The Face of an Unpopular War
Nick Williams
Nick Williams
The man stepped out of the opening in the side of the airplane. He glanced around, a satisfied smile graced his face. This moment had played out in his mind for months; it had been the only thing that had kept him going. In his mind, he would leap down the steps into the arms of his family. The crowds behind would cheer, and a wave of pride and satisfaction would rush through him. Reality wasn’t as sweet. He strode down the steps and was greeted by booing crowds. Jeers echoed in his head. One onlooker threw a tomato, which splattered on his stiffly pressed khakis. The man became ashamed, but he didn’t know why. Had he done something wrong? As far as he knew, he had been sent to Vietnam, fought bravely for his country, and had reached his home again, expecting to be welcomed as a hero. But for him and countless others, this was not the case.
Vietnam veterans were not welcomed home in the way that their predecessors were. Veterans from World Wars I and II were accepted back into the arms of society as heroes. They were greeted with parades and much celebration. Why was the treatment of Vietnam veterans so different? As General Frederick C. Weyand (who served in World War I, World War II, and Korea) said, “What I think is one of the saddest legacies of the Vietnam War, is the cruel misperception that the American fighting men there did not measure up to their predecessors in World War II and Korea. Nothing could be further from the truth.” Yes, as a whole, the American army wasn’t successful in Vietnam. But this was largely due to communication issues higher up in the chain of command. According to a survey done by Brigadier General Douglas Kinnard, “Almost 70 percent of the Army generals who managed the war were uncertain of its objectives.” This state of disorganization is what should bear the blame for the outcome of the war, not the dutiful soldiers who simply followed orders. But, it was easier for civilians to act negatively towards the veterans than to somehow get to what had really been the problem, and this is what happened. So, veterans received a lot of harsh treatment for what had really not been their fault. It had been politics and other issues that had failed America, not the soldiers.
The relationship between a nation’s people and its army is an interesting one. This is especially intriguing in the case of America, and this was shown in the outcome of the Vietnam War. General Weyand comments: “The American Army really is a people's army in the sense that it belongs to the American people, who take a jealous and proprietary interest in its involvement. When the Army is committed, the American people are committed; when the American people lose their commitment, it is futile to try to keep the Army committed. When the American people lost their commitment, for all intents and purposes the war was lost.” Even though the homeland was so far away, the soldiers were buoyed by their country. They were the ones doing the fighting, but it was a collective effort by the entire country to keep the spirits up and continue moving in the right direction. So when some forces were ordered to withdraw while a few continued to fight, the morale at home was severely diminished, and everyone knew in the back of their minds that the war was lost.
The window let in a single beam of pale light. A lone figure was illuminated. He sat hunched over a bed, his back bowed under the weight of his past. There was no noise, except the constant, nervous tapping of his right foot on the brittle wooden floorboards. He seemed both tense and calm at the same time. The man’s eyes stared blankly forward, uncomprehending of his surroundings. The day rolled by, and the man didn’t stir from his listless daze.
The experiences and contributions of soldiers to the war effort were so disregarded that the media tried to spread the word that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was something made up by the government to gain support and sympathy for returning veterans. PTSD is of course not fabricated by the government, it is a real problem. The experience of returning home from war, regardless of how one was treated by society, was made even worse by the unavoidable consequences of war, both physically and mentally. It is very common for the mind to be affected for the rest of one’s life. This is something that can manifest in many ways. Alan Cutter, a soldier who returned from Vietnam in 1972, shared his experience: “From the highly varied, always dirty but brilliant hues coloring edgy life in the war zone to the drab, gray, sameness of existence at "home" is a transition hard to make; many never do. I was "lucky" – I survived the war, but at "home" my existence was sometimes touch and go.” The abrupt transition from everyday action and life threatening situations to everyday society can be a difficult one. Veterans often find themselves disconnected and uninterested in many aspects of their lives. Cutter even puts the word home in quotations, as if he doesn’t feel like he’s home at all. This, on top of the treatment from civilians, made the process of returning home very difficult.
Today, opinions have changed in some ways, but in some they have remained the same. Of course there are newer veterans from from fresher conflicts, but for those who take the time to say hello and offer a salute to a battered old Vietnam veteran, things have changed. After all, they were just doing their job for their country, and it’s the least we can do to offer them some respect after all they’ve given. Weyand concludes in saying: “America should have been proud of them from the start, for they were a remarkable group of young men and women. Now they're finally beginning to get their due, and it's gratifying to see the increased public recognition of the dedication, bravery and compassion the overwhelming majority of these men and women displayed while they were serving in Vietnam.”