The Vietnam War America s longest war an undeclared war that nobody won 11 29 12 1982 survey by Veterans Administration showed that 82 of former American soldiers who engaged in heavy combat in Vietnam believed it was lost because they were not allowed to win 66 displayed a willingness to fight again under fewer limitations General William Westmoreland Denounced American media for alleged distortions that turned the people against the war Wanted a war of attrition where superior American firepower would wipe out the enemy Military officers reported that American reporters in Vietnam exaggerated events that poisoned the public and turned them against the war They believed that America should not wage a war if they were not going to support its soldiers Social Consequences of War Increased men s enrollment in college African Americans 11 of U S population 23 of war fatalities Dropped to 14 by 1969 Less likely to support the war than whites Youngest soldier to die in Vietnam was a 16 year old Black Marine from Brooklyn Average age of the soldier serving in Vietnam 19 Body Count number of Viet Cong killed Mylai Massacre 1968 300 500 unarmed citizens were murdered in March More atrocities like this probably took place but were never revealed Many soldiers were sent to Vietnam as individuals instead of units so there was a lack of camaraderie Race relations Became increasingly brittle Use of drugs so widespread 1 3 of the troops addicted to opium or heroin Fragging Home Front Use of fragmentation grenades to ensure no evidence was left Soldiers used this to kill superiors or fellows College campuses became the center of growing opposition to the war Teach ins Hawks Americans had to win the war to Save Southeast Asia from Communism Preserve the nation s prestige Protect the lives of American soldiers Doves prominent minority Included Tom Hayden and actress Jane Fonda folk singer Joan Baez editorialist Walter Lippmann Senator J William Fulbright and Dr Benjamin Spock Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the Army on religious grounds Burning draft cards Defied federal law Kent State Jackson State May 1970 National Guard shot into crowd of protesters killing 3 students and wounding 9 May 1970 antiwar protesters seized a women s dorm police opened fire killed 6 students and wounded a dozen others The Vietnam Vet Many consider themselves to be members of a displaced generation Portrayals of Vietnam Vets in the media are two dimensional Thousands exposed to Agent Orange which may have afflicted them with cancer or other disorders PTSD panic rage anxiety alcoholism divorce Vietnam Memorial November 1982
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