How do Vietnam veterans feel about the war?

Most veterans felt proud of their service to their country in Vietnam, yet many also had some doubts about the war and their own actions in it. In fact, some veterans protested against the war once they returned to the United States.

How were the veterans of the Vietnam War treated?

Perhaps the cruelest aspect of the war was the treatment of the returning soldiers. Unlike the hero status given to the returning soldiers form World War II, the soldiers that served in Vietnam were portrayed as baby killers, psychos, drug addicts and war mongers.

What should you not say to a combat veteran?

What Not to Say

• Don’t ask if they’ve killed anyone.
• Don’t tread too gently around vets because you assume everyone has experienced trauma.
• Don’t ask them to put difficult experiences behind them.
• Don’t snap — even if they snap.
• Don’t describe their experience for them.
• Ask before throwing a welcome-home party.

How did soldiers feel about being in Vietnam?

Although the official goal of the war was to prevent communism from spreading into South Vietnam, American soldiers felt they had reason to mistrust everyone, North and South Vietnamese alike. Viet Cong were adept at blending in, sometimes taking cover in villages.

How old are Vietnam War veterans?

EsƟmated 6.4M Vietnam Era Veterans. Ages range from 97 to 55 years old (born between 1918 and 1960). Median age is 68 years. An overwhelming majority of Vietnam Veterans are male (6.2M) while in the civilian populaƟon females (47.7M) outnumber males by 20.5M.

Is there a difference between a veteran and a combat veteran?

To qualify for combat veteran benefits, service members or their surviving spouses must meet specific criteria. These criteria, determined by the VA, distinguish veterans from those veterans who never experienced combat. Recipients of Hostile Fire Pay or Imminent Danger Pay typically qualify for combat veteran status.

Does the military hate civilians?

Aside from the very rare psychopath, most soldiers are serving some idea of home and country, and hoping to protect such. Those civilians they are protecting, they protect out of love, there is no hate.

Why do soldiers not talk about Vietnam?

Civilians do not like to hear about killing, and combat soldiers do not want to talk about it. There is no euphemistic way to talk about killing, and there is no eloquent way to describe a violent death. So, in order to cope, soldiers have invented their own private language to talk about these subjects.

How old was the average soldier in Vietnam?

Fact: Assuming KIAs accurately represented age groups serving in Vietnam, the average age of an infantryman (MOS 11B) serving in Vietnam to be 19 years old is a myth, it is actually 22. None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than 20. The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age.