| This dissertation is primarily a social history, written in layman's terms, of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with emphasis on the experiences of the Vietnam Veteran after the war.; Seven areas of interest were explored in this context, including the military, veteran's organizations, criminal behavior, the medical establishment, television and print media, and the concept of “Just War,” both within and outside of religion.; The results of this investigation show that the military, until well after the end of hostilities in Southeast Asia, continued to concentrate on the eradication of immediate combat stress and did almost nothing to prevent or alleviate post-combat trauma or its causes in American veterans.; In the civilian society, television and print media were examined as to the image of the veteran with PTSD and how this image was presented, and interpreted, by the Fourth Estate. Numerous archival sources were consulted, and this examination brought to light the facts as to who was indeed helping the veteran readjust to American society, and who fought against recognition of PTSD and what it was doing to the former soldier. Two methods of investigation were used: an examination of existing medical data on the topic, and research into the results of the condition as demonstrated within the various venues outside of the clinical environment such as the military establishment, veterans organizations, and the legal system.; This study is by no means a complete treatment of the topic, but it is the beginning of a search into perhaps the most troubling legacy of the war in Vietnam, and indeed all wars: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. |
