About the WebsiteThis website was created by 11th grade Da Vinci Charter Academy students in 2014 as part of the project America at War. The five students who built this site also read James A. Michener's The Bridges at Toko-Ri and interviewed a Korean War veteran. The interview was later submitted to the Library of Congress Veteran's History Project and can be found on the Veteran Interview page of this site.
The content is driven by the following questions:
This site strives to be factually accurate, but information found on it should not be directly cited. Instead, use the footnotes if you wish to find original sources. About the Book"Nobody ever knows why they get the dirty job. But any society is held together by the efforts . . . yes, and the sacrifices of only a few." - Admiral Tarrant James A. Michener's The Bridges at Toko-Ri tells the story of Harry Brubaker, a disgruntled
fighter pilot serving in the Korean War. Brubaker, a husband and father who served in World War II, questions why he in particular had to be called back into service to fly dangerous missions from an aircraft carrier in Korea. Brubaker explains to Admiral Tarrant, the well-respected officer in charge of the carrier, that at home in the U.S. nobody supports the war in Korea. Tarrant agrees, saying that the war is strategically a military disaster but that wars are never fought in the right places at the right times. Instead, he explains, wars must be fought to protect one's civilization. The theme of war's impact on the individual and on society is discussed in detail throughout the book, leading to both domestic and military conflicts and a climactic ending. |
Banner Image: Bombing Wonsan Harbor. 1950. Wikimedia Commons. By United States Navy. Web.