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50 years since leaving Vietnam: How did the war change perceptions of veterans?

Almost 50 years ago, the Vietnam War came to an end for U.S. troops, leaving millions of veterans struggling to readjust to civilian life in a country deeply divided on the morality and ultimate outcome of the war. This Clarified episode dives into how the Vietnam War affected veterans and changed the way veterans are perceived in America.

Updated: 6:55 AM CDT Mar 23, 2023

The Vietnam war is arguably the most controversial war in living memory, and its divisive nature massively impacted the way its veterans were treated upon return. Perceptions of veterans in the United States changed with Vietnam, and through learning from mistakes and mistreatment, experience has improved for other veterans.The Vietnam War officially began in 1965, at the height of the cold war, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent combat troops into South Vietnam. At the time, the U.S. believed strongly in the "domino theory" if one country fell to communism, its neighboring countries would soon follow. North Vietnam was under communist control, so the U.S. entered the war to try to stop the spread of communism and target Soviet allies. The war proved controversial throughout the nation, with thousands of students and anti-war protestors staging demonstrations. Some rejected the reasoning for the war, arguing the U.S. shouldnt be involved in the first place, but others felt that the U.S. was right to fight communist and soviet allies. It was also the first televised war, and images of the horrors happening had enough power to change some minds. In January of 1973, the US signed a peace deal and began withdrawing troops on March 29. It also marked the end of the draft. However, the war wouldnt officially end until 1975 when communist forces in the North took over South Vietnam. The Vietnam war had a massive impact on American life, culture and politics. Almost 3 million Americans served in the war, which amounted to around one percent of the US population in the 60s and 70s. Both sides took losses, with Vietnam suffering terribly with 3 million dead and the US losing 58,000.Given the controversial nature of the war and Americas ultimate defeat, veterans werent given the homecomings often expected and that had been seen in the world wars before them. Instead, many civilians shied away from talking about the war. This affected veterans greatly. They felt that their war service was something that they had to conceal, that they had to hide, and they felt that their service was often very unappreciated, said Edward Miller, a Dartmouth College professor specializing in the Vietnam War.Even worse, many veterans struggled to access the military benefits they were promised by the government, including education and health care. One of the most poignant examples of this was the challenge veterans faced accessing health care, support, and acknowledgment of the issues caused by Agent Orange, a herbicide used in the war. In the '70s and '80s, you got more American veterans who were coming down with all sorts of cancers and other diseases, which were eventually linked to Agent Orange. For a long time, the Defense Department of Veterans Administration argued that this was not something that they were responsible for, says Miller. It was only after veterans banded together and successfully implemented class action lawsuits that the Defense Department changed its policy and began providing health care to veterans.In the '80s, things began to look up for veterans with the opening of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., which honored the lost men and women of the war. The opening of the memorial led to more marches and celebrations of veterans across the nation, and the government eventually began to acknowledge its wrongdoings in its treatment of veterans. This morphed into the "thank you for your service" culture prevalent today, in which civilians thank veterans in an attempt to acknowledge their sacrifices, regardless of politics.Miller recommends going above just thanking veterans but also engaging them in conversation about their experiences. For me, asking someone to tell you about their military service is an invitation to a conversation and, in my experience, that leads to more productive engagement and an opportunity for Americans to learn from Vietnam veterans, he says.

The Vietnam war is arguably the most controversial war in living memory, and its divisive nature massively impacted the way its veterans were treated upon return. Perceptions of veterans in the United States changed with Vietnam, and through learning from mistakes and mistreatment, experience has improved for other veterans.

The Vietnam War officially began in 1965, at the height of the cold war, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent combat troops into South Vietnam. At the time, the U.S. believed strongly in the "domino theory" if one country fell to communism, its neighboring countries would soon follow. North Vietnam was under communist control, so the U.S. entered the war to try to stop the spread of communism and target Soviet allies. The war proved controversial throughout the nation, with thousands of students and anti-war protestors staging demonstrations. Some rejected the reasoning for the war, arguing the U.S. shouldnt be involved in the first place, but others felt that the U.S. was right to fight communist and soviet allies. It was also the first televised war, and images of the horrors happening had enough power to change some minds.

In January of 1973, the US signed a peace deal and began withdrawing troops on March 29. It also marked the end of the draft. However, the war wouldnt officially end until 1975 when communist forces in the North took over South Vietnam. The Vietnam war had a massive impact on American life, culture and politics. Almost 3 million Americans served in the war, which amounted to around one percent of the US population in the 60s and 70s. Both sides took losses, with Vietnam suffering terribly with 3 million dead and the US losing 58,000.

Given the controversial nature of the war and Americas ultimate defeat, veterans werent given the homecomings often expected and that had been seen in the world wars before them. Instead, many civilians shied away from talking about the war. This affected veterans greatly.

They felt that their war service was something that they had to conceal, that they had to hide, and they felt that their service was often very unappreciated, said Edward Miller, a Dartmouth College professor specializing in the Vietnam War.

Even worse, many veterans struggled to access the military benefits they were promised by the government, including education and health care. One of the most poignant examples of this was the challenge veterans faced accessing health care, support, and acknowledgment of the issues caused by Agent Orange, a herbicide used in the war.

In the '70s and '80s, you got more American veterans who were coming down with all sorts of cancers and other diseases, which were eventually linked to Agent Orange. For a long time, the Defense Department of Veterans Administration argued that this was not something that they were responsible for, says Miller. It was only after veterans banded together and successfully implemented class action lawsuits that the Defense Department changed its policy and began providing health care to veterans.

In the '80s, things began to look up for veterans with the opening of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., which honored the lost men and women of the war. The opening of the memorial led to more marches and celebrations of veterans across the nation, and the government eventually began to acknowledge its wrongdoings in its treatment of veterans. This morphed into the "thank you for your service" culture prevalent today, in which civilians thank veterans in an attempt to acknowledge their sacrifices, regardless of politics.

Miller recommends going above just thanking veterans but also engaging them in conversation about their experiences.

For me, asking someone to tell you about their military service is an invitation to a conversation and, in my experience, that leads to more productive engagement and an opportunity for Americans to learn from Vietnam veterans, he says.

Read more:
50 years since leaving Vietnam: How did the war change perceptions of veterans? - KOCO Oklahoma City