Vincent Gabriel, Jr returned from his tour of duty in Vietnam thirty eight years ago. ", By the time he arrived at Huế﾿ in Feburary 1968, he was "already a seasoned infantryman, having fought for months in the jungle. They walked without a bath, a hot meal, or a good night's sleep. This page contains the first-hand experiences of Vietnam War Veterans Albert French - He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1963 after graduating from high school. Troops were supplied with so-called "pep pills," their nickname for Dexedrine, an amphetamine that was double the strength of the stimulants the military had prescribed in previous wars. The average age of a U.S. soldier dropped from 26 in World War II to just 19, not even old enough to vote at the time. “Pep pills” were usually distributed to men leaving … Be the first to submit a tribute honoring a vet from the Vietnam War! They fought together and returned home to build lives, families, and communities across the country. Anyone who experiences trauma, usually life life threatening, can have PTSD. the Vietnam War, historians have found varying answers to questions about the war. The ways we remember the Vietnam War concern more than just the past. "It was as if I got to see it like a real country, to see the real people. The use of pharmaceuticals to artificially suppress combat trauma may have contributed to the explosion of post-traumatic stress disorder cases among Vietnam veterans after the war. Drug use had taken its toll on troops. Nominal Rolls. Via Cat-uxo.com. But many others were poor or working-class teenagers who enlisted or were drafted into the military right out of high school. Photo by Brandi Redd Few American military conflicts of the 20th century were as controversial as the Vietnam War. SOLDIERS TELL TRUE STORIES OF THEIR WAR. "I said to my mom, 'Is this the way you raised me, to let other sons' mothers go through this?' In honor of National Vietnam War Veterans Day on March 29, signed into law in 2017 by President Donald J. Trump, AARP spoke with six veterans of the war about their most vivid memories — and about what they want Americans today to know or remember. The Vietnam War was Check it out here. But in the meantime, there were hours and even days where there were no Viet Cong to be found, no fights, and nothing to distract them from the monotony. Heroes of Vietnam: The Stories of Fallen Soldiers. Some of these men were career military officers. On a day … Far from returning as conquering heroes, they returned home to a stagnating economy, scarce GI benefits, little government support, and an unwelcoming populace. The Booby Trap … About 75% of the 2.5 million soldiers fighting in Vietnam worked in support roles as clerks far away from the front lines. And after seeing the images of the Vietnam War on television, after seeing the pictures taken by war correspondents, and after hearing accounts of war atrocities, most of the American pubic in the 1960s was inclined to agree. LRPs were freeze-dried, dehydrated field rations that came in waterproof bags and were much lighter than the bulky cans soldiers had previously carried. American troops didn't know if the villagers were aiding the Viet Cong, harboring enemies, or laying traps that could kill American troops. By the end of the war, more than 58,000 brave service men and women had perished in Vietnam, and 304,000 were wounded during this longest American war. If you are a veteran, know a veteran, or are related to a veteran, and would like to place a personal story on the Online Veterans Tribute, please mail it to: American Veterans Center 1100 N. Glebe Rd. Regarding your father's viewpoint of American soldiers, I have written a post about the truth vs. reality of popular depictions of Vietnam War era American soldiers. In a war where morale was already weakened by unclear objectives and uncertain outcomes, unfriendly encounters with the Vietnamese civilians they were ostensibly liberating only made matters worse. The most common loophole was the college student deferment policy, which excused any man enrolled in college or graduate school. I had only seen the war. Instead of being stationed on the front lines, they might be assigned a support detail on one of the rear bases. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died in the war. Home / History / Modern History / Vietnam War / What Was Daily Life Like for Soldiers in the Vietnam War? Yes, the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army were trying to kill them. These Vietnam War photos are a key part of understanding soldiers' experiences during the conflict and provide insight into operational specifics that were unknown to the press. The belief that the antiwar movement was antagonistic toward Vietnam-era soldiers still has a deep grip on popular memory and political culture. And you lived through the maybe the closest thing this country had, even if only for a few short years, of being at peace. But after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, the racial violence that had been bubbling up in cities across America finally reached Vietnam. He was treated on the field and continued to fight. It took their mind off what the war was about and helped if they didn'tt necessarily believe in the cause for which they fought. He fought in the Tet offensive of 1968. Most crucially, they carried mosquito repellent and dry socks. African American Sergeant Lewis B. Larry … 2. The draft lottery proved to be unfair in another significant way. A U.S. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, about 30% of soldiers who saw combat in Vietnam experienced PTSD in their lifetime. We Were the Biggest Threat to Our Own Safety. That's not to say the drugs deserved all the blame for the difficulty veterans faced after returning home. This article was written by Tirdad Derakhshani from Philly.com and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Soldier Recalls Vietnam War Battle Experiences U.S. veteran Caesar Smith gives a first hand account of the fighting conditions in Vietnam. Besides weapons, each of us carried an extra 30kg of personal material and food. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The form this memory takes is linked to the present and helps frame the boundaries and content of political discourse today. The American Soldier in VietnamMore than 2.5 million American men served in Vietnam during the war. Bucks County poet Bill Ehrhart, 68, recounts his experiences in Vietnam in several poems as well as his 1983 memoir, Vietnam Perkasie. [3] Others died of overdoses before they could even make it back. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, about 30% of soldiers who saw combat in Vietnam experienced PTSD in their lifetime. 58,318 names of American men and women who died in the war are etched on the black granite slabs of the Vietnam Veterans … We've got an advance excerpt from the 15th Pike Logan novel. SOLDIERS TELL TRUE STORIES OF THEIR WAR. The NVVM is exploring an oral history project to record Veteran stories. Their book, “Last Draftees,” was released last month. Jan C. Scruggs. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate in asking or come over to r/AskHistorians , which is … For "Huế﾿ 1968: A Turning Point of the American War In Vietnam," Mark Bowden interviewed more than 100 men and women from both sides of the fighting. 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