Veterans & Validity
During the 1960s and 1970s, the United States went through a transformation. The advent of public demonstrations against wars became the catalyst which plunged the country into a social conflict. Some people said America had committed a great blunder: they had gotten involved in a land war in Asia. Others stood behind their country because they were patriotic. Yet the ones who suffered the most were those who were physically involved.
Vietnam veterans are depicted as crazed, violent psychopaths in television shows in more numbers than veterans of any other war. Many Vietnam veterans say this is only stereotypical. Yet Vietnam veterans do experience flashbacks. Vietnam veterans are also thought to be violent and angry. Few of the facts about Vietnam veterans are true. Yet, there are a select few facts that do have some validity.
Vietnam veterans were shortchanged in the debriefing process. Most of them were flown from Vietnam on a chartered flight. Many of them were back in their communities within a week of leaving Vietnam. There was time to readjust to normal life before being put back into it. This left some of them with mental issues that were not resolved or diminished by acculturation or psychotherapy. Many of these men were experiencing flashbacks and mental anguish as a result of the war. Because of this, a few of these veterans did react like the one that are portrayed on television. However, most of the veterans from Vietnam have found good ways to deal with issues that have come out of the war. Hardly any Vietnam reacted like the stereotypical veterans that are portrayed on television.
Vietnam veterans were also treated differently than those from other wars with the possible exception of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The war in Vietnam was different than any other war in our history because of the introduction of video footage of actual battles and violence. These pictures were played on television, viewed by Americans every night in their own living rooms. This made the war real for many people. Because of this new technology, many Americans were actively protesting what they saw on the television.
It was the first time that a regular civilian saw what it actually cost to be a soldier. Yet many did not see the correlation between the price it cost their soldiers to fight a war in Vietnam and the price it cost their soldiers to earn the freedom that they enjoyed. They were not prepared to see the true cost of freedom. Because of this, they saw the war in Vietnam as a waste and treated the soldiers who came back poorly. In many cases, there were no crowds or fanfare to greet them. Because of this treatment, bad feelings and anti-war sentiment began to build in America and still exists today.
Even today, there are many misconceptions about the reasoning of war haters and Vietnam veterans. This is what I wish to assess and clarify in my next article.