"I Ain't No Fortunate Son"

America Since Vietnam


For a soldier boarding a plane heading for the US, there must have been an unimaginable feeling of relief. They had just survived months of duty fighting a brutal guerrilla war, undoubtedly witnessing many horrors along the way. The memory of home must have been a comfort, as a peaceful place untouched by war and conflict where they would be greeted by their thankful countrymen as it had been in World War II. However, there were no cheering crowds or celebrations to greet them as they returned to an America that was very different than the one they had just left. Social upheaval and opposition to the war left the US a very dark and divided place. In the video above, the stories of veterans returning home run the gamut from uneventful to scarring. Soldiers were scapegoats, easy targets for those who passionately fought against the war. “We faced rejection and verbal, sometimes physical assault. That’s why many veterans quickly discarded their uniforms after returning home; it was easier than facing humiliation in public places” [1]. While negative reaction to soldiers returning home was largely uncommon, the alienation and disillusion felt by veterans was not as the country preferred to look away and not dwell on the painful memory of Vietnam. 
 
As the years passed and the emotions surrounding the war began to subside, there began to develop a changing attitude towards the soldiers. The public was becoming more aware of the mistreatment of its soldiers and how forgotten they had become. The building of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. would be a symbol that would help begin healing and understanding for veterans. Even though its construction was met with criticism, once built it would silence the detractors. “But the Wall, once it was unveiled to America, would somehow sweep all partisan concerns aside, and carry the nation forward with an unstoppable momentum of healing that took both its supporters and opponents by complete surprise. A large part of that healing would comprise a greatly enhanced respect for the dignity and the sacrifice of the Vietnam veterans” [2].  While the US was on the path towards reconciliation and atonement, there are still myths and perceptions of Vietnam veterans that have persisted. Perhaps encouraged by movies, there is an idea that Vietnam vets were particularly prone to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and that their time in Vietnam had left them disturbed and unable to adjust to life back home. Studies have shown that this is false, as veterans of Vietnam did not suffer more psychiatrically than veterans in Korea or World War II and the unemployment rate of Vietnam veterans is lower than the national average [3]. While there are misconceptions that still exist to this day, it is obvious that America is making progress in healing from war and righting the wrongs it has made.
 

Vietnam has left an indelible mark on American society, one that still manages to persist through the decades and a changing world. The US still retains its position as the sole superpower in the world and as such still has interests to protect. Every time the United States contemplates sending troops somewhere in the world, Vietnam is never far away in the minds of Americans decades after the war. How the US conducts its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq has also been affected by Vietnam. “We fought more carefully in Iraq and Afghanistan than in Vietnam. The consciousness of death and of a precious life lost was more acute. Frontal assaults were unheard of. Because the wars were so limited and the objectives so much more related to nation-building rather than destruction, the willingness to take risks to kill the enemy was less and the rules of engagement were much more restrictive” [4]. As of now, the War in Afghanistan is still ongoing and is the longest war in American history. Improvements since the US invasion in 2001 have been dubious. Has America learned since Vietnam or is history repeating itself once again? 
[1] Stauffer, Dennis J. "The Bitter Homecoming." Vietvet.org. December 5, 1982. Accessed April 23, 2017. http://www.vietvet.org/bitter.pdf.
[2] Nicosia, Gerald. Home to war: a history of the Vietnam veterans' movement. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2004. 493
[3] Lind, Michael. Vietnam, the necessary war: a reinterpretation of America's most disastrous military conflict. New York: Touchstone, 2002. 175
[4] West, Bing. "Vietnam, Iraq & Afghanistan: Different or the Same?" Hoover Institution. November 12, 2014. Accessed April 23, 2017. http://www.hoover.org/research/vietnam-iraq-afghanistan-different-or-same.
 

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