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Paige Pendleton

America vs. Trauma

Richard M. Nixon once said, “No event in American history is more misunderstood than

the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now.” It has had an impact

on soldiers, mothers, civilians and children. The Vietnam War was a traumatic experience for

everyone. This traumatic experience, causes the human system of self-preservation to go into

permanent alert, as if the danger might return at any moment, (Judith Lewis Herman). This

danger lived throughout the entire Vietnam War, whether it was the Vietnamese soldiers,

American soldiers, American government, or the American people, everyone was affected. The

many dangers this war had, makes this war the most traumatic because of the pre- and post-

traumatic experiences inflicted on the soldiers, government, and the American people

(Kattenburg).

The trauma began in 1955. Northern Vietnam and Viet Cong were fighting to bring

communism back into their government of Vietnam. When America heard that there was a

chance of communism being spread in the Asian area, America had to step in and try to defeat

the growth of communism (History Learning Site). The main reason for our troops to travel to

Vietnam was because it was America’s job to protect the Southern Vietnamese. The Southern

Vietnamese people were trustworthy allies at the time, that America had to do everything in their

power to protect them from danger. The Americans had to set base in Vietnam to achieve their

goal. In that time, the Southern Vietnamese started to attack the Americans because they were on

their land. Instead of trying to side with America, they felt intruded and attacked their friends,

the Americans. So the war turned from North against South to North and South Vietnam against
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America (Ho Chi Minh). Because of this, the Americans despised the Vietnamese. We could not

back down from them, so we had to fight (Vietnam The Ten Thousand Day War). Many thought

that America should not have joined the civil war between Northern Vietnam and Viet Cong

because it was not our land. But, the officials of America believed it was a chance to protect the

entire world from danger (Kattenburg). America was faced with a huge amount of trauma

because another war would affect the economy, our soldiers, or the world. To fulfill America’s

duty of protecting the economy, the soldiers and the world, they needed everyone to fight no

matter how old or how young they were.

To fight in the war was traumatizing. To fight at the age of 18 was even more

detrimental. During this time, America thought that it was best to use its youngest soldiers for

the front line. They should have been the strongest and fastest out of the bunch (Vietnam The

Ten Thousand Day War). But most cried out “mother!” (Parker). Herbert Hoover said, “Older

men declare war. But it’s the youth who must fight and die!” At age 18, there could not have

been any ounce of confidence in those young bodies. These kids were ripped right out of high

school and were told to strap on a gun and lace up their boots. This is where the pre- trauma

begins. They were put into an adult situation or otherwise forced into adulthood without any

preparation. Instead of finishing high school and getting a proper education, many of these kids

were getting an education of war and war tactics. They were learning how to survive on their

own (Arnett: Video 2). Young kids should not be brought up like that. They should also have a

choice whether they want to join the war or not. But the ones that did join the fight had to learn

the ins and outs of Vietnam’s war tactics.

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George Hoffman said, “Now this ain’t no bullshit! Combats know that these words signal the

time to roll up pant legs, and in some cases, to put on hip waders. Semper Fi!” (The War Story).

The soldiers had to be ready for any situation. The most effective tactic used by the Vietnamese

were guerrilla tactics. Guerilla tactics are when people hide and get attacked with no way of

defending themselves. Most people would hide in holes, and then get fired at by the other

opponent (Vietnam The Ten Thousand Day War). In America’s case, the Vietnamese were

shooting and never holding back. Our soldiers were not ready or very understanding of these

tactics. American soldiers were taught to fight and defend head on. With our soldiers not ready

for the attacks, we lost more people than ever (Vietnam The Ten Thousand Day War). Some may

say that American soldiers should have been trained more to understand the Vietnamese tactics,

but there was no way of knowing how the Vietnamese people were going to fight, America has

never had a battle against the Vietnamese. Not only was there no way of knowing how to battle,

there was also no leadership to enforce the right way to battle among the Vietnamese.

During the Vietnam War, there was no true role model. Even though the soldiers were

told to do something, the soldiers refused to follow orders (Arnett: Video 2). The soldiers were

self-reliant. Generals did not enforce any tactics, rules, or any kind of communication from the

American government. With no leader, the soldiers did their best. “Shoot or be shot.” (Vietnam

The Ten Thousand Day War). This saying was the motto for all of the soldiers, generals,

lieutenants, and America’s president, Lyndon B. Johnston. He was more apathetic then the entire

army. Johnson did not want to go to war with the Vietnamese at the time, so he stayed out of the

entire war throughout his term. As the years go by, America has elected a new president, Mr.

Richard M. Nixon. He did not do much for America at the time. Instead of trying to save
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America, he ignored the country's needs. Nixon abused his power. He would send bombs to

Vietnam without anyone knowing (Vietnam The Ten Thousand Day War). R. Lee Ermy once

said, “Neither Johnson nor his party nor the government as a whole were willing to raise, train,

equip, and then send Vietnam sufficient manpower to do the job.” How can soldiers be

accountable when they are not being informed of decisions made at the top? With no answers

from their leaders, the soldiers were being traumatized by not knowing where or what to do next

in a foreign country.

The war was made up of many men. But what got many of the men to make an oath to

defend our country was propaganda. There was a sign on every corner (Arnett Video: 2).

Every sign would show a different story. Some would have pictures of children with a slogan

above saying, “Save Your Children!!” (Arnett Video: 2). Some signs would show the enemy to

feed Americans fire in defending the country. There were also signs that would say, “Baby

Killers!!” (Arnett Video: 2). Many people were against the war from continuing, so protesters

would do whatever they could to change a soldier's mind. These anti-war people thought that the

soldiers were wasting time, money, and killing innocent people, including babies. If a soldier

was walking down his hometown street and saw a sign that was aimed toward him, he would

have been traumatized by the hatred that was portrayed to him. Anti-war people were not going

to sugar coat their beliefs (Kattenburg). They wanted the world, the government, and the

soldiers to know that they were wrong. But the soldiers had to go do their duty, for it was the

government’s decision even though the government had nothing to do with the soldiers when in

Vietnam.
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With no leader to enforce tactics, the men had to work with what they were given. The

soldiers were not given many weapons because of the Cold War. Because the wars were so

close, there was not enough money to reimburse the debt from the Cold war and then the

Vietnam War debt through America into a recession (History Learning Site). But weapons that

they did get were never successful of winning the battles. The very few weapons that the

American soldiers used were rifle carbines, types of machine guns, different types of mortar,

recoilless rifle or rocket launcher types, antitank weapons, and anti-aircraft artillery weapons

(Kattenburg). All of these weapons were left over from the Cold War. Many say that even

though the weapons given were not great, they were still weapons, and could be used to the best

of their ability. Brian Jacques once said, “Any weapon is a good weapon as long as ye can use it

with honor and skill.” But broken, old and small amounts of weapons were not going to win a

war. Later on, America had learned that these weapons were not at all successful and cost the

chance of winning this war (History Learning Site).

With little to no weapons, the government would try to solve the soldier’s problems. The

first one to react to these problems was President Richard M. Nixon. He took these problems

into his own hands and tried to handle the battles with his own weapons (Vietnam The Ten

Thousand Day War). President Nixon would send bombs upon the Vietnamese land without any

communication between the government and the army (Arnett Video: 2). Not one person knew

that the bombs were coming or who was sending them. Although some of these bombs saved

American soldiers, there could have been a chance of losing our own people too. A bomb could

have landed on a base and destroyed our chance to defend our country with a stronger force.

But President Nixon seemed to have good aim, and ended up attacking the right pieces of land.
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While there was a battle on foreign land, there was a battle growing between the American

people and the soldiers. Many people were against the entire Vietnam War and wanted the

government to know that. Americans shared their opinions regardless of the situation (Arnett:

Video 2). People had a problem with the war starting and ended up endangering the soldiers for

agreeing to fight. Many citizens had a problem separating the soldiers from the actual conflict,

and in sometimes blame the soldiers. In doing this, they created war within the United States

(Arnett: Video 2).

Coming home to people that do not accept your service or look down upon you just as

much as your enemy, can really break your self-esteem down. Those soldiers were off fighting

for their country and getting nothing in return. When they came home, there were riots, fights,

and murders just over the controversy of the war. Controversy led to physical violence to the

spectators and crowds. Anywhere the soldiers went, they seemed to be attacked and harassed.

When the people you have been fighting for to protect, view you as the enemy it creates self-

doubt (Arnett: Video 2). It is almost like the soldiers did not do their job right. They were just

doing what they were told.

America battled Vietnam, their own people, their government and finally the battles were

over in 1975. When the war was finished, America sat down and decided to make a law to

determine that something like this dangerous outcome will never happen again. The War Powers

Resolution of 1973 was created. It requires the President to notify the Congress within forty-

eight hours that he has sent troops overseas. The Resolution also forbids military personnel from

remaining in a state of conflict for more than 60 days. After that, the President must find an

additional authorization from the Congress. This Resolution was made to protect the troops that
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were being sent overseas without any other government officials knowing. Richard M. Nixon

wanted to win the many battles with as many troops as he could assemble (Vietnam The Ten

Thousand Day War). A law like this may seem unneeded, but this law could have saved some if

not most of our soldiers’ lives that President Nixon endangered. For those who were not saved

from this law did go and defended our country to their best of their ability.

During the war, people in America could see their soldiers fight to the best of their ability.

The entire war was televised for everyone to see (Kattenburg). Marshall McLuhan said,

“Television brought the brutality of war into the comfort of the living room. Vietnam was lost in

the living rooms of America--not on the battlefields of Vietnam.” The television would show

every piece of the war, whether the Americans were winning the battle, or terribly losing. The

government and television hosts thought that the people needed to see how their men were

fighting. But with the war being televised, it traumatized family and loved ones that the war was

not worth their men’s lives. They did not want their fathers, husbands, brothers, or friends

risking their lives for such an evil circumstance. The soldiers suffered and the people suffered.

“The US military still blames the media for stories and images that turned the American public

against the war in Vietnam” (Bruce Jackson). The television has made a great impact on these

people forever to lead to a traumatic life.

Most veterans from the Vietnam War are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress disorder or

PTSD because of the many deaths soldiers have witnessed. Post-Traumatic Stress disorder is

defined as an anxiety disorder which stems from a particular incident evoking significant

stress. Their minds keep rambling on. One negative thought leads to another. In comparison, a

child that is afraid of the dark, will imagine or visualize monsters or just the worst things to come
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out from underneath their bed. They have the strongest symptoms of paranoia (The VVA

Veteran).

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a new name for an old story (The VVA Veteran). These

old stories are not heard all too often though. The stories are so hard to talk about because of the

troubling sights the soldiers witnessed. They have seen the sights, the sadness, and the

Blood. Tim O’Brien said, “It was very sad, he thought. The things men carried inside. The

things men did or felt they had to do,” (O’Brien). Because they do not talk about it, it “effects on

One’s family and loved ones;” (Parker). This places all of them at a higher risk of depression,

drugs or alcohol, or even to commit suicide.

Tim O’Brien, the author of The Things They Carried, had lost a friend, Norman

Bowker. “A story about a guy who feels like he got zapped over there in that shithole. A guy

who can’t get his act together and just drives around town all day and can’t think of a damn place

to go and doesn’t know how to get there anyway.” He could not explain his pain to anyone. He

just knew that he did not feel right. Tim O’Brien received a note from Norman telling how he

felt inside, hoping that Tim would understand since he was in the war himself. He said, “‘the

thing is,’ he wrote, ‘there’s no place to go. Not just in this lousy little town . In general. My life,

I mean. It’s almost like I got killed over in Nam . . .” (O’Brien). He then decided it was best to

leave the world because there was no reason for him to be home in America (O’Brien). Tim’s

Friend Norman is one of many. The numbers of trauma grow every day from this war.

Many veterans do not like to talk about the war because no one can relate to them. No

one can understand war if they were not in the war. “The thing about a story is that you dream it

as you tell it, hoping that others might then dream along with you, and in this way memory and
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imagination and language combine to make spirits in the head. There is the illusion of

aliveness.” (O’Brien). Non-combatants lacked empathy for the soldiers and often felt as if their

stories were far too dramatic to be true. This lack of empathy contributed to the anti-war

sentiment in the country, one which led many Americans to not demonstrate the proper respect or

honor for soldiers (Vietnam The Ten Thousand Day War). When soldiers came home, war was

still unsettled.

Many people in America were going through a phase where they were against war

(Arnett: Video 2). Anti-war protesters targeted anyone that was involved with the war in any

capacity (Arnett: Video 2). The people of America would call the soldiers “Baby Killers,” and

“Monsters.’ (Arnett: Video 2). For any reason, there was a giant controversy over the war

because it was considered not peaceful. America was going through a time where “Peace” was

the only thing to happiness. But sometimes to make “Peace,” you had to make war. A Vietnam

soldier once said, "We had to destroy the village to save it." Many soldiers thought and faught

like this. It was their only way of protecting America.

Fighting can put a big impact on your life. Then, when you see bombs or guns being

used it changes your whole point of view. Some vets relive their experiences in the war in their

daily life. Tim O’Brien had experienced this. He said, “The pictures in my head, they won’t

quit.” They will visualize places, battles, and people that they witnessed in the war daily during

their days back at home. Trying to ignore all of the depressing sights gets harder as you get

home. With all of the controversy at home, there was nowhere for the soldiers to escape. No one

in America had a true place to escape to. The soldiers were lost, the government was quiet, the
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people were loud, the television was clear, and in the end all of these things led to a circumstance

that made people feel like they had no place to relax or feel safe.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder will affect the soldiers, the families and loved ones; and

will lead to depression for everyone. If only these Vets could talk about their war stories to

establish themselves and to entertain. Even though people did not want to hear the stories then,

people want to hear them now. There are studies that show that talking about their stories will

relieve the stress (US Department of Veterans Affairs). Tim O’Brien said, “War is hell, but that's

not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and

discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty;” With all of the

factors there is no doubt that this war was the worst at its time and now. The trauma lives

throughout the soldiers, the government, and the American people. Hopefully the trauma will

not be misreported or misremembered anymore.

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Works Cited

“America and Vietnam (to 1965).” History Learning Site, MooCow, 27 Mar. 2017.

“Bruce Jackson Quotes.” BrainyQuote, Xplore.

Express, Network. “A Short History of PTSD: From Thermopylae to Hue Soldiers Have Always

Had A Disturbing Reaction To War Article .” The VVA Veteran--A Short History of PTSD, Mar.

2017.

History.com Staff. “Ho Chi Minh.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2010.

Hoffman, George "Sunny". “The War Story.” The War Story, SS, 1994.

Judith Lewis Herman, Satoru Saitō (Translator), et al. “Judith Lewis Herman.” (Author of

Trauma and Recovery), Judith_Lewis_Herman.

Kattenburg, Paul M. “The Vietnam Trauma in American Foreign Policy.” Google Books.

O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. Flamingo, 2015.

Parker, Edward. “Vietnam , Countries of the World.” Infobase Publishing - Vietnam, Infobase

Publishing, 1 Aug. 2005.

“THE ARNETT FILES # 002: Da Nang, Vietnam (1985).” YouTube, YouTube, 11 Mar. 2017.

US Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration. “Public Health.” PTSD and

Vietnam Veterans: A Lasting Issue 40 Years Later - Public Health, 7 May 2017.

“Vietnam The Ten Thousand Day War 01of13 America in Vietnam.” YouTube, YouTube, 15 Mar.

2017.