Why did America Denounce Returning Vietnam Veterans?

Question

For a nation so proud of its Military, why did America turn its back on returning Vietnam Veterans?

Was it that they lost? Because attrocities were reported for the first time? A sign of the times?

All of these combatants were asked to travel to a land many had never heard of before the conflict and do an incredibly difficult and dangerous job that many didn't return from.

Answer 1

You are close to the answer. Vietnam was a very questionable war for us to be fighting in the first place. When the public figured this out, they wanted the USA out. The USA did not win this war, so those fighting seemed less heroic. But the biggest reasons were that it was the first real media war, and Americans did not like to see the war every night, on their TVs at dinner time. People saw the dead and wounded, the shots being fired, the horrors of war. There was more media there so more of the bad stuff was reported, just like Iraq today. It is not as if they were booed, it is just that they did not receive a hero's welcome like after World War II. WWII was romanticized to a certain degree, as a quick check of the films at the time will show. The whole country was involved in sacrificing because so many people were involved in the war effort both here and overseas. Vietnam, well, that also came on top of the civil rights movement and three significant political assassinations. It was a unique time, and it was potent mix that unfortunately caused Vietnam vets from getting a more positive recognition.

Answer 2

This may come as a surprise to some but the USA didn't lose the war in Vietnam. In terms of attrition the American to Vietnamese kill ratio was heavily in the favor of the Americans, the conflict waged for far longer then the American administration wanted and so the decision was made to withdraw from a potential stalemate. As for atrocities there were some documented but nothing on such a level to suggest war crimes were being continuously perpetrated against the Vietnamese. The only ones that turned their backs on our returning troops were the liberals, hippies, and Democrats that abandoned them when they were still in the jungle.

Answer 3

Vietnam was a very unpopular war and most in the US took it out on the troops, who had to engage in combat with the North Vietnamese Army, not the cut and run army of Saddam! They had their own IED's and booby traps!

The war went on for so long, and there were so many killed, especially those that were drafted. We did not have a volunteer Army.

During the whole time the Vietnam war ran, ther were less atrocities than in Iraq in 3 years! There was 1 major one!

Vietnam was strange early on. like when I first got there! The person that cut your hair in the morning could be one dead in the wires the next morning. There were a lot of Vietcong, and you could not tell them from the civilians.

You could be riding in a truck, or in a back of one of their scooters, and have a 12 year old toss a grenade into the back!

I think Americans usually treat their veterans poorly, just those from "Nam were treated the worst of all!

Very different war, in very different times. At least it wasn't over oil!

Answer 4

cantcu....I agree with just about everything you said except....the commie led anti-war movement in this country made that same claim about oil in vietnam....that there were large offshore oil reserves in nam. Like I always say, some things never change.

For those of you who think vietnam was a waste, consider this. Korea and vietnam were really just continuations of conflicts going on during WWII. There was a very real struggle for world domination between the free world and communism. Had it not been for us getting the bomb first things may have turned out very different. We were ahead of the game but we needed the edge because of the enormous size of the Chinese and soviet armies. Korea was a stalemate but we hurt communists more than people realize. We prevented a communist takeover of south vietnam for over 10 years that we were there and 2 years after we left. We inflicted a huge number of casualties on the vc and the north vietnamese. By this time although they did have a limited number of troops in country and supplied the north with weapons, China would not dare to invade vietnam as they had done in korea. Maybe it's just that I don't want to accept that I spent two years of my life there, or lost some good friends for nothing, but I really believe we played a role in changing communist strategy for world domination. I think we helped to break the soviet union financially. Unfortunately it seems to me while we beat them there, they got a foothold here.

P.S. No one ever spit on me and they are damned lucky they didn't. No...I was met with indifference..."Oh you've been to vietnam, so what".

Answer 5

Many of the people that denounced the soldiers were idealists because they could afford to be that way. Vietnam was a horrible conflict, that we should have never been involved in for the first time. We should have had better leaders. The guys that went to fight were drafted and they did their duty. Rich kids were offered escapes - George Bush and Bill Clinton (not rich but for other reasons). If I had a son I would not be sure that I would want him to fight and serve a country that did not respect its soldiers that protected their right to speak against war. Funny thing is, is that in many countries where we have been at war, denizens are not allowed to speak against government. The government in reference will just shoot the dissenter. I certainly would not have my son having his legs blown off for Janey Fondaha.

Answer 6

because they were stupid civies that had no idea what went on over there. things could have worked over there if politics, the media, and public opinion had just stayed out of it. civilian leaders can't run a war. that's the problem with the current war, public opinion and politics is getting too involved, maybe if the military leaders were allowed to do what they do best, then this war would have been won by now. shock and awe shouldn't have just been one night, they should have kept it going, holding back only gets yourself hurt, go all out and the enemy is taken down quickly. maybe when im enlisted i'll change the tide of battle, lol.

Answer 7

Ignorance...I am too young to rememeber Vietnam, although my dad, step-dad (who I love dearly) and my father-in-law all served, but I have to say that the only reason ppl would SPIT on someone coming back from war was ignorance! I'm not sure if I agree with our current "conflict" but I do know that as long as Americans are over there I will not say anything bad about them!

Answer 8

Basically, the World view was that the US got its *** kicked by a bunch of 3rd rate peasants hiding behind trees.

That was a huge embarrassment to the US, a country which was formally seen as being the best and most powerful in the World.

It the US has won in Vietnam then you wouldn't have been able to move for ticker-tape parades welcoming back the troops, all of them hero's.

Answer 9

We lost the war for the same reason the troops were spit on when they got back: liberal bias in the news media turned the people against the war, much like it is trying to do today.

Fortunately, America has learned their lesson about our beloved soldiers and would never do that again.
Can't say the same for these nasty liberals who shout with bullhorns at soldier's funerals; nor for the same old, tired media who try to turn the people against the war; nor for the same old, silly Senators (from Massachusetts?) who talk out of both sides of their assess.
They should all be ashamed- but they're not. What does that tell you?

Answer 10

56 thousand never returned home. There was an anti war movement going on. It was very liberal. If you did not run to Canada or go to jail you were the bad guy. It's that simple. The liberals thought you were traitors because you served your country It didn't matter if you were drafted or not.. My husband served in Nam he's dead and I know why.