Vietnam: the aftermath
When the combat in Vietnam wrapped up in 1973, there were still various problems to be solved and many questions left unanswered. Over 58,000 American soldiers had died in the fight and many others were still classified as “Missing in Action”. There was public outrage from several points of view. The anti-war protestors who did not think the United States should have been in Vietnam from the beginning, the family that lost their draftee children in the fighting at very young ages, and the anti-communist who lost the effort to stop the “domino effect” spread of communism.
The United States government knew the situation and quarrel had to be rectified or the unity and the peace of the republic was at stake. They began taking large measures in legislation in order to ensure the safety and well-being of American. The voting age was changed to eighteen from the previous age of twenty-one. This was changed because many were outraged by the reality that there were draftees fighting in the war who were not able to even vote or represent themselves as full citizens of the United States. The debate was: how is one made militarily responsible for a country they do not even have the right to cast a vote and be represented in? This wave of new legislation also brought about changes to the way war could be initiated. Congress and the president had to “apply the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities.” This way there could be no declaration of war based off assumption and speculation, similar to the occurrence after the Tonkin Gulf Incident. There is still a cloud of fogginess surrounding people’s feelings about Vietnam. However, after many polls the nation is very evenly divided on the decision. Many believe that the motives were good but the outcome was disastrous. Others feel that it was pointless from the start. Regarding the recuperation of the veterans many of them transitioned back into civilian life and continued as if they had never left. Others suffered more physical, emotional, and mental trauma. There were several men who went into the war able-bodied and came back as amputees or handicapped citizens. Some suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and found it hard to cope with the atrocities faced on the front lines. Then, there were the men who turned to substance abuse as a way to combat the issues faced by the grave memories of the war. Consequently, Vietnam changed the life of everyone involved. Whether those changes were for the good or bad is for them to decide. |