get home and get spit on." He said that on the plane ride home he changed out of his uniform so that he wouldn't get spit on and be called a baby killer.

3. Doug Tate also gave us as students some great insight on the war in the Middle East. "I think we did the right thing by going to war." He said that we need to honor our commitment in the Middle East and couldn't get out now.

World War II

 World War II Blog

This is Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party in Germany. Hitler is the main reason that World War II started because he wanted complete power over Europe

 

Causes

World War II was caused by a variety of factors, although the ending of The Great War 20 years prior and a pretty strong influence. At the end of the Great War, Germany was in such a fragile state that they would do anything for a good leader. That is where Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came in and promised a better future. Hitler’s main plan was world domination became allies with Italy and Japan. World War II officially started in September 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland, which made Great Britian and France officially declare war on Germany, beginning the war. 

This is another World War II political cartoon. It's talking about how Hitler just wants to dominate the entire world.

This map shows all of Germany's conquests in Europe before the end of the war. It shows just how close Hitler was coming to total European domination.

The right facing swastika is the Nazi's symbol. It was commonly used on all of their uniforms and flags.

Setting

Most of the fighting in World War II was over in Europe but some was also in Japan. Towards the end of the war the Allies started bombing Germany so there was lots of fighting going on over there. Also a huge part of the setting is Normandy, France where D-Day happened. This was so significant because it was basically marking the end of the War. Also a lot of fighting happened on the islands of Japan when the US started island hopping to start closing in on Japan.

 

A map of what happened on D-Day. It shows what parts of the Allies went where on the beaches of Normandy.

 

US Involvement

The Unites States of America tried to stay out of the war for a long time. But on December 7^th, 1941 everything changed. Japan surprised the US with an attack on Pearl Harbor, a Hawaiian Naval base. The next day, on December 8^th the United States went right into World War II in both Hawaii and Europe. The US right away became Allies with Great Britain and fought to take down Germany and Japan. The United States entering the war was one of the main reasons that World War II ended the way that it did. 

View of Pearl Harbor during the bombings.This view is from 

port 1010 overlooking the harbor.

Japanese kamikaze. These kamikaze pilots were suicide pilots who risked their life for the war.

 

Home front

            After the attack on Pearl Harbor, America was officially in the war. Everything changed on the home front from there on out. Most of the young men were drafted or signed up to go and fight, leaving all of their loved ones in the United States alone. The only way for their family and friends to know about the war was through entertainment or on the radio. When the men of the household left, women stepped up and took over. Many of them even started working in jobs that their husbands left. Many basic necessities such as gas, food and even clothes were cut down. 

An American political cartoon. It's encouraging everyone to buy savings bonds to help with the war efforts while at home

The End of the War

            The start of the end of the war was on June 6^th, when the D-Day invasion happened on the shores of Normandy, France. D-Day was when 156,000 Allied soldiers landed on the beach and invaded France hoping to blockade Germany. This worked because Russia was moving in on the East and the Allies were moving in on the West. There was nowhere else for Hitler and the Nazi’s to go because they were being completely surrounded and blocked in. Also during this time World War II officially ended when Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his home on April 30^th, 1945. 

View of the D-Day invasion. This was taken just as the soldiers were unloading.

The Peal Harbor memorial still in Hawaii today. Part of is is underground while a little bit is up top.

 

Quotes

1.    President Franklin D. Roosevelt was president during the Pearl Harbor attack. He said that this is a “date that will live in infamy.” (wikipedia) He said this because there was no warning about these attacks.

2.   Adolf Hitler started prepping his soldiers for the days to come. "Soldiers of the Reich! This day you are to take part in an offensive of such importance that the whole future of the war may depend on its outcome." He says that they are the future of what will happen in the war.

3.   Hitler was still trying to get everything that he could out of the war. "Defend Paris to the last, destroy all bridges over the Seine and devastate the city." Hitler wanted to fight until the end.