Vietnam Veterans: Different Experiences

Abstract

There have always been misconceptions about the treatment of Vietnam veterans upon their return home as the media portrayed them as spat-upon. However, this notion does not hold true for all of the two million returning veterans. Thus, in my research, I wanted to discover more about the different ways in which Vietnam veterans were affected by the war. During my research process, I mainly focused on primary documents of veterans recounting their experiences in the war and after the war as they return home. Although there definitely were many more experiences, my paper reflects the diverse opinions of different veterans. It also explains the role of the government and its decisions that shaped the coming home experiences of veterans. These experiences led me to conclude that all of the veterans were affected differently by the war which was largely due to how their lives changed and how they were treated after.