Air force Quote by Howard Zinn
“I did not feel very patriotic. I did not feel proud of our country, seeing that we were bombing peasant villages, that we were not just hitting military targets, that children were being killed. We were terrorizing the North Vietnamese with our enormous Air Force. They had no Air Force at all. They were a little pitiful country and we were terrorizing them with our bombs. And no, I did not feel proud at all.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Anti‑War Protest, United States, 1960s
The speaker condemns national pride when military actions cause civilian suffering and disproportionate violence.
In simple terms: Patriotism feels wrong when war harms innocents.
Key Takeaway
Question moral implications of war.
Themes
war
morality
patriotism
Mood
anguished
critical
Type
political
reflective
When to use this quote
- protest rallies
- policy debates
- educational curricula
Key Concepts
civilian casualties
military ethics
national identity
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you think any war can be truly just?
- How should societies reconcile national identity with wartime actions?
A Different Perspective
War can be justified as defense, complicating moral judgments.
![“...Sean Penn claimed to be 'serv[ing] the country' by giving aid and comfort to an enemy about to be attacked by the US. He said it made him feel more patriotic to dissent from the war aims of his nation. It is at least a counterintuitive position. Most people would not instantly grasp how it is…” quote by Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/abe/ann-coulter-469_aids_sean-penn-claimed-to-be-serv-ing-the-cou_2065880.jpg)
![“[...] There is none that disperses its control more complexly through the voting system, the work situation, the church, the family, the school, the mass media - none more successful in mollifying opposition with reforms, isolating people from one another, creating patriotic loyalty.” quote by Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b2c/howard-zinn-576_america_there-is-none-that-disperses-its-control_1323306.jpg)
