Poorly in most cases, quite harshly in rare cases. Many troops had only rare exposure to the Vietnamese. Some Soldiers did treat the Vietnamese very well and bonded with them. It is hard to generalize about this. A Soldier could be mean to a villager while on patrol, but very nice to the ones he encoutered off duty. Cultural training wasn't very good and this did hamper their ability to develop relationships.
In the early 1960's it was a job that had to be done. By the late sixties, it was something that had to be removed from the lives of US citizens (it was US citizens that had to fight the war-drafted).
Any man in Vietnam who began to talk politics (why are we here? kind of talk) was usually quite quickly put in his place. He'd most likely hear, "aw knock off the whining, just do your job, when your time's up, go home, then you can whine about it! Until then we don't want to hear it!"
Bottom line: Most US fighting men just did their time, and went home. They could not control being drafted, they could not control being sent to Nam, so they just did their time (12 months in country).
The phrase "Baby Killer" was regularly used.
Also the the veterans were spat on, cursed at, and disrespected by many of the U.S. citizens.
Vietnam Veterans Against the War was created in 1967.
Korean War Veterans Memorial and Vietnam War Veterans Memorial
Division.
VFW-Veterans of Foreign Wars, founded by Spanish-American War of 1898 veterans in 1899. American Legion-founded by WWI veterans in 1919. AMVETS-American Veterans, founded by WWII veterans in 1944. VVA-Vietnam Veterans of America, founded by Vietnam War veterans in 1978.
vietnam veterans memorial
the Vietnam war veterans welcom home parade was in 1987.
A list of deceased Vietnam War veterans in the US can be found on the Vietnam Veteran's memorial. You can also find this type of list by contacting the VA in your area.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is in Washington, D.C.
Many returning veterans experienced rejection from their fellow US citizens, and US military morale suffered because of this experience.
Korean War Veterans Memorial and Vietnam War Veterans Memorial
after the Vietnam war
Rejection from the public.