Quote:
Originally Posted by jsarno
Well, while I would like to initially agree, I have a couple comments to ponder. 1- Are they mentally ill now? If so, they need to go into another catagory, and like I already said, I agree with helping them. 2- Why is it the soilders from WW1 and WW2 didn't have the same issues, yet they saw some pretty graphic images? WHat made 1 generation be able to take it (or surpress it) and the other generation got all messed up?
|
To answer your second question, I think that WWI and WWII were totally different types of wars compared to the Vietnam "Conflict". When our troops came home from WWI and WWII they were reguarded as HERO's. And as you know, in WWII we were attacked so that war meant alittle more to the people and troops than the Vietnam war/"conflict." When our troops came home from Vietnam they were spit on, protested against, and labled "baby killers." To me that is night and day when you are talking about the attidude that the troops had to come home too.
Also, alot of the Vietnam troops got "boned" by our goverment when they tried to get "war time" benifits. They were told that they were not in a war, but that they were in a "conflict." I am sure that had to weigh heavy on some of the men's minds. On top of all of this, the day after the US leaves Vietnam, North Vietnam takes over anyhow. So the whole thing was done for nothing, atleast I am sure that is what some of the men felt like, they didn't win.
In conclusion, WWI and WWII troops came home to parade, a socity with its arms opened, and were called HERO's. When Vietnam vets came home they came home to a COUNTRY that turned its back on them, people protesting against them, and being called baby killers. There are some that over came that adversity but that is a lot to over come for the most part. Think about it for a minute, think what it must have ben like to be 18, a US soldier, and be stuck in Vietnam. On top of that if you got to go to a Vietnam town, you never knew truely who the enemy was. It could be the guy next to you at the bar, it could be a little boy on the corner shinning shoes, or even woman walking down the street. I am sure that the men of WWI and WWII saw horrific imagies, but atleat they knew who the enemy was and why they were fighting, not so much can be said for our Vietnam troops...