The Vietnam War was one of the longest and the most intense war in the U.S. history. It was fought in such way that it could never have been brought to a significant conclusion. The war has heavy impacts on people, especially on soldiers. It is psychologically appalling for veterans because it contains harsh violence, including death through struggle seeing the enemy before and after killing them, and observing their relatives die. Traumatic experiences that soldiers witnessed during the war have negatively impacted soldiers’ psychologies, their social lives and their personalities.
The Vietnam War impacted American veterans individual psychologies in a negative way. Most of the soldiers witnessed violence, horror and their friends’ bloody death. For instance, “I watched …show more content…
I discovered with a shock, as other soldiers have, that the only thing that separating me from meat hanging in a butchers shop was a thin piece of skin. This sort of experience leaves scars. I had nightmares, and for years afterward I was sour on life, by turns angry, cynical and alienated.” (Smith) stated Jack Smith who served in Vietnam for 37 years. It is clear that he had to oblige to face with difficult situations during the war when he was young. This quote also relates the tough conditions that they had to work on. This war led most young American soldiers to become drug addicts. For example, “Drugs and alcohol played a major role in the lives of the American soldiers during the Vietnam War. In the beginning of the war, marijuana was the main drug of choice. However, news that American soldiers were using drugs came back to the U.S., which resulted in immediate action by the military to suppress drugs, especially marijuana. After marijuana was banned, many soldiers turned to heroin in order to get their "high". Many soldiers enjoyed heroin better than marijuana because it sped up the perception of time, whereas marijuana slowed
The Vietnam War impacted American veterans individual psychologies in a negative way. Most of the soldiers witnessed violence, horror and their friends’ bloody death. For instance, “I watched …show more content…
I discovered with a shock, as other soldiers have, that the only thing that separating me from meat hanging in a butchers shop was a thin piece of skin. This sort of experience leaves scars. I had nightmares, and for years afterward I was sour on life, by turns angry, cynical and alienated.” (Smith) stated Jack Smith who served in Vietnam for 37 years. It is clear that he had to oblige to face with difficult situations during the war when he was young. This quote also relates the tough conditions that they had to work on. This war led most young American soldiers to become drug addicts. For example, “Drugs and alcohol played a major role in the lives of the American soldiers during the Vietnam War. In the beginning of the war, marijuana was the main drug of choice. However, news that American soldiers were using drugs came back to the U.S., which resulted in immediate action by the military to suppress drugs, especially marijuana. After marijuana was banned, many soldiers turned to heroin in order to get their "high". Many soldiers enjoyed heroin better than marijuana because it sped up the perception of time, whereas marijuana slowed