The Impact of the Vietnam War on Veterans

967 Words2 Pages

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.
The Vietnam War was a violent and costly war that needed many men to fight for its cause. These men are now known as the Vietnam veterans. Numerous veterans who fought in the war were injured or lost a comrade during battle. These soldiers fought to protect the United States and its people while risking their own lives. A lot of these brave men were either killed or injured and did not gain the respect they deserved until after the war. The Vietnam soldiers felt that they had a responsibility to protect their country and its people.
During the Vietnam War time period, many men were off living their own life, but that all ended when they got drafted into the war. These draftees had to quit school, leave their family behind, and risk being killed or injured in a war they didn’t want to fight in. The drafting also caused a lot more anti-war movements to occur (Cayton, Perry, Reed, and Winkler [FIND]). These anti-war movements also harassed the soldiers when they came home.
Life at Vietnam had numerous challenges for the soldiers who were there. Drugs and alcohol were a way for soldiers to forget about the horrors of war and were also used as a pass time . Multiple times soldiers were punished for disobedience or not saluting (Hochgesang). For countless soldiers the only thing that kept them going was the fear of being killed. There were many disease at the camps where soldiers wer...

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...l also show a timeline of the war and possibly some important people.

"Vietnam War Health Risks." - We Honor Veterans. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
This site gave me insight on a soldier's life while fighting in Vietnam.

B/w Photographs, 1971. NYU Archives Photo Collection. 1971. Photograph. NYU Archives Photo Collection. Http://www.nyu.edu/library/bobst/collections/exhibits/arch/1971/1971-3.html. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.
This image will help show me the anti war movements in the U.S.

"Anti-Vietnam War Buttons." Anti-Vietnam War Buttons. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.
This image will help me show the anti war movements.

Vietnam War Protest at the University of Texas in Austin. 1965. Photograph. Picture History. Picture History. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.
This image will also help me show the anti war movements and the leading up to the veterans homecoming.

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