Psychological Changes During Soldiers From The Vietnam War

PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN SOLDIERS FROM THE VIETNAM WAR The survival of a soldier depends on what he wears. In war, the line between life and death is thinner than ever, and often, supplies, weapons, and the equipment of a soldier is the only thing that can cause the line not to clear. But, a soldier also carries his memory, memories, amulets, ghosts of the past, and trivial objects that do not let him forget that there is another life-the life-beyond war. Soldiers of Alpha Company, who fought in Vietnam, carry everything they could. And, those men and things are making their appearance in the story The Things They Carried by Tim O Brien, which also fought in Vietnam. Mr. O Brien tells how, after fleeing to Canada he decided to return to his village and agreed to go to war for shame, because he felt that, otherwise, he could not stand the looks of the people in this community, for whom a deserter was forever an outcast, and a traitor. The Vietnam War was also a milestone in the history of the United States. The defeat was a deep blow to A merican pride and the belief that their nation was invincible; affected the confidence in their citizens. This feeling was also extended to the soldiers returning from Vietnam who were not welcome in his country, nor received treatment as heroes. Many of these soldiers went through great difficulties readjusting to family life; according to data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, half a million of them suffer psychological changesShow MoreRelatedPsychological Changes During Soldiers From The Vietnam War1215 Words   |  5 PagesPSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN SOLDIERS FROM THE VIETNAM WAR A soldier s survival in war depends on what he wears, and his life is just one step away from death. However, a soldier not only carries supplies, weapons, and equipment; a soldier also carries memories, amulets, ghosts of the past, and trivial objects that do not let him forget that there is another life beyond war. The Soldiers of Alpha Company, who fought in Vietnam, carry everything they could. And, those men and things are making theirRead MorePsychological And Emotional Effects Of War On Soldiers1500 Words   |  6 PagesThe Psychological and Emotional Effects of War on Soldiers We have all seen or read about the political and social upheavals caused by war. Some may have even experienced it first-hand. Throughout history war has had negative psychological implications on those effected. However, there is no greater negative impact of war than the psychological and emotional turmoil that it causes individual soldiers. To narrow down the scope of these psychological effects, I have chosen to focus on the VietnamRead MoreThe Vietnam War Was Like No War Before1292 Words   |  6 PagesThe Vietnam War was like no war before. America got involved in Vietnam to preserve a non-communist South Vietnam, but in the end, the government and the country fell to communist North Vietnam. The US had never experienced such a military defeat in its history. The causes of this monumental defeat may not have been clear at first, but through memoirs such as Philip Caputo s Rumor of War and other historical accounts of the war, we now have a better sense of what truly led to America s loss. AsRead MoreProblems With The Vietnamese War Veterans1609 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Vietnamese war veterans face and at the end there will be ways that can help, how they were treated and viewed by their fellow countrymen when they returned back home. How did it impact Countries/governments and who protested against the Vietnam War. All these question will be answered on the main paragraphs bellow. What was the problem for the Vietnamese war veterans? Problem that the Vietnamese war veterans faced was the psychological effects which was very common for Vietnam veterans to haveRead MoreHow Were The Us Soldiers Affected By The Vietnam War?1281 Words   |  6 Pages US History Date How were the US soldiers affected by the Vietnam War The war in Vietnam was a war against communism that tore apart the US. The United States of America plunged together with its allies and played a tremendous role as far as fight against communism is concerned. A huge number of American soldiers were deployed in Vietnam a practice that coupled with much unpreparedness. The soldiers were not aware what exactly they were up to in Vietnam. Most Americans at the time were veryRead MoreEssay on Shattered Youth: How the Vietnam War Changed a Generation1591 Words   |  7 PagesThe Vietnam War is a conflict that was extremely polarizing to people in the United States and words such as ‘wasted’ or ‘quagmire’ are negative words associated with the war. In his book A Rumor of War, Philip Caputo provides a personal account of events that he experienced leading up to and during the war as a soldier in the United States Marine Corps. Caputo’s experiences transform his idealistic views of war when he is faced wit h the realities of combat, and ultimately the events cause him toRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien878 Words   |  4 PagesThe Things They Carried is more than a story of physical warfare during the Vietnam War, but the battle of inner demons as well. In his novel, Tim O’ Brien takes us deep within the lives of his semi-fictional platoon in the midst of the Vietnam War in which he elaborates upon the harsh realities soldiers faced every day. O’ Brien claims, â€Å"They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried.† We see here that O’ Brien’s main purposeRead MoreHow Did The War Affect The Vietnam War?1525 Words   |  7 PagesVietnamese war veterans face and at the end there will be ways that can help. In this essay I will be showing my findings/ research and answer my research topic which how did the war affect these soldiers. I will be discussing/finding pr oblems like how the Vietnamese war. How they were treated and viewed by their fellow countrymen when they returned back home. How did it impact Countries/governments and who protested against the Vietnam War. What was the problem for the Vietnamese war veterans? ProblemRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1737 Words   |  7 PagesAfterlife of War Tim O’Brien’s â€Å"The Things They Carried† is based on what soldiers went through facing war, and what they carried physically as well as emotionally. All of this pressure from war can cause and has caused post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the soldiers. â€Å"PTSD is the development of a set of symptoms in the aftermath of psychologically distressing event—an event â€Å"outside the range of normal human experience.†Ã¢â‚¬  (Roberts 3). PTSD is a disorder that can happen to anyone, but manyRead MoreThe Man I Killed By Tim OBrien1563 Words   |  7 PagesWar is a constant in the world we live in. Wars are fought over people, land, religion, ideals, and freedom. A prominent war in Americas history is the Vietnam War, which took the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians alike and neither side wanted to keep the violence going. â€Å"The Man I Killed† by Tim O’Brien explores the psychological effects of someone in a wa r setting. While â€Å"Military Service, Exposure to Trauma, and Health in Older Adulthood: An Analysis of Northern Vietnamese Survivors