Disadvantages Of Veterans

Another disadvantage for American troops was the draft. 25% of total forces in-country were draftees or often referred to as ‘cherries’. (P17) Draftees accounted for 30% of combat deaths in Vietnam, and 61% of men killed were 21 or younger. (P17) These draftees were young, naive, and inexperienced in battle, along with the fact that they were forced to be there, raised questions about their effort and loyalty to the cause. A draftee, Eddy L. Stevenson, describes the nature of his experiences; “Can you imagine a tired, dirty, scared infantry company made up of twenty-year old draftees armed to the teeth and in a bad mood?” (P5) “The conditions and quality of the American effort by this time are more than evidenced by one statistic. 30% of the

They were the victims of the worst injustice because they had given everything for their country, physically and emotionally, and received nothing, not even [a] welcome home.” (P5) They were greeted with angry mobs of Anti-war protesters; they were yelled at, spat on, as well as verbally and physically assaulted. (P10) Society simply did not accept the Vietnam veterans and blamed them for the war. It seemed as though these veterans left a foreign enemy only to be confronted with a domestic enemy back home. “Some men were refused unemployment… many had problems adjusting to society, some continued to drink alcohol and do drugs…” (P5) Vietnam veterans were denied disability after a year because of the lack of recognition in psychological stress disorders, they received half of the educational benefits of that of WWII veterans, and they were the only soldiers to come home to be viewed as murderous, drug-addicted, criminals. (P5) Veterans were discouraged about disclosing their experiences which hindered their chances of recovery or self-acceptance. Vietnam veteran, Dennis J. Stauffer, wrote an article in the Grand Rapids Press explaining “I kept my experiences private, as did many Vietnam veterans to avoid the pain of war…I also kept quiet because the war was not a welcomed topic.” (P10) The harsh and unjust treatment these soldiers endured

(P9) The requirements in DSM-I defined that the disorder, Gross Stress Disorder, “…is a reaction to a great or unusual stressor that invokes overwhelming fear in a normal personality.” (P9) This ‘normal personality’ excluded anyone with a previous disability or mental condition. After 16 years of relative peace (between WWII and the Vietnam War) psychological cases subsided and the Gross Stress Reaction disorder was completely omitted from the DSM-II, published in 1968. (P9) Unfortunately this was the standing policy during the violent peak of the Vietnam War; so under the medical and military community, psychological stress disorders were not considered, treated, or compensated for. However upon the return on Vietnam Veterans, many experienced severe psychological effects and admittedly “PTSD was not taking seriously until the 1980’s when many veterans were complaining of similar symptoms.” (P5) In addition “A small but militant group of Vietnam veterans clamored for the introduction of a diagnosis that would recognize the potential consequences of experiencing the stress of combat…” (P9) “In the post-Vietnam period, it became clear that many soldiers were suffering severe psychological consequences as a result of their traumatic exposure, yet psychiatrists