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Essay On Women During The Vietnam War

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The women during the Vietnam War have been mostly forgotten because of the attention that has been given to the men’s military recognitions. However, women have always played a part with the terrifying and bloody war. According to the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation, more than 11,000 military women were stationed in Vietnam during the conflict. Also, Independent surveys estimates that the number of women, both civilian and non-civilian was between 33,000 and 55,000 (Carlson). Despite these high numbers of women in military, they however, struggled to attain equality. The great efforts that the women have done as nurses and entertainers for the soldiers were mostly ignored and discredited. The majority of women that worked in Vietnam were …show more content…

Women suffered the same symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that the men experienced; it was hard for the women establishing their usual life back. One woman nurse from Hawaii stated “It was hard at first. For a long time, it was hard. There was a couple of broken engagements--one of them right before the wedding--and months of sleep disturbances and nightmares, when the horrors were coming back” (Carlson). Unfortunately, the public did not really view women as veterans or combat soldiers. They were denied in different veteran’s organizations and cut off from traditional channels of help. To add more, the influence behind the organization of Vietnam veterans was all men. Women who worked for the military were ineligible for government benefits. Women’s role have evolved over the years. However, this event shouldn’t be forgotten. Women indeed made a huge impact to the Vietnam conflict. They may not have the biggest contribution, however, the small and simple things they did for the soldiers made a valuable remark for the men to continue despite of the war’s

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