What Was The Impact Of The Vietnam War On The Veterans And Their Families?

The Vietnam War had detrimental effects on the people involved. Vietnam veterans and their families were affected physically and psychologically. The physical effects can include a small scar to a large wound or death, and the psychological effects including a families mourning to chronic stress disorders endured by veterans. I will explore both the effects the war had on allied veterans, but also veterans and survivors from Vietnam. The first most obvious effect is the amount of lives lost, and people wounded while involved in the Vietnam War. A total (from both allies and VC) of three million were killed and one million were wounded during the conflict of the Vietnam War. The majority of these deaths were fathers, or the sole providers of families. The deaths of these men lead to a direct impact on the families, many widows and orphans were left without money or shelter. Although compensation was issued, there was no solution for the emotional effects the death of a family had on partners and children. The survivors of the Vietnam War were plagued with cancers, diseases and breathing problems due to the defoliants sprayed across Vietnam. The chemical warfare used in the Vietnam War was more advanced than ever before. Chemicals such as Agent pink, blue, green, purple, white and orange 1 & 2 were used in large amounts in an attempt to kill the vegetation that allowed guerrilla forces to remain hidden. At the time these chemicals were believed to be harmless to humans, but 30 years later the effects can be seen clearly. The dioxins were consumed by every soldier, navy officer, air force personnel and medical/ logistic worker through the water supplies throughout Vietnam. The water sources (rivers, reservoirs, etc) were all polluted by the agent chemicals. The insignificant immediate effects: skin blisters, itching, nasal/ breathing problems and blurred vision; were thought to be harmless allergic reactions. Although years later, the effects of the concentrated chemicals include: skin cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, heart disease and intestinal failures. The effects can also be seen in Vietnam veterans children, after the war. Birth defects and disorders have been discovered in Vietnam veterans children at a much higher rate than average children. Many children have been born with sever skin irritations, organ problems and cancers. These effects have been known to effect grandchildren also. These effects were much worse in Vietnam. The Vietnamese people, being a poor country acquire most of their meals from the natural resources around them. Fruits, herbs and meat off animals were the major sources of food, and all of them were polluted with tactical pesticides. Whereas the Vietnam

veterans were a small group of affected individuals in a small time frame, the entire Vietnamese population, and neighbouring countries were subject to hazardous chemicals over a number of years. Reports of large amounts of miscarriages, deformities and deaths in newborn children have been filed and on January 31st 2004, a class action lawsuit was filed against several American companies for causing personal injury to Vietnamese victims by producing and distributing the chemical during the Vietnam War. The U.S government was also accused liable for personal injury but on March 10th 2005, Judge jack. B. Weinstien dismissed the lawsuit, claiming that during the Vietnam War, the chemicals used were not considered poisonous or illegal, and werent used to purposefully harm the Vietnamese people. The Vietnamese victims did not receive any compensation. Following the health issues that the Vietnamese endured, they also had lost most of their housing, crops and infrastructure. The cost of rebuilding these major parts of society in Vietnam was phenomenal, and many areas became equivalent of third world conditions. The effects of the Vietnam war on the allies was mostly individual, affecting the people involved. The effects of the Vietnam War on the Vietnamese were on a national scale. Every person in Vietnam was affected by this war which made an impact on every part of their lives. Allied Vietnam soldiers were placed under extreme and unusual conditions when serving their tour. The harsh climate and constant stress of inevitable combat took its toll on Vietnam veterans minds, causing chronic stress disorders. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, has been experienced by many war veterans, but Vietnam veterans suffered much more severe cases PTSD. These amplified effects were caused by the lack of debriefing at the end of a soldiers tour. Having had the methods of survival drilled into each soldier, almost to the point of being brainwashed, returning to society was a difficult task. The everyday effects of PTSD on a Vietnam veteran included: Recurring dreams thoughts or hallucinations about certain trauma, panic attacks, withdrawing from society, phobias, memory loss about the trauma, lack of motivation, emotion and concentration; increasingly edgy or paranoid; and increased rage or anger control issues. These symptoms made a large impact on a veterans life and his surrounding family and friends.

The effects of the Vietnam War created endless problems for veterans, both allied and Vietnamese. The point that these impacts were in vain, as the allied forces were defeated, meant that veterans felt they were suffering for nothing. The impact of death, health problems, loss of infrastructure (Vietnamese), and PTSD will effect Vietnam veterans for the rest of their lives, and in some cases, generations to come.