In "Is Military Service the Path to the American Dream?," Ruben Brosbe discusses military service as a road to the "American dream" and raises important questions about where the other pathways are — and are not — for young Americans today.
Pair “Facing It” with “Is Military Service the Path to the American Dream?” and ask students to discuss the psychological impact of military service for some veterans, especially during times of war. In “Facing It,” what is the speaker remembering during his visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial? How does the Vietnam Veterans Memorial impact the speaker and the other veteran he sees there? How do the veterans’ experiences in “Facing It” compare with the way the psychological impact of military service is described in “Is Military Service the Path to the American Dream?” How does the data cited in “Is Military Service the Path to the American Dream?” deepen your understanding of both the article and the poem?