American Troops Returning From Vietnam.

¶ … American troops returning from Vietnam. Specifically it will argue that troops returning from Vietnam were addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. During the 1960s and 1970s, America was in upheaval. The country was under an onslaught of drug addiction and rebellion among its youth, and there was little support for the young Americans fighting a war in Vietnam. When many of these young men returned, they were greeted with jeers and hatred, rather than cheers and gratitude.

Many of them developed drug or alcohol addictions in Vietnam, or shortly after returning. This paper will argue that these addictions were inevitable due to the time of the war, the availability of drugs, and the Vietnam veterans' desire to block out their experiences in Vietnam any way they could. The Vietnam War was unlike any other war in American history. After World War II, and even the Korean Conflict, veterans returning home were seen as patriotic heroes who helped save their country from evil and threat.

When the Vietnam vets returned, they faced ridicule and ostracizing, and had difficulties adjusting to civilian life where they felt unwanted and disrespected. One writer who has studied the effects of the Vietnam era on veterans notes, "In addition to the confounding factor of the drug epidemic of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Vietnam's latter phase and postwar period were characterized (as had been in no other conflict) by the widespread stigmatization of those who had served" (Marlowe 75).

Drugs and alcohol were plentiful in Vietnam, and many soldiers used them to reduce the stress of day-to-day living in a harsh and unfamiliar environment. When they returned home, they continued to use drugs and alcohol to reduce the stresses of returning to a "normal," civilian life that was no longer welcoming. Even today, a high percentage of homeless, addicted veterans being treated in Veteran's Hospitals around the nation are survivors of the Vietnam era (Benda 199).

Thus, addiction has continued to play a very real part of many Vietnam veterans' lives. When the Vietnam veterans returned, they faced another obstacle to their recovery and assimilation back into society. Often, their condition and reaction to the war, now called "post-traumatic stress syndrome," was not even recognized. Most military doctors and psychiatrists were trained using methods that worked during World War II and the Korean Conflict, and Vietnam was a whole new ballgame when it came to stress and stress-related reactions.

Author Marlowe quotes a Vietnam-era authority who talks about some of the other causes leading to stress in Vietnam-era soldiers: "He noted that even without combat, 'insurmountable hardships existed in the environment. Constant heat, humidity, noise, filth, vermin and crowding.. [and].. The more subtle stresses of delay, shortage, uncertainty and ambiguity' as well as 'the prison farm atmosphere of the bases in Vietnam'" (Marlowe 76).

One of the drugs of choice during Vietnam was heroin, and the Nixon Administration was so alarmed at the growing use of heroin by American Armed Forces that Nixon asked Congress for funds to address the growing addiction of Americans, especially returning veterans (Belenko 277). Marijuana was also a popular drug, and it was readily available in Southeast Asia. It also grew in popularity back home, so when veterans returned, they usually had easy access to marijuana, and could continue their addiction.

These addictions seem inevitable as studies continue to link the stresses of war with various addictions and psychological disorders. As soldiers face stresses they may not have been prepared for, they become more anxious, and more open to removing that stress any way they know how. Drugs and alcohol are still widely available in the military and at home, and so, they turn to these substances to relieve their stress and make their current lives more bearable.

However, there are still people who believe that these stress-related reactions to war simply do not exist. One reporter notes, "Some experts insist there's no such thing as Gulf War syndrome, an illness that believers blame for the sickness of as many as 100,000 of the 700,000 American troops who served in the Persian Gulf in 1990 and 1991" (Rackl 1). This same denial often follows veterans returning from Iraq, and those who returned from Vietnam, and so, their experiences are often quite similar, even though they fought in different wars decades apart.

There are some who are simply unwilling to believe that post-traumatic stress disorder exists, and that it can lead to nearly insurmountable addictions in many veterans. What is the solution to stress disorder leading to addiction in America's fighting force? Perhaps a better understanding of just what these men and women face in combat and waiting for combat is necessary. However, that is not the only solution. Clearly, a better understanding and treatment of substance abuse is also required.

Many veterans returning home from the War in Iraq note they find themselves alienated from friends and family, and have no support from the government they served. On a veteran's web site, one soldier noted the difficulties he faced when he returned home, including increased alcohol use, fights with his wife, and a growing sense of dissatisfaction with his life. When he attempted to find help, he faced a brick wall. He writes, "The next morning I called the VA. The waiting list for counseling was months long.

I have kept civilian insurance from my wife's company so I called them. I wasn't covered. I was still eligible for TRICARE (military HMO) benefits so I called them. They told me to call the VA" (Anonymous, 2004). This is another problem that seems to echo the experience of many returning Vietnam veterans. When the soldiers who fought in Iraq come home, most people simply expect them to fall right into step in their old lives, as if nothing had happened.

For many of them, this is not possible, and they turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to block out their fears, their past, and their future. When these soldiers return home, they need services and counseling that will help them understand their reactions to the war, and their reactions to being home, so they do not have to turn to drugs and alcohol to make their lives "acceptable" to them. Some experts are beginning to call for action, too.

One article notes, "Soldiers reconnecting with family are coming from profound emotional experiences,' Chin said. 'The spouses also had these experiences, dealing with day-to-day issues by themselves, taking care of the children and gaining independence,' Chin said" ("Readjustment," 2002).

Thus, when veterans return home, they are often at odds with their family who expects them to act as if they had never been away, and yet the family has grown, evolved, and changed since they have been gone, and may not rely on them as much as they did before. This leads many returning veterans to depression and a growing dependence on drugs or alcohol to escape their problems and their memories.

It seems that the military is not very effective at preparing soldiers for what they will face on the battlefield and waiting for battle, and that they do not support them enough when they come home. More training for the soldiers and support personnel seems like it might help alleviate some of the stress and the inevitable reaction to stress - using substances to alleviate the immediate effects of stress and strain.

In conclusion, it is clear that the experiences of many veterans of the War in Iraq echo those of Vietnam veterans. There has been less notice of Iraq veterans returning home addicted to drugs and alcohol, but once they return even the military acknowledges there can be increasing problems with addiction and recovery.

It is clear the stresses of war are high, and that many soldiers are not prepared to cope with the day-to-day stresses of modern warfare, especially in wars that are not popular with a large segment of the population. Addiction in returning veterans can linger on for decades, as the surviving group of Vietnam veterans clearly shows. Thus, America must devise new ways of training soldiers for battle, and new ways of helping them deal with the stresses of battle when they return home. Annotated Bibliography Anonymous.

"Nightmare #1." Veterans for Common Sense. 23 Nov. 2004. 22 March 2005. http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/NewsArticle.cfm?ID=2432 This is one soldier's day-to-day diary of his experiences after he returned from Iraq, including his growing dependence on alcohol. He also notes the lack of understanding in his family, and the lack of support from the military. Author not Available. "Readjustment, Reconnecting After Deployment." United States Military Academy. 2 Oct. 2002. 22 March 2005. http://www.usma.edu/publicaffairs/PV/021004/Deployment.htm This article on the U.S.

Military Academy web site acknowledges some of the problems with returning veterans, and gives some tips for blending back in to American society. It also gives some ideas on how military personnel and their families can reconnect after deployment, and how family members may react to the soldier's return. Belenko, Steven R., ed. Drugs and Drug Policy in America a Documentary History. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000.

A comprehensive history of drugs and drug enforcement in American history, including some insight into heroin use during the Vietnam war, and the Nixon Administration's reaction to that.