Why were Vietnam veterans often treated badly when they came home?

Answer 1

People believed they acted irresponsibly.

(APEX)

!/

Answer 2

Many Americans did not support the war.

APEXXXX :)

Answer 3

There was a very strong anti-war movement during the Vietnam War, and many people believed that it was wrong for the US to meddle in the affairs of Vietnam, which was not a threat to the US and had never attacked the US. Soldiers who fought in Vietnam did not necessarily agree that the war was a good idea, since soldiers are obligated to follow orders and they do not get to pick and choose which military campaigns they wish to join, however, if they truly objected to the Vietnam War they did have the option of not joining the army, or of evading the draft, as many young men did. Those who allowed themselves to be drafted did not do enough to oppose the war, in the judgment of the anti-war movement. These soldiers were complicit in what was seen as an immoral war.

Answer 4

The Vietnam vetsVietnam Vets were often treated Badly and unfairly due to the unpopular nature of the war. The Vietnam VetsThe decision to enter the Vietnam War was at first received with much support from the Australian public. However, it soon divided the nation with the introduction of conscription. As media coverage soon began to show the true nature of the war, Australians began to change their minds. They felt that the war was unnecessary and the mood soon turned sour. In 1969 Prime Minister Gorton made the decision to stop sending troops into Vietnam, and by 1972 Australian troops were pulled out altogether. The reason that Vietnam Veterans were received and treated so badly is that the war was undesirable and Australians did not want to associate themselves with it. Canada as well didn't enter the war because they didn't trust the reasoning for the Vietnam War given by the American Government.

The American soldiers believed in their government and served bravely to protect those back home. They were unaware of the media coverage of sit-ins by students with 'Love Not War' signs everywhere. It was the first time in American history that the a high percentage of the people of the U.S., used freedom of speech against the war that they felt was unnecessary and the media did a great job of Propaganda showing pictures of soldiers crying, holding children, bodies of American soldiers, and then in another media coverage showing the ugly side of what the American soldiers were doing. The soldiers were simply doing their duty and no one could understand the horrors of what these men were going through. They saw their friends blown to hell and wondered when their own number would be up. Many of them became drug addicts, alcoholics just to survive.

There was also unrest between the blacks and whites in some units because the blacks felt they were getting the most dangerous jobs because they were considered lesser than the whites. This did not happen in all units, but many. When Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated this was the straw that broke the camel's back and the blacks/whites were again at each other's throats and the blacks didn't trust the whites to protect their backs. In time, and on tour of duty they were often too busy fighting to care if it was black or white and just were trying to stay alive. Citizens of the U.S. didn't realize that the Vietcong were using villagers as hostages and the American soldiers had no choice but to mow down women, children and the elderly. The media was quick to pick this up and the title 'Baby killers" soon arose from the public back in the U.S.

Those young men that hadn't been drafted (some that came home after one year of duty often come to Canada so they wouldn't be drafted or sent back and we welcomed them with open arms. Draft cards were being burnt in the U.S. and well as the American flags. Many of the older war vets from WWII especially looked their nose down at the young men who either refused to fight or had done one tour of duty and refused to go back, but what these older vets didn't realize was this was a war based on lies and deception and far removed from the causes of war with Hitler and Japan. Agent Orange (called Red Rain by the Vietnam people) and Agent White were sprayed from planes and the American soldiers were part of this and used as Guinea Pigs. They became ill just like the Vietnam people. These two chemicals soaked the farming land and rendered it useless.

Once the Vietnam War was finally over and the U.S. soldiers could come home they came back to hysterical crowds of 'Baby Killers' to being spit on. This was a great shock to the soldiers and a sad one to think they had come back not only with broken bodies in many cases, but in mind and spirit. It was difficult for them to get jobs and they didn't even get the medical care they so deserved from their country.

The most disgusting thing I found regarding the soldiers fighting the Vietnam War was the fact that they were ignored after losing limbs, having horrific nightmares, being hooked on drugs or simply trying to get through a normal day. Many just took to the streets to survive on those streets, others travelled to try and forget, while others committed suicide, but others did survive. It was a 4F gentleman that got the plans for the Black Wall to put the names of all the soldiers that had died in Vietnam just so their buddies and their families could touch the engraved names. Even during this time there was a problem with the black's names going on this wall, but again that was ruled out (thankfully) because any man that loses his life in a war where he is sent by his own government should be treated with the highest of honor.

Sadly it was the U.S. government that didn't want a black mark on the history books and many of the truths didn't come out for some years. This war had disgraced the U.S. Government and they didn't care about the many young men that gave up their lives for this war.

Answer 5

Vietnam Veterans represented the anti-war protests, the Kent State Shootings in Ohio, loved ones fleeing to Canada to avoid the draft, newly disabled young men (war wounded), flag drapped coffins, and losers of a lost war. To name a few.

Answer 6

People in the USA had realised that the USA was on a loser in Vietnam, and had done some horrendous things there, so people did not want to regard Vietnam veterans highly, which was hard on the individual veterens, who were mostly compelled by the draft to serve there.

Answer 7

the soldiers that returned from the Vietnam war were treated with disrespect and people did not like what they had done. The people could see what they did over television because the war was being broadcasted.

Answer 8

One reason is that the war was very unpopular, and soldiers were seen as representatives of the war.

Also, some people believed that the soldiers had acted irresponsibly and unethically.

Answer 9

Because the public had seen what the soldiers did overseas through T.V. The My Lai Massacre and Napalm girl are included in these images.

Answer 10

because everyone thought there was a therory so they went over there to seee if it was true