What was America like during the Vietnam War?

Answer 1

Vietnam was a very different war from previous wars such as World War I and World War II. In both those wars Americans felt and knew that the war was necessary and the enemy needed to be defeated because they were determined to take control of the US and Europe. However, in Vietnam, many Americans were unsure if the war was really right.

The most prominent of the groups that opposed the war were the 'hippies' who practiced counterculture in order to protest the war. There was a very good reason that this particular group should lead the protests; they were the group that would be required to go to Viet Nam at the peril of their lives. At that time, the draft was mandatory. For this age group, this meant that if you couldn't afford to go to college, or you could not maintain your grades, you would be called up.

Americans were very suspect of the Government's motive for involving the US in this country. We were purportedly there to protect South Viet Nam from Communist take over, the "Red Menace". But many Americans were not convinced that it was worth so many lives to make this attempt.

Another big influence in how Americans viewed the war was the fact that they were able to watch and see the war on TV. Something that was impossible during either of the World Wars and Korea. It gave any American with a TV a step into the real life of war and how very unglamorous it was.

The legacy of this war is very sad; veterans of the war returning to the US were not given respect for their service to their country as the vets of the previous wars had been. They were even sometimes derided as betrayers of the antiwar movement, even though they had no choice in serving unless they were to break the law and become fugitives.

So many of the returning veterans came back with severe emotional problems from what they had witnessed, drug dependency and mental illnesses. These vets found little help from the government which resulted in a large group of that generation never regaining the ability to take care of themselves. Far too many lived with homelessness and addictions for many decades after their return.

Answer 2

Primary combatant.

Answer 3

Hoping not to get drafted.

Answer 4

Policies and attitudes.