In 1969 The Plane Came Back Essay

, Research Paper

In Kathryn L. Scott?s paper ?In 1969 The Plane Came Back? she addresses

the issue of the affect of the Vietnam war on those who served in it.

Specifically, Kathryn?s paper deals with the experiences of her father

Lawrence (Larry) Richard Scott, and his service in the Vietnam war. The

thesis of the paper is that the experiences that men faced in Vietnam changed

their outlook on life, and that veterans left the war with the realization that

life was a gift that should not be taken for granted. To successfully convey

this thesis Kathyrn uses the service and experiences of her father, to serve as

an example of the American experience in Vietnam.

Throughout the paper Kathryn uses several direct quotes from her

father describing the war which add to the strength of her paper. By basing

much of her paper on her interview, a primary source, Kathryn is able to

effectively support her thesis. In describing her fathers relationship with his

sergeant, for example, Kathryn quotes her father directly, ?He didn?t treat

me well because I was on assigned guard duty, but someone found out I

could type so I wound up in the captain?s office as secretary/clerk at the

team headquarters.? Also, to further back her fathers statements and ensure

their accuracy, Kathryn uses several other research sources, such as

government records from the war, statistical papers, and military enlistment

documents. Through the use of these primary sources, in addition to

information and quotes from her interview, Kathryn is able to successfully

support her thesis throughout her paper. Overall, the paper was both

interesting and well written.