The Effect of the Vietnam War on Its Veterans

Recently, on the 60^th anniversary of VE Day, the photos of a jubilant crowd and smiling servicemen were re-shown. At that time it was all "Hail the conquering heroes!" This was not the case after Vietnam, a war which the U.S. lost, or at least, abandoned, a war which a large percentage of the public resented as well as misunderstood. For that reason, Viet veterans were not hailed as heroes. More than that, many returned as victims of warfare they neither understood nor realized the potential consequences. Agent Orange, a chemical used mostly for defoliating, has caused many Viet veterans serious illness. "As many as 10,000 U.S. military personnel may have been subjected to top-secret chemical and biological tests conducted during the 1960s, according to Rick Weidman, director of government relations for the Vietnam Veterans of America. His group, along with other organizations and individuals, seeks full disclosure on the part of the Defense Department as to the extent of the testing on soldiers, sailors and Marines of that era" (Elvin 34).

Of course, almost forty years after the main battles of Vietnam were fought the government is quick to try to eliminate some of the benefits Viet veterans have been receiving. One, while it is labeled a medical condition, was really a psychological and sociological disorder. It was once known as "battle fatigue" but now is called post traumatic stress syndrome. There may be a number of reasons, not all necessarily found because of actual battle experience. There is the climate, the nearly impenetrable jungle in which only natives could manage to move- a terrain totally different than anything military strategists could have prepared for. Then there is the disdain many soldiers felt for the Vietnamese- both friend and enemy. They were often called "gooks"- a form of disrespect for their customs and appearance. There was the anxiety of not knowing who was friend and who was foe. Then, one can consider the lack of respect the general American public felt for the returning soldiers, forced to abandon a strange land without being able to claim a victory.