ipl-logo

How Did The Vietnam War Affect Young Americans?

945 Words4 Pages

The draft that occurred during the Vietnam War had a big effect on all of the men involved. Some tried to run away from the fact that they were going to be drafted by running away to Canada, and others knew there was nothing they could do about it and hopped onto a plane to head to Vietnam. Even though many men were drafted, about two-thirds of troops volunteered (Vietnam War Draft). Those that volunteered did so to avoid the draft and so they could choose where they wanted to be placed when they fought such as the Marines or the Navy (Real Facts About Service in Vietnam). Overall, many young men we’re not thrilled about being drafted into the Vietnam War and some did all they could to get away from it. Most young Americans that found out …show more content…

Some people weren’t sure which they should believe. While it would seem that most people would be against the war, it was actually split between Americans. “Vietnam was on people’s radar, of course, but not as a constant, alarming blip” (Time Magazine). Vietnam was split into two sides, north and south. North Vietnam was communist and South Vietnam was not. The main reason America went to war with Vietnam was to keep South Vietnam from falling to communism. At the time, the Domino Theory was a huge worry because America thought that if South Vietnam turned to communism then other countries would shortly follow (U.S. News). This affected the young draftees because some didn’t want to go and risk their lives just to try and fight, what they thought should be, South Vietnam’s own war. Americans didn’t think that the war was necessary because they believed that South Vietnam could fight its own battle while other Americans felt that they should help Vietnam so they could have a lesser chance of becoming communist. All of these opinions confused young draftees because they didn’t know if they should believe that South Vietnam should fight its own battle or if America should step in and …show more content…

Most Americans who were lucky and survived the war still had things to worry about after they returned home. For example, most soldiers then, and now, struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. This is where people get nightmares, flashbacks or anxiety when they think of things that traumatized them. In the book The Things They Carried, a man named Norman Bowker gets PTSD from thinking about how he almost saved his friend, Kiowa, from dying. Norman has returned home and is driving around in circles around a lake near his house and imagines a conversation that he has with his father where he tells him about how he almost received a medal called the Silver Star by almost saving Kiowa. He talks about how he would’ve said “he grabbed Kiowa by the boot and tried to pull him out. He pulled hard but Kiowa was gone, and then suddenly he felt himself going, too” (O’Brien, 143). Once he started to fall into the trashed river where Kiowa was, he couldn’t stand the smell and let go of him. He left Kiowa there and ever since then he has felt guilt for not dismissing the scent and pulling his friend out of the mucky water. Because of this, he suffers from PTSD and ends up committing suicide. Many American draftees suffered from things like this and some resulted the same

Show More
Related

Rhetorical Analysis: The Military Draft

799 Words | 4 Pages

The military draft was a very controversial topic during these times. Some people believed it violated a person’s inalienable rights while others argued it was a part of being an American to be honored to show your patriotism; however, if you refused to serve, you were shunned and beaten by local villagers (Greenberg). President at the time, “Lyndon Johnson, called the draft "a part of America, a part of the process of our democracy"” arguing that the draft was an honorable and patriotic sacrifice for young men to make for their country (Greenberg). With the major cultural difference between the the 1960’s and today, less young men are enlisting to serve in the military. According to the National Public Radio, an estimated 8.7 million men served during The Vietnam War while only 2.2 million men serve in today’s military.

Read More

Draft Dodgers Essay

860 Words | 4 Pages

Americans were dissatisfied with the draft dodgers decisions, viewing them as unfair, cowardly, and disrespectful to the country. David Harris, another draft dodger during the Vietnam War, spoke out about his

Read More

Coping Mechanisms In The Things They Carried And Tim O Brien

1435 Words | 6 Pages

It lay very still... Rat Kiley was crying. He tried to say something, but then cradled his rifle and went off by himself.” (75) This event had caused Kiley to

Read More

Important Quotes From The Things They Carried

931 Words | 4 Pages

Soldiers receiving a draft letter for war is typically a very hard and stressful time in their lives, especially the draft for Vietnam, the only draft America has had so far. Most of the men being drafted were young and unexperienced in war, making them hate it even more. They were taken and dropped into some of the worst circumstances the U.S. military has ever seen and expected to fight alongside people they had never even met before. As the war went on, the platoon members would bond, and have to watch their new friends get injured or die right in front of them, and wonder why they didn’t die as well. The harshness of the war made the soldiers look for any kind of escape from reality or way to make war easier, and they found drugs to be

Read More

Trust In Government During The Vietnam War

1763 Words | 8 Pages

The Vietnam Memorial Fund analyzed the Vietnam draft stating, “an October 1966 report by the National Advisory Commission on Selective Service showed that only 1.3 percent of local board members were African American. By comparison, African Americans constituted 11 percent of the U.S. population, 16.3 percent of all draftees, and 23 percent of all combat troops in Vietnam in 1967” (vvmf.org, 2018). This obvious disproportionation was emotionally scarring for many, and the poor socioeconomic citizens aimed their anger towards the government. They started to put their opposition towards the war effort to extreme measures with draft protests, inflicting minor injuries on themselves, or fleeing to Canada to make them ineligible for combat. The media televised the abuse of soldiers at war.

Read More

Dbq Essay On The Vietnam War

807 Words | 4 Pages

While perhaps four out of five of my friends from Harvard were being deferred, just the opposite was happening to the Chelsea boys.” this highlights how the draft was unfair and unjust to people of the lower class because they didn't have deferments like college or a doctors note that could be faked. They had nothing to stop them from going to war and that was unjust and unfair. In Doc 10, during Martin Luther King's "Beyond Vietnam" speech in 1967, he says” It became clear to me that the war was doing far more than devastating the hopes of the poor at home. It was sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and die in extraordinarily high proportions relative to the rest of the population.

Read More

How Did America's Songs Influence The United States Role In The Vietnam War?

508 Words | 3 Pages

The Vietnam War was a civil war that took place from 1955 to 1975 and involved several countries including China, France, the Soviet Union, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the United States, South Korea, and other U.S. Allies. This war became a major conflict of the Cold War. The United States intervened in the 1950s because they did not want South Vietnam to be taken over by communism. United States soldiers fought in the Vietnam War for almost twenty years, and Americans’ opinions about the United States’ involvement changed from positive, major support of the military in the war to lack of support over time. Over time, the growth of more uncensored and raw information showed what was happening in Vietnam causing a sense of betrayal from Americans.

Read More

The Vietnam War: The Anti-War Movement

1510 Words | 7 Pages

involvement in Vietnam, came growing opposing sentiments Stateside. While many were angered by the war, two main beliefs emerged. Those who believed the U.S. was not aggressive enough were known as the Hawks and promoted further deployment of soldiers. Those who were against the war, which famously included the Anti-War movement, were known ad the Doves and wished for the U.S. to leave Vietnam (textBook). Astonishingly, the Anti-War movement was the first of its kind in many ways, and is a clear example of the evolution of Civil Disobedience.

Read More

Us Involvement In The Vietnam War Essay

562 Words | 3 Pages

As a result, the U.S. began bombing targets in North Vietnam and the U.S. committed more troops to the conflict, although no war was declared. “The United States soon began bombing targets in North Vietnam, although no war was ever declared” (page 798). As the United States send more troops and spent high sums into the war the nation grew divided, the majority of Americans backed the war effort to stop the spread of communism. “As the United States committed more troops and poured vast sums into the war, the nation grew increasingly divided. At first, the majority of Americans backed the war effort to stop the spread of communism” (page

Read More

Vietnam Relationship To The Domino Theory

503 Words | 3 Pages

The draft Men were forced to be in the military with technically no way out. As soon as they turned of age that they could be deployed, they were automatically put in a lottery that had random drawings. The 26th Amendment

Read More

Morals And Nationalism In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

853 Words | 4 Pages

Numerous draft dodgers took refuge in Canada, an option O'Brien weighed heavily, he says, ¨I thought about Canada. I thought about jail. But in the end I could not bear the prospect of rejection: by my family, my country, my friends, my hometown. I would risk conscience and rectitude before risking the loss of love¨ (O’ Brien 4). Draft dodgers were meant to be punished but authorities were inconsistent with upholding to their threats.

Read More

PTSD In The Things They Carried Essay

809 Words | 4 Pages

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in The Things They Carried During the turbulent times of the Vietnam War, thousands of young men entered the warzone and came face-to-face with unimaginable scenes of death, destruction, and turmoil. While some perished in the dense Asian jungles, others returned to American soil and were forced to confront their lingering combat trauma. Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried provides distinct instances of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and reveals the psychological trauma felt by soldiers in the Vietnam War. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD for short, is the most common mental illness affecting soldiers both on and off the battlefield.

Read More

Political Effects Of The Vietnam War

390 Words | 2 Pages

The United States paid a high political cost for the Vietnam War. It weakened Americas confidence in the government, and in the honesty and ability of its leaders. Suspicion of those in power, described the views of a number of Americans during this time. The antiwar movement led a group of congresspersons to question the dedication of American troops to conflicts not directly involving national importance. Their doubts were further raised by the fact that Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon sent American forces into Vietnam with little regard for congressional endorsement.

Read More

The Negative Impact Of Vietnam War On American People

765 Words | 4 Pages

Also, newspapers revealed stories and government secrets that proved that the American people were being lied to ( New York Times vs. the United States). The Vietnam war is believed by some to be a war deeply rooted in economics. Many aspects of the United States were affected directly. The Great Society programs were suffering because the money that was put towards the war, could have been used to help poverty programs.

Read More

Cause And Effect Of The Vietnam War

314 Words | 2 Pages

During the Vietnam war, more than 3 million people were killed. The war was intensified by the ongoing cold war between the U.S and Russia. The causes of this war revolve around the belief that communism was threatening to expand all over South-East Asia. To support the communist cause, the soviet union armed its communist state, China, who helped arm and equip North Vietnam who fought against the Americans.

Read More

More about How Did The Vietnam War Affect Young Americans?

Related Topics

Open Document