Too many people take New York for granted. The primary reason is that history is not taught. That's outrageous in a city where the past is still visible.
Pete HamillRead
Everybody who went to Vietnam carries his or her own version of the war. Only 10 percent engaged in combat; the American elephant, pursuing the Vietnamese grasshopper, was extraordinarily heavy with logistical support.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Vietnam War is viewed differently by each participant, and logistical support played a crucial role in the conflict's dynamics.
In this quote, Pete Hamill highlights the subjective nature of war experiences, emphasizing that every individual who served in Vietnam has their own interpretation of their involvement. He notes that while only a small percentage were directly engaged in combat, the vast logistical support behind the American military efforts was substantial, likening it to an elephant pursuing a much lighter, more agile opponent, the Vietnamese forces. This metaphor captures the complexities and differing perspectives on warfare, suggesting that understanding the war requires acknowledging both the combat and the support elements involved.
Themes
VietnamWarExperienceCombatLogisticsPerspective
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the psychological impact of veterans, you might quote Hamill to emphasize diverse perspectives of war.
More from Pete Hamill
All quotes →Just like that. Gone forever. They will not grow old together. They will never live on a beach by the sea, their hair turned white, dancing in a living room to Billie Holiday or Nat Cole. They will not enter a New York club at midnight and show the poor hip-hop fools how to dance. They will not chuckle together over the endless folly of the world, its vanities and stupid ambitions. They will not hug each other in any chilly New York dawn. Oh, Mary Lou. My baby. My love.
Pete HamillRead
Similar quotes
Beauty stands In the admiration only of weak minds Led captive.
John MiltonRead
Hasn't there always been a moon?" "Bless you. Not in the slightest. I remember the day the moon came. We looked up in the sky - it was all dirty brown and sooty gray here then, not green and blue.
Neil GaimanRead
People call you this or that. But I can't respond because then it seems like I'm defensive, you know, what does it matter, really?
Bob DylanRead
By daily dying, I have come to be.
Theodore RoethkeRead
Back then, things were plainer: less money, no electronic devices, little fashion tyranny, no girlfriends. There was nothing to distract us from our human and filial duty which was to study, pass exams, use those qualifications to find a job, and then put together a way of life unthreateningly fuller than that of our parents, who would approve, while privately comparing it to their own earlier lives, which had been simpler, and therefore superior.
Julian BarnesRead
The unformed is not worse than the over-formed. The former is nothing; the latter is mere appearance. Real form presupposes real life.
Ludwig Mies Van Der RoheRead