One aspect of this is the inadequate clothing the troops had. One fifth of them had no shoes, and going barefoot in the dead of winter would not have been any fun. (Doc. F) All their other clothes were tattered and did not compensate for the cold temperatures in any way. (Doc. C) The quality of the food and the air inside the cabins was lousy as well. The very little food that could be obtained at Valley Forge was undoubtedly contaminated from all the diseases. The sad excuse for a ventilation system inside the soldiers’ cabins was poor and insufficient, and this probably didn’t help the health issues that close to half of the men already had. (Doc. C) Walking away from the American army did mean that I would only lessen the chances that I would get what I joined the military to find. But between the frostbite-inducing lack of proper clothing, shortage of safe-to-eat food, and smoke inhalation, there would have been enough dangers to make me think twice before…
Imagine you’re freezing and starving, your friends are all sick and dying, and on top of all that, you’re in the middle of a war. In the winter of 1777 and 1778, this was how George Washington and his troops lived. They spent a long winter in blistering cold weather and lived in poorly built huts. We had no shoes, food, or supplies in general. If you were in this situation and you had served your enlistment time, would you re-enlist and go back to these conditions? I personally did not re-enlist because there were harsh conditions, people were getting sick and dying, and we had no support or supplies from congress.…
according to the chart of illnesses and deaths (Doc A), only about 50% of the group has passed away. This means that there is a chance that if I stay, I will not die. Even if I do die, I will die known as the brave Patriot who stayed at Valley Forge throughout all the ups and downs. Here at Valley Forge, we have doctors and medical attention loyal to us. An example would be from the diary of Dr. Albigence Waldo (Doc C). Dr. Waldo is one of the hard working doctors we have, even though he also is going through rough times, he is still helping keep our fellow mates alive. In this diary entry, he wrote that we were still happy. This is a true statement, we always laugh and have fun here at Valley Forge. I know that if I ever left Valley Forge I would feel bad for giving up on our freedom. The nights we were read The American Crisis by Thomas Paine (Doc D) really got me thinking about the “Sunshine soldier and the summer Patriot,” the soldiers who left Valley Forge, the soldiers who betrayed us all, the soldiers who I thought were my friends. “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly,” T-Paine wrote, in my opinion his message for this saying was to stay and fight. As a result, I will stay at Valley Forge, we have a chance of living, medical attention, and I will never feel guilty for betraying my…
Imagine if your team was struggling in a game would you quit or help fight to win. That is what happened to the soldiers at Valley Forge they were sick and dieing some chickened out and some stayed. If you were at Valley Forge would you have abandoned the others? I would stay because they need my help,help may be coming, and I would stand up for what is right.…
Imagine a harsh, snowy December and the people around you are sick, hungry and cold. Some men are also dead. All of you are fighting for the thing that's going to make America independent. Most of the soldiers her are done with their nine month enlistment and it’s my turn to decide whether to re-enlist or not. I would not abandon Valley Forge because the Committee of Congress gives me hope, the healthy men have to stay and fight and we are not a nation of summer soldiers.…
The first reason as to why i am not reenlisting is because of death and illness.So many soldiers are becoming more and more ill every day.There are about 8,000 men here at Valley Forge and about half of those men are sick (doc A). Also about 1,800 to 2,500 men are dying due to these illnesses(doc A). I know that there is a very high chance for me to get incredibly ill from my fellow soldiers. Furthermore, if i do end up getting ill i could potentially die. Because of death and illness i am not going to be reenlisting because i know that i could possibly get sick and pass away.…
The conditions in Valley Forge was bad because there are a lot of sick people, but not a lot of them were dying. Throughout December 23, 1777 only 2,898 soldiers were ill and in February 1, 1778 there was 3,989 soldiers were ill. (Doc A) Which is about 50% considering the fact that 4,000 soldiers died by the beginning of February and it would leave them 8,000 soldiers left. Now, the sickness only killed 1,800 out of 12,000 soldiers (bottom and top of Doc. A) and it can mean that only 15% of the soldiers were dying and 85% were alive, so I would stay because I have a larger chance of living than dying.…
It’s like Thomas Paine said, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” (Paine 153) This is Valley Forge. It’s the middle of the Revolutionary War. Me, along with 12,000 other soldiers are at Valley Forge. So far, there are a lot of bad of living conditions. The weather is too cold to bare and most of us don’t have shoes and are lacking in clothing. Twelve men share a room in a hut and there is bad ventilation. I don’t know if I should re-enlist or quit. For me I’ve decided to re-enlist for three reasons which are to help the sick at Valley Forge, to fight for my country and freedom, and because they needed more men.…
In Philadelphia, the winter of 1777, the situation was harsh and rough. General George Washington wanted a place where he could keep an eye on the British, and he decided to go with Valley Forge. Valley Forge was the turning point for the Revolutionary War. It was a place that men were starving to death, dying from sickness and diseases, and dying from being shot. George Washington decided to make a camp at Valley Forge with his troops and soldiers. He had a lot of dying, but kept going on to fight for our country, but the question is, would I have quit? I would re-enlist, but I don’t want to risk my life fighting for my country. I have decided to not re-enlist for three reasons which are death, diseases and sickness, and because George Washington has better stuff.…
I looked back on my time in Fort Benning, Georgia after attending basic training. I realized I felt as though I hadn’t worked one day while in basic training. I hunger for more knowledge and getting a taste of the active duty lifestyle. I have grown accustom to the life style the Active Army has to offer. I feel the pressure of this crumbling economy have taken a toll on my family and me after being back in the civilian world.…
I am a “boot” adjusting to my new life in kilo company, and corporal has recently returned from a nasty deployment in iraq. He says that he is my father and that he knows what’s best. he kicks sand at me while i am timed to see how fast i can pick up all the yellow cigarette butts he dumped on the floor to “fix” my attention to detail and remind me of my ignorance, as he yells, “you are going to war soon, and I won’t be there to babysit you!” During the deployment workups in the states, we spent weeks patrolling, looking for something that we knew wasn’t real. Digging into defensive positions and waiting the night out for an enemy we knew would never come. Spending rainy nights in muddy holes, fearing what our leaders might do to us if we fell asleep. Firing machine guns, shooting rifles and launching grenades at little green targets…. All of it was just training ops.…
The decision not to reenlist weighed heavy on my mind for about a half a year. I had to determine the issues associated with the decision to leave the military life. This was the life I was custom to for the last 13 years. One issue was the financial part of leaving the military. The next issue was living conditions. One alternative of not getting out would be staying in three more years. Next I would have to evaluate the alternatives for staying in. The result of that would mean a higher possibility of getting deployed. I have two older children who were dependent on themselves and also a seven month old daughter. Even though she would have gone to my mother home, no one takes care of your baby better than you. Once I decided to leave the military, I had to implement my decision. After I left the military, I enrolled in college and volunteered at a hospital. As I was finishing my freshman year at college it came time to evaluate my decision to leave the military. Leaving the military I am a single parent, employed full time, and going to school full time. If I had to do it over again I think I would have stayed in the military and chance the possibility of getting deployed. My decision-making process goes almost hand- in-hand with the stages of the decision making process from the book. By not taking all the alternatives into consideration is the one step that did not consider. One alternative would have been to enlist in the reserves. Still possessing the military in my employment, part- time and going to school would be more effective than giving the military up altogether. I love the military life and I have been affiliated with some form of the military life from my teenage years until my late thirties. If I would have used the same steps from the book I would have stayed in the military. I would have gotten promoted at least twice, traveled to…
Many military families may have their own “deployment diary”, as some may know, this can be a bit challenging for families. This article gives many challenging situations with being a military wife and trying to raise two young children while the husband is deployed. The couple have been together for ten years. During the full ten years the husband has always been in the military. While enjoying having friends and family around, her five year old daughter ask if she could look at pictures while sitting on her lap. While doing so, she reacts and cries out loud “I miss my dad!” Her grandfather and uncle attempts to console her, but it only upsets her more of the fact that they are not her father, whom she is crying for. While the mother succeed…
Freedom, independence, security, and safety must be fought for and protected on a daily basis. Our military is made up of the valiant people who sacrifice their own health, education, and life and are devoted to something greater than themselves, the United States of America. When veteran’s talk to others about their past experiences, it helps teach us about America’s past and how we should have a hope for our future. Former and current servicemen continue to live by “sacrifice over self,” which is a strong message that has bound our veterans together for years. Because of our military’s sacrifices to the United States of America, we have freedom and liberation today and a greater faith for the future.…
The feeling that was going through me was that of anticipation. The call from the Red Cross telling me that my beautiful, pregnant wife wants me to come home to see our baby be born. At this moment I was in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama still in my training for the army. At first Red Cross would not send the message to me because, my wife had to be either “dying or having complications with the birth,” as the Red Cross told me. When I had finally gotten the message my heart starting pounding as like the beat of an African Tribe’s drum, with the highs and lows and the fast thudding of my heart banging the walls of my chest. I waited outside the Sergeant on duty to pick me up and take me to the airport. He arrived in what used to be a snow white van but because of the dust and dirt it looked more like a leopard’s print. Inside the van reeked of sweaty soldiers, rotten food and gasoline. It was cramped and my knees were tightly pressed against the back of the driver’s seat.…