Why was Vietnam so hard on veterans?

Probably the biggest reason many Vietnam veterans felt anger and resentment toward the antiwar protesters was that they came from different social classes. The majority of men who served in Vietnam came from poor or working-class backgrounds.
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How were the veterans of the Vietnam War treated?

Veterans returned from Vietnam not with their battalion or company, but alone on a plane after their 365-day tour. Many of them were anguished by their countrymen's condemnation of their war, felt abandoned by their government, and suffered grievous physical and psycho-spiritual injuries.
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Why was fighting in Vietnam so difficult for American servicemen?

There was no war front to advance, no safe region to defend, not even a well-defined theatre in which to operate. The Vietnam conflict was a 360-degree war where any soldier – particularly Americans and Westerners – might encounter attacks, ambushes and booby traps at any place or time.
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Why were Vietnam soldiers treated badly when they returned home?

American soldiers returning home from Vietnam often faced scorn as the war they had fought in became increasingly unpopular.
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How were US soldiers treated in Vietnam?

Perhaps the cruelest aspect of the war was the treatment of the returning soldiers. Unlike the hero status given to the returning soldiers form World War II, the soldiers that served in Vietnam were portrayed as baby killers, psychos, drug addicts and war mongers.
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Experiences of Vietnam Veterans Returning Home from War



What made the Vietnam War so traumatic?

Unlike veterans who fought in previous conflicts, the Vietnam veterans were never welcomed home, so many of them suffered from significant social isolation. Jim's PTSD was a result of his military experience in conflict and social isolation which created a vicious circle.
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How did soldiers feel about being in Vietnam?

The tense atmosphere and frustrating nature of the war eventually caused a significant decline in the motivation and performance of American forces in Vietnam. Some American soldiers reacted to their situation by lashing out violently against the Vietnamese, while others took out their anger on U.S. military leaders.
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Why did they call Vietnam vets baby killers?

During the years of the Vietnam War, many of the leftists and communists and other anti-Americans called the U.S. troops who fought in Vietnam baby killers to brainwash Americans whose minds were not too completely formed on real issues. We lost more than 58,000 troops, and more than 700,000 troops were disabled.
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How old would a Vietnam vet be today?

▶ Vietnam Veteran ages range from 55 to 97 years old.
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What challenges did returning veterans face?

There are many challenges that veterans face after they leave the military.
  • Unemployment. Many veterans struggle to find work after they return home. ...
  • Relationship with Themselves. Veterans do a noble thing by serving their country. ...
  • Homelessness. ...
  • Physical Handicaps. ...
  • Poor Mental Health.
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How do Vietnam veterans feel about the war?

After returning to the United States, many veterans continued to support American military involvement in Vietnam. Even though they had not accomplished all of the U.S. goals, they still felt proud of their service to their country. They believed that they had done their duty and fought bravely for a good cause.
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What are the soldiers most afraid of?

-Being coward is a soldier's greatest fear. -Anything that portrays a sense of giving up or embarrassment is a soldier's greatest fear.
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What difficulties did the soldiers faced in Vietnam?

Much of the fighting in Vietnam took place in hot, wet jungle terrain. Soldiers suffered from heat stroke, malaria, trench foot, fungal infections and other ailments brought about by hot, humid conditions.
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Why are Vietnam veterans homeless?

While Vietnam veterans came home to an indifferent-to-hostile society, the biggest catalysts for homelessness were the lack of mental health care, addiction treatment and job training. Several of the root causes of homelessness were abundant among veterans at this time, and there were few resources to address them.
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What percent of Vietnam vets are still alive?

These numbers have come about due to the extensive research of various mortality indexes and sources by the American War Library which concluded that about one-third of those who served in the Vietnam War are still alive today.
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What were Vietnam veterans called?

The U.S. government officially refers to all as "Vietnam-era veterans". In the English-speaking world, the term "Vietnam veteran" is not usually used in relation to members of the communist People's Army of Vietnam or the Viet Cong (also known as the National Liberation Front).
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What unit saw the most combat in Vietnam?

# 1: The 23rd Infantry Division

The amount of top awards earned by Soldiers of the 23rd are numerous for their heroic actions in Vietnam. The Americal Division (23rd Infantry Division) was formed from elements of Task Force Oregon in Chu Lai, Southern First Corps, Republic of South Vietnam on 26 September 1967.
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What's the youngest Vietnam vet?

Dan Bullock (December 21, 1953 – June 7, 1969) was a United States Marine and the youngest U.S. serviceman killed in action during the Vietnam War, dying at the age of 15.
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Are there still U.S. POWs in Vietnam?

As of 2015, more than 1,600 of those were still “unaccounted-for.” The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) of the U.S. Department of Defense lists 687 U.S. POWs as having returned alive from the Vietnam War.
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What does boocoo Dinky Dau mean?

Boocoo Dinky Dow" is how American GIs heard the French/Vietnamese phrase "beaucoup dien cai dau" for "very crazy."
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Should you say welcome home to Vietnam vets?

It's never too late to say "Welcome Home," to a Vietnam veteran. Ellen Lewis LaFauci and 7,430 others like this. To all Vietnam Vets thank you all for your serves to the free world. We also stand silent for the 58,000 of your fellow soldiers who gave their life so all can enjoy the freedom we have.
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What was shell shock called in Vietnam War?

PTSD--Shellshock--Hit Vietnam Vets Hardest

The symptoms of what is now labeled post-traumatic stress disorder have been known since World War I, said Susan Houston, a clinical psychologist at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Long Beach. Then, it was called combat neurosis and shellshock.
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What did Vietnam soldiers do for fun?

Reading paperback books, and playing cards was common (Gambling). Fishing in rivers was popular, some GI's hunted deer and other small game (no fishing/hunting license REQUIRED!).
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How scary was the Vietnam War?

The fighting was intense and the results, the former soldiers say, were especially brutal. Villages were bombed, burned and destroyed. As the ground troops swept through, in many cases they gunned down men, women and children, sometimes mutilating bodies -- cutting off ears to wear on necklaces.
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What was the most elite unit in Vietnam?

MACV-SOG—Military Assistance Command, Vietnam—Special Operations Group (later renamed Studies and Observations Group)—was the elite military unit of the Vietnam War, so secret that its existence was denied by the U.S. government.
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