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How did the experience of the veterans of the Vietnam War different from veterans of World War II?
By their nature military conflicts produce veterans, but all veterans do not have the same experiences when they come home; World War II veterans generally prospered after 1945, while Vietnam Veterans have often been viewed as being ‘damaged goods’. By contrast, Vietnam veterans have long been viewed as damaged goods.
How did Vietnam War affect veterans?
Although most veterans were not permanently damaged by the war, some 15 to 25 percent of Vietnam veterans (between 500,000 and 700,000) suffered from a stress-related impairment known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a psychological disease brought on by acute combat experience.
How was the Vietnam War different from world war 2?
Unlike the second world war, there was moral ambiguity in Vietnam. America faced an ill-defined enemy that was hard to distinguish from civilians. There were American atrocities and massacres of unarmed civilians. It was hard to portray this war as “good” versus “evil”, as had been the case during the Second World War.
How was the US affected by the Vietnam War?
The Vietnam War severely damaged the U.S. economy. Unwilling to raise taxes to pay for the war, President Johnson unleashed a cycle of inflation. The war also weakened U.S. military morale and undermined, for a time, the U.S. commitment to internationalism.
How many veterans had PTSD after Vietnam?
In the 1970s, a study showed that 15 percent of Vietnam War veterans developed PTSD. However, as time has gone on, that number has doubled to a staggering 30\% of Vietnam veterans with PTSD, or 810,000 of the 2.7 million service members, in the National Vietnam Veteran Readjustment Study.
What happened to Vietnam veterans when they returned home?
When the American soldiers returned home from World War II in 1945, they were greeted as heroes in the United States. Cities and towns across the country held parades to honor the returning veterans and recognize the sacrifices they had made. But the homecoming was very different for most Vietnam veterans.
Why do veterans of other wars look down on Vietnam Veterans?
After all, veterans of World War II (1939–45) and the Korean War (1950–53) understood what combat was like. But many veterans of earlier wars seemed to look down on Vietnam veterans because they did not win the Vietnam War. Confronted with reactions of indifference, fear, or anger, some veterans kept their wartime experiences to themselves.
What was the homecoming like for Vietnam Veterans?
Cities and towns across the country held parades to honor the returning veterans and recognize the sacrifices they had made. But the homecoming was very different for most Vietnam veterans. They came back to find the United States torn apart by debate over the Vietnam War. There were no victory parades or welcome-home rallies.
How many US soldiers died in the Vietnam War?
The Vietnam War claimed the lives of more than 58,000 American service members and wounded more than 150,000. And for the men who served in Vietnam and survived unspeakable horrors, coming home offered its own kind of trauma.