Vietnam Veterans: Continuing Readjustment

Report Outline
Special Problems of Former soldiers
Veterans Administration Under Fire
Government Programs to Aid Vets
Special Focus

Special Problems of Former soldiers

As Veterans Day approaches, one group of American veterans stands out from all the others—the two million men who served in Indochina during the “Vietnam era.” Unlike those who served in America's other wars, the Vietnam veterans received no heroes' welcomes when they returned home. On the contrary, many Americans viewed those who fought in Vietnam with fear and suspicion. Many Vietnam veterans came home to other problems as well: drug addiction; widespread unemployment, especially among young black veterans; neglect and sometimes incompetent treatment from government agencies whose job it was to help them.

Vietnam veterans have “never been recognized for their service to the country,” President Carter said last year. “They [have] often been despised, characterized as criminals…. They were extraordinarily heroic, serving their country in great danger even if they didn't have the appreciation of their fellow citizens and even if they felt the war was wrong.”

Evidence of Continuing Stress Disorders

One potentially long-lasting effect of the Vietnam War is the psychological impact it had on those who fought in it. The psychological problems of combat soldiers have been recognized and measured during and after nearly every war in modern times. But several factors peculiar to the situation in Indochina made the psychological adjustments for returning Vietnam veterans particularly difficult.