Page
      4
      March
      26,
      2008
      CAMPUS
     
     
      American
      History
      professor
      offers
      unique
     
    
   
   
    
     
      perspective
      of
      Vietnam
      War
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Professor
      was
      an
      American
      citizen
      until
      moving
     
     
      to
      PEI.
      with
      his
      wife
      two
      years
      ago
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Krista
      MacLean
     
     
      The
      Cadre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Each
      one
      of
      us
      carries
      a
      little
      piece
     
     
      of
      history.
      For
      many,
      it
      is
      the
      her-
     
     
      itage
      and
      ancestry
      that
      accompanies
     
     
      their
      surname.
      For
      others,
      it
      is
      the
     
     
      memory
      of
      an
      experience
      that
      made
     
     
      an
      impact
      on
      their
      life
      and
      the
      world.
     
     
      For
      Bruce
      Craig,
      it
      is
      a
      tattered
      piece
     
     
      of
      newspaper
      he
      keeps
      neatly
      folded
     
     
      and
      tucked
      away
      in
      his
      wallet.
     
    

    
     
      Craig,
      a
      professor
      of
      American
     
     
      History
      at
      UPEI,
      called
      the
      United
     
     
      States
      home
      until
      two
      years
      ago
     
     
      when
      he
      and
      his
      wife
      moved
      to
      the
     
     
      Island.
      During
      the
      1960s
      he
      experi-
     
     
      enced
      an
      important
      part
      of
      American
     
    
   
   
    
     
      history,
      an
      experience
      he
      shares
      with
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      students
      when
      he
      talks
      about
      the
     
     
      Vietnam
      War.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “The
      60s
      were
      a
      very
      turbulent
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      time
      in
      the
      U.S.,”
      recalls
      Craig
      in
      his
     
     
      sparsely
      decorated
      office.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      Vietnam
      War
      was
      such
      a
      divi-
     
     
      sive
      experience
      for
      Americans.
      A
      lot
     
     
      of
      people
      were
      scarred
      as
      a
      result
      of
     
     
      ae
     
    

    
     
      Although
      Craig
      admits
      he
      “was
     
     
      basically
      not
      affected”
      by
      the
      war,
     
     
      the
      way
      in
      which
      he
      and
      his
      brothers
     
     
      dealt
      with
      the
      draft
      highlights
      what
      it
     
     
      must
      have
      been
      like
      to
      have
      your
      fate
     
     
      in
      someone
      else's
      hand.
     
    

    
     
      “My
      eldest
      brother
      joined
      the
     
     
      International
      Guard
      and
      _
      basically
     
     
      avoided
      going
      to
      Vietnam
      by
      being
      a
     
     
      reservist.
      My
      middle
      brother
      was
      in
     
     
      school
      and
      he
      stayed
      in
      school
      in
     
     
      order
      to
      avoid
      the
      draft,
      the
      avoid-
     
     
      ance
      of
      the
      draft
      being
      his
      main
     
     
      objective,”
      he
      said.
     
    

    
     
      Craig,
      the
      youngest
      brother,
      was
     
     
      least
      affected
      because
      of
      his
      age.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      However,
      during
      the
      final
      years
      of
     
     
      the
      war
      he
      was
      old
      enough
      to
      be
      eli-
     
     
      gible
      for
      the
      draft,
      a
      significant
      day
     
     
      in
      his
      life
      represented
      by
      the
      yel-
     
     
      lowed
      square
      of
      newsprint
      he
      has
     
     
      kept
      for
      so
      many
      years.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      was
      in
      the
      very
      last
      draft
      pool,”
     
     
      he
      explains
      as
      he
      unfolds
      the
      small
     
     
      piece
      of
      paper.
      “This
      was
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “The
      Vietnam
      War
     
     
      was
      such
      a
      divisive
     
     
      experience
      for
     
     
      Americans.
      A
      lot
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      people
      were
      scarred
      as
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
     
     
      result
      of
      it.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      announcement
      in
      the
      newspaper,
      the
     
     
      draft
      pool.”
     
    

    
     
      Columns
      of
      dates
      and
      numbers
      line
     
     
      the
      paper.
      Each
      date
      is
      accompanied
     
     
      by
      a
      number,
      and
      the
      number
      con-
     
     
      nected
      to
      your
      birth
      date
      would
     
     
      become
      your
      draft
      number,
      said
     
     
      Craig.
     
    

    
     
      “If
      you
      were
      1-80
      you
      were
      defi-
     
     
      nitely
      drafted.”
     
    

    
     
      Craig
      was
      355.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      knew
      I
      was
      safe.”
     
    

    
     
      Unlike
      his
      brothers,
      avoiding
      the
     
     
      draft
      had
      never
      weighed
      heavily
      on
     
     
      Craig's
      mind.
     
    

    
     
      “If
      I
      had
      a
      low
      number
      I
      would
     
     
      have
      had
      to
      figure
      my
      options,”
      he
     
     
      said.
     
    

    
     
      “J
      didn't
      contemplate
      what
      I'd
      be
     
     
      doing
      had
      that
      been
      the
      case.
      By
      the
     
     
      time
      I
      was
      in
      the
      draft
      pool
      the
      war
     
    
   
   
    
     
      was
      practically
      over
      and
      it
      was
     
     
      decided
      that
      Nixon
      was
      going
      to
      end
     
     
      the
      war
      and
      end
      the
      draft.
      Everyone
     
     
      knew
      that
      Nixon
      was
      looking
      for
      an
     
     
      exit
      strategy.”
     
    

    
     
      Although
      Craig
      considers
      the
      mili-
     
     
      tary
      to
      be
      a
      good
      career
      for
      many
     
     
      people,
      the
      draft
      system
      during
     
     
      Vietnam
      was
      “unfair,”
      he
      said.
     
    

    
     
      “Vietnam
      became
      a
      poor
      persons
     
     
      war.
      If
      you
      look
      at
      the
      pictures
      there
     
     
      were
      a
      large
      number
      of
      black
      and
     
     
      Hispanic
      soldiers.
      If
      you
      were
      able
     
     
      to
      stay
      in
      school,
      you
      were
      exempt
     
     
      from
      the
      draft.
      My
      brother
      stayed
      in
     
     
      school
      after
      he
      had
      received
      his
      mas-
     
     
      ters
      for
      that
      reason,
      but
      many
      people
     
     
      wouldn't
      have
      had
      that
      option.”
     
    

    
     
      Nowadays,
      Vietnam
      is
      not
      some-
     
     
      thing
      Craig
      thinks
      about
      often.
      He
     
     
      and
      his
      wife
      are
      settling
      into
      life
      in
     
     
      rural
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
      and
      are
     
     
      busy
      running
      a
      bed
      and
      breakfast
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      North
      Lake,
      a
      property
      they
      bought
     
     
      five
      years
      ago.
      Craig,
      an
      accom-
     
     
      plished
      author
      who
      has.
      written
      over
     
     
      100
      articles
      and
      a
      number
      of
      books,
     
     
      plans
      to
      devote
      more
      time
      to
      writing
     
     
      and
      is
      currently
      working
      on
      a
      biog-
     
     
      raphy
      of
      alleged
      Soviet
      spy
      Alger
     
     
      Hiss.
     
    

    
     
      Many
      of
      Craig's
      courses
      are
      quick-
     
     
      ly
      becoming
      popular
      as
      he
      gains
      a
     
     
      reputation
      as
      a
      knowledgeable
      and
     
     
      captivating
      professor,
      an
      expert
      in
     
     
      the
      Cold
      War
      and
      the
      history
      of
      espi-
     
     
      onage.
     
    

    
     
      And
      for
      his
      part,
      Craig
      is
      finding
     
     
      his
      classes
      at
      UPEI
      equally
      as
      enjoy-
     
     
      able.
     
    

    
     
      “UPEI
      is
      unique
      and
      gratifying
     
     
      because
      the
      student
      doesn't
      get
      lost
     
     
      in
      the
      shuffle.
      There
      is
      a
      desire
      and
     
     
      dedication
      to
      teaching
      here
      that
      is
     
     
      frankly
      quite
      refreshing.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Source:
      Wikipedia
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      toll
      of
      the
      Vietnam
      War
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Casualties:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Vietnam:
      250,000
      dead;
      1,170,000
      wounded
     
     
      U.S.A:
      58,209
      dead;
      2,000
      missing;
      305,000
      wounded
     
     
      South
      Korea:
      4,900
      dead;
      11,000
      wounded
     
     
      Australia:
      520
      dead;
      2,400
      wounded
     
     
      New
      Zealand:
      37
      dead;
      187
      wounded
     
     
      North
      Vietnam
      and
      NLF:
      560,000
      dead/missing;
     
     
      600,000
      wounded
     
     
      P.R.
      China:
      1,446
      dead;
      4,200
      wounded
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Vietnamese
      civilian
      dead:
      2,000,000
     
     
      Cambodian
      civilian
      dead:
      700,000
     
     
      Laotian
      civilian
      dead:
      50,000
     
    
   
   
    
     
      *
      all
      are
      approximations