What were some of the long term effects of vietnam on returning soldiers?
After WWI, we talked about ‘shell shock.’ Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a fairly recent description of the trauma affecting civilians and soldiers. It has often been described as ‘a normal reaction to an abnormal situation.’ The fact that the reasons for the (USA) Vietnam War were disputed back home added to the stress, as did the Falklands War in the UK. Obviously the war in Afghanistan and Iraq will result in more traumatised soldiers (and civilians). People suffering from PTSD suffer not only from nightmares, but also ‘flash backs’ which can be triggered by something which is, to most people, not dramatic. This may cause deep depression and thoughts of suicide, but also very aggressive behaviour towards people who have no idea what the person is experiencing. Psychological help (not anti-depressants) should start within about 6 weeks of the traumatic experience. There is a problem with asylum seekers, because many sufferers develop a ‘blocking’ strategy and are not capabl
Many returning servicemen did not tell anyone they were veterans because of discrimination. Discrimination might come from his girlfriend (she would leave him), an employer (would not hire him or fire him), a neighbor (might trash his front yard), a school instructor (teacher) (purposely give him a lower grade), or a family member (would criticise him, or belittle him), when eating out in a restaurant and a young man had a crew cut (short hair) people knew he was in the military, and he would not get served, the waitress would be too busy of course, but all the “long hairs” got served. In 1974 (?) the U.S. Government passed a federal law specifically prohibiting discrimination against a Vietnam Veteran. EFFECTS One of the things you will hear from your parents is that the Vietnam War brought out more drug addictions than any other war. Things like Heroine and Opium were grown and created in the area. Its not so amazing that people sought out drugs in a place like Vietnam in the 60s and
