From the start problems are not meant to happen, and the lead

There were no real lines of demarcation, and just about any area was subject to attack. Most American forces had been trained to fight in conventional warfare, in which other human beings are confronted and a block of land is either acquired or lost in the fray. However, in Vietnam, surprise-firing devices such as booby traps accounted for a large number of casualties with the human foe rarely sighted. A block of land might be secured but not held. A unit would pull out to another conflict in the vicinity; and, if it wished to return to the same block of land, it would once again have to fight to take that land. It was an endless war with rarely seen foes and no ground gains, just a constant flow of troops in and out of the country. The only observable outcome was an interminable production of maimed, crippled bodies and countless corpses (Goodwin 1989).

In World War II and almost every other war in United States military history, our military was very clearly threatened by a uniformed and rather easily recognizable enemy. However in Vietnam, it was quite opposite. It appeared to the American soldiers that the whole country was hostile to American forces. It was impossible to tell the difference between friendly Vietnamese and enemy Vietnamese, (Viet Cong). The Viet Cong was rarely uniformed; therefore American troops were often forced to kill women and children. This may seem horrid, but women and children of the village set many booby traps. The American troops did not know who was doing the killing because the village people would set booby traps and fight against the American soldiers by night and then go back to their village farms and work during the day.

When the veterans returned home, their families that had been apart for a long time realized that there was a tension of sorts between the veterans and other people in general. The veteran sometimes found it difficult to identify with his family, and they started drifting apart. Many veterans also find it very difficult and extremely uncomfortable to feel love and compassion for others, even though it might be family. To actually feel love and compassion for others they would have to thaw their numb reactions to the all of the death and horrors that had surrounded them during combat in Vietnam. Some veterans actually believe that if they once again allow themselves to feel, they may never stop crying or may completely lose control of themselves (Cooper 1999). Another problem that hampers some veterans is known as Survivor Guilt. Survivor Guilt is when the survivors often ask, "How is it that I survived when others more worthy than I did not (Goodwin)?" This really troubles the veteran, and causes him to question why he survived and why some of his other friends died. This guilt often causes the veteran to question what he could have done in order to help change the outcome of the events that lead up to the death of his fellow comrade. In some cases the soldier that survived will try to imitate the life of the dead soldier, if he would be living. Even though these types of behavior are not existent in every soldier’s life, all Vietnam Veterans still have to deal with some issue from the War, be it great or small.

Some topics in this essay:
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