Psychological Effects Of The Vietnam War Summary

In the article The Psychological Effects of the Vietnam war the author John Hochgesang explains how pointless and disruptive Vietnam war was. He begins with calling Vietnam war failure. The people of American knew it was bad and wrong and protested it but the government didn’t believe the same way. This war was a waste of time, taxes, resources and precious lives of young Americans. Many soldiers suffered from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). During WWII, Japanese forces invaded Vietnam. Political Leader Ho Chi Minh, created the Viet Minh to fight off the Japanese occupiers and the French colonial administration. Japan withdrew its forces following the defeat in WWII. Active U.S involvement in the war began in 1954. “U.S military personnel deserted and a robust anti-war movement among the American forces pawned violent protests.”

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Hochgesang also discussed the factors that affected the adjustments of the soldiers were, DEROS (date of expected return from the overseas, the first part of the war which was fought between 1964-68 was a traditional, good war against North Vietnam army only but the second half of the war which was between 1968-72 was brutal, bad war with not only army but also the civilians. There were no boundaries. Drugs and alcohol played a major role and was common amongst the American soldiers. Marijuana was the main drug focused in this article. Later marijuana was banned when the government heard about it. But that didn’t stop the soldiers to sedate themselves so they could forget about the pain, they turned to heroine. It sped up the perception of time for them. Media also had immense effect on the lives of Americans. This article states how the public was informed about the war through newspaper. Television, and radios. Media portrayed and shaped stereotype of soldier’s lives. According to this article