(1967–1979)
The twentieth century was a decade of war: of the hundred million war-related deaths worldwide since 1700, over 90 percent occurred in the twentieth century. Due in part to escalating advances in military technology, twentieth-century modern combat was exponentially more devastating than any previous incarnation. Also, new "total war" strategies radically increased civilian casualties and military "battle fatigue."
Those who experienced modern combat firsthand were more often than not psychologically traumatized: American combat veterans of the Vietnam War, in particular, exhibited "traumatic stress syndrome" in large numbers. Bernard Edelman's collection of letters home from American women and men in Vietnam provides us with a firsthand glimpse into the minds of the traumatized young soldiers and others. The two letters selected here are from U.S. soldiers about to return home and in both, the young men express their anxiety about integrating themselves back into "normal" life.
