THE FLOTSAM OF WAR AND PEACE: A STUDY OF THE VIETNAM VETERAN IN AMERICAN SOCIETY

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the Vietnam experience and the post-Vietnam re-entry into American society on the lives of individual Vietnam veterans who served in an unpopular was and returned home noticeably different from veterans of previous wars. Based on a series of in-depth interviews, this project explores the thoughts and feelings of five army veterans currently living in Massachusetts. Four were white and one was black. Two had been junior officers and three had been enlisted men. Three served in combatant roles, one in a support capacity and one worked in both combat and support assignments. Two had been wounded in action and were disabled. All came from working class backgrounds. Their dates of service in Vietnam ranged from 1965 to 1972. Four out of the five were native born. Political persuasions ranged from conservative to liberal. The interviews were conducted during the fall and winter of 1978-79 and ranged from four to six hours per man. Interviews were taped, transcribed, and edited for presentation in autobiographical form.;The response that the Vietnam veteran has received from the American public has been an instrumental factor in exacerbating the veteran's problems. The interviews reflect an entire nation suffering from war neurosis, resulting in a far reaching emotional limbo that has had a devastating effect on the society at large. The Vietnam veteran and contemporary America are more victims of the post-war culture and its values than of Vietnam itself. The as yet unresolved Vietnam veteran issue is seen as a microcosm of the way in which troubled America confronts itself and, therefore, the coming to terms with this issue is seen as an indication of the future viability of the society itself.;Possible explanation for the differences in readjustment lie in the individual's psychological make-up, childhood training and environment, the degree to which societal values were internalized, the personal Vietnam experience, the disparity between anticipated and actual reception by the American public upon returning from the war, the support systems available, individual reaction to societal attitudes concerning the Vietnam veteran. In the analysis presented here, the psychosocial difficulties encountered by Vietnam veterans cannot be attributed solely to their participation in a highly controversial war characterized by corruption and lack of purpose. Rather, readjustment is seen to be the result of a complex process involving the integration of the individual's pre-Vietnam experience, his Vietnam experience and his post-Vietnam experience.