American Veterans During The Vietnam War

One of the key factors that contribute to homelessness among veterans is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD affects a large number of military veterans from every war, though the rates differ depending on which war they served in, PTSD affected 30% of Vietnam veterans, 11% of Afghanistan veterans, 20% of Iraq veterans, and 10% of veterans who served in the Gulf War (How Common is PTSD). Half of veterans with PTSD do not receive the treatment they require and 20% - 50% of those who do receive treatment do not finish it (Robson). The lack of treatment is important considering that 45% of homeless veterans have some kind of mental illness (Paquette). The homecoming of a veteran has been related to that veteran’s degree of PTSD. Veterans with a negative reception upon their arrival tend to have harsher PTSD (Tull). It is no wonder then that, those who had the hardest time re-entering society, Vietnam veterans, among whom 30% have had PTSD, make up 47% of homeless veterans (coalition for the Homeless). These veterans had the hardest time out of any, when they returned public opinion was against them, and many were unjustly called “Baby Killers”. This critical rejection made it harder for Vietnam veterans to deal with their PTSD, because it held them back from discussing their experiences in war (Tull). Having

How did a Vietnam soldier's life change during and after the war. Society had a lot of different views regarding the soldiers and the war. When coming home veterans faced many distinct challenges. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial helped to heal the nation. The Vietnam War had a major impact on the United States and the soldiers who fought in it.

Problem that the Vietnamese war veterans faced was the psychological effects which was very common for Vietnam veterans to have. The main cause of this is because it was different compared to other wars in the past like the condition that the soldiers were in. Studies has shown that a World War II soldiers experienced up to a total of 60 days under combat like conditions. A Vietnam infantryman endured on a comparable basis 300+ days therefore Vietnam veterans have more likely to develop psychological problems than a World War II veteran. (POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), 2001)

Introduction: In  order  to  stop  the  spread  of  communism,  America  joined  the  vietnam  war. Many  young  men  were  drafted  into  this  war,  with  no  other  options  but  to  go  or  to  be  arrested.  Many  were  terrified  to  go  into  the  war,  and  tried  to  flee  the  United  States.  The  main  problem  was  not  even  just  during  the  vietnam  war,  it  was  after  the  war  was  over  and  troops  were  sent  home.  This  problem was  known  as  shell  shock,  or  what  we  now  call  Post  Traumatic  Stress  Disorder  (PTSD).  Throughout  the  turmoil  and  pain  of  the  Vietnam  war,  many young  soldiers  were  emotionally  distraught  and  treated  poorly  in  their  return home,  each  with  their  own  load  to  bear.

Another major economic blow to the U.S. was the injured soldiers returning home without limbs and with severe disabilities. According to Autor, Duggan, and Lyle (2011), after remaining stable, at about nine percent in the late 1990s through September 2000, Disability Compensation (DC) enrollment among Vietnam era veterans has since increased rapidly, and it stood at 15.1% by September 2010. They went on to say, during that same period, the average annual benefit received by Vietnam era DC recipients increased by 44%. Furthermore, costs were increased as a result of prosthetic limbs needed and rehabilitation costs for injured soldiers (over 300,000) (Szczepanski, n.d.), soldiers affected by Agent Orange/dioxin (an herbicide), and drug addicted soldiers. U.S. soldiers were either, addicted to morphine (the painkiller of choice when injured during the war) or heroin, in view that they could not handle the mental strain of living at home. A number of soldiers also suffered mental illnesses because of what they saw and what they did during the war. Many soldiers suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). That number has tripled since 1998 to 2010, from more than 98,000 to more than 268,000 (Autor, Duggan, & Lyle, 2011). It was a very difficult transition from the war to everyday civilian life for many soldiers. Not many veterans speak of what it was like on the frontlines,

Home is not always a good place to be greeted from after coming back from a long, gory, and devastating war. The Veterans of the Vietnam War fought without a choice on the battlefield on Vietnam land. They were forced to hold back their opinions and do what they were told to do, which is to serve the country of America, home to them and many other Americans, in any way possible. Throughout their time in this war, they felt overwhelmed as horrifying events played out in front of them, such as the deaths of fellow soldiers. However, even as they were serving their country to the best of their ability, Vietnam soldiers were treated unfairly when they returned home from war.

Many veterans are unable to leave behind the trauma of Vietnam and psychologically return home. They struggle with a variety of extremely severe problems that neither they nor their families, friends, or communities knew how to understand

Veterans suffer from PTSD in multiple ways with sleeplessness, nightmares, and flashbacks (Bender). Veterans use different coping mechanisms to prevent themselves from triggering memories of the traumatic event. It has been found that veterans may become emotionally detached. Mintze reports, the Veterans Administration estimates that 830,000 Vietnam vets suffered symptoms of PTSD; of that number, 480,000 were so deeply affected that they were considered disabled. The effect of such cruel attacks has made it difficult for soldiers to adjust to life post combat (Price). This sickness can happen within three months to years after the unpleasant event. Frequently, veterans and victims of war suffer relentlessly from PTSD. Many poets, authors, and directors write to portray the lasting memories that cause one to suffer from this disorder.

Coming home from war “should be” a peaceful transition for veterans. After having to withstand many harsh conditions, one would think a soldier’s life would begin to turn around for the better. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. As each generation of warfighters took their first steps back on American soil, they each had to cope with their own specific issues. World War I veterans came home to a collapsing economy and high unemployment rates. This consequently led to thousands of WWI veterans marching in Washington, D.C. in what is now known as the Bonus Army Marches. After WWII, many African-American veterans went from fighting on the front lines to going back to a country that still wouldn’t accept them as equals. Even the

My paternal and maternal grandfathers both enlisted during WWII, stationed off Iwo Jima and in Europe respectively. Both of them are still alive and have their memories, however, the more I learn about these wars, the more I question if that is a positive or a negative attribute.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is "an anxiety disorder, characterized by distressing memories, emotional numbness, and hyper vigilance, that develops after exposure to a traumatic event" (Doyle-Portillo, Pastorino 490). Traumatic events include physical abuse, rape, military combat, death of a close friend or family member, natural disasters, or witnessing events such as terrorist attacks, a violent crime, or a horrible accident (Doyle-Portillo, Pastorino 490). All these different events lead men and women to have nightmares, flashbacks, and tormenting memories, especially the men who fought in the Vietnam War. Around "19% of Vietnam veterans developed PTSD at some point after the war" (Doyle-Portillo, Pastorino 491) from the events they witnessed out in the Vietnamese jungles during combat that it would have been highly unlikely for them not to develop PTSD.

Military Pathway (2013) concluded “Military life, especially the stress of deployments or mobilizations, can present challenges to service members and their families that are both unique and difficult”. Hence, it is not surprising that soldiers returning from a stressful war environment often suffer from a psychological condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This paper provides a historical perspective of PTSD affecting soldiers, and how this illness has often been ignored. In addition, the this paper examines the cause and diagnosis of the illness, the changes of functional strengths and limitations, the overall effects this disease may have on soldiers and their families, with a conclusion of

These complications also fell under the “Gulf War Syndrome”. These symptoms included “headaches, fatigue, short attention spans, aches, and rashes”. These symptoms have been very questionable to some doctors and nurses of the Gulf War, but they were too common amongst various soldiers for it to not be considered a real disease. Eventually, scientists came to the conclusion that “health problems were caused by aerial spraying during the Vietnam War”. This particular chemical was exposed to the soldiers through their mouth and nose. The fact that it, more than likely, occurred during previous war time and could most definitely be the reason for some of the veteran’s post-traumatic behaviors and illnesses. It was said that “two or more of the insecticides and drugs” could very well be the reason for the Gulf War Syndromes. These two things combined together created a chemical that essentially was able to shut down the “nervous system” of the soldiers. With that being said, there was no way for soldiers to fight through this form of disease. Since the nervous system would shut down, veterans began dying at the drop of the hat. However, for people with more prevalent health issues, such as “hearing loss” or “ringing of the ears”, would be sent to rehabilitation and would be treated in a way so that they could return to the battle field (Conner). In some cases, this was not even considered an option especially for those who suffered from Gulf War

The term “Vietnam Syndrome” first referred to the returning veteran expressing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and later became “purely political”, as the term was coined by both National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and President Ronald Reagan when discussing reluctance to interfere overseas.

Not only death and injuries come from war, but war can result in high-risk emotional and physical affliction/trauma. Depression, shell shock, trench fever and malaria were among the common diseases throughout and years after the war has concluded. Trauma caused by war can have a significant and long-term affect to those entailed in war. It may be 70 years since the end of WWII, but veterans presently are still enduring diseases such as depression today, caused by war. Post war depression leaves a soldier in pain and agony after his return home,