The Vietnam War and Its Literature

The Vietnam War

Universal themes in both war

and in the literature:

The Burdens of War are

displayed in the literature we will be reading:

• Man vs. Man
• Man vs. Himself
• Man vs. Nature

Physical, psychological, emotional, societal...

In the Vietnam War:

Some background on the war and how the minds of the soldiers were affected:

The Burdens of War

Psychological effects of the war on soldiers:

Much of the United States did not support this war, and publicly protested against the war, politicians, and soldiers.

Psychological effects on soldiers both during and after the war

Entering the war:

Cultural and universal

expectations of manhood

Watch George Carlin discuss the evolution of PTSD, along with the depersonalization of war-related mental illness:

• Soldiers went to war with a romantic view of "fighting the good fight," and being patriotic heroes
• They quickly had to adjust to the unromantic reality of death, the psychological effects of taking human life, and seeing their friends die in front of them
• They also had to deal with the lack of support at home, a type of jungle warfare for which they were unprepared, problems with racism and too many young and inexperienced soldiers
• The Vietcong had significantly fewer weapons, but were physically and psychologically prepared for jungle warfare
• The Vietnamese people also had over a thousand years defending against invaders, including the Chinese, Mongols, and French; to them, the U.S. was merely another foreign invader

• When the soldiers came home, they were met with protesters screaming things like "baby killers," and even had people spitting at them. They were shocked, bewildered, and saddened.
• Not only did many men come back missing limbs, disfigured, and blind, they were also spiritually and mentally broken.
• Some managed to find jobs, while others had an extremely difficult time adjusting to civilian life.
• Many suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Coupled with these issues were issues of "manly" expectations American society places on men:

• men are supposed to bravely go to war to prove their manhood, like their fathers before them
• men are supposed to protect women and children
• men are not supposed to feel or show fear
• men are supposed to want to kill perceived enemies of first-world American values
• men are supposed to willingly and enthusiastically uphold the standards of American dominance

This was the reality of war that met them.

"A lot of them boys that come back, they're still having problems. I thought it was because they didn't have the country behind em…We didnt have nothin to give to em to take over there. If we’d sent em without rifles I dont know as they’d of been all that much worse off. You cant go to war like that. You cant go to war without God. I dont know what is goin to happen when the next one comes. I surely dont" (McCarthy 295).

McCarthy, Cormac. No Country for Old Men. New York: Vintage International, 2007.

Television

What was the conflict about?

Part 2: Why did the United States get involved?

Part 1: Before the Vietnam War

How did the draft work?

One of the major aspects for the American soldiers fighting this war on foreign soil was their literal unfamiliarity with jungle/guerilla warfare. An example of this is found in the Vietcong "tunnel systems":

Background on the Vietnam War

Well, it's pretty complex, actually. From about 1969 to 1973, the government had a "lottery" once a year. Every date of the year had a number, from 1 to 365/6. If your birthday was chosen as anything from a 1 to about 50, you could assume you would be drafted into service. You were only eligible to be chosen for one year. So in 1970, if your birthday was drawn as a 264, you could probably assume you would miss the draft; if your birthday was drawn as a 32, however, you could assume you would be drafted. If you were not drafted in 1970, but could have been (i.e., you had a high draft number), you would not be eligible for the draft in 1971.

The Draft: Who was drafted?

Most American men who were drafted into service during the Vietnam war were between the ages of 19 to 22, but were (and still are) required to register with Selective Service as eighteen-year-old men. This means that, technically, males eighteen and older can and will be drafted if the government so chooses.

Generally, men born between 1944 and 1952 were the ones drafted into service.

• North Vietnam was communist, and supported by the Soviet-dominated Geneva Council.
• South Vietnam attempted to create a non-communist, democratic government.
• The U.S. had to decide if they were going to support the Geneva Conference (communist Vietnam), or support South Vietnam’s independence; they chose to support South Vietnam, and became involved in the Vietnamese civil war.
• The Vietnam War was fought between 1958 and 1975.
• It was the longest conflict in the history of the United States.
• The conflict was between the communist North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam.
• The North Vietnamese soldiers are referred to as the Vietcong, or VCs
• The South Vietnamese soliders are the ARVNs (The Army of the Republic of Vietnam)

• Vietnam was a French colony until the end of WWII, when the Vietnamese declared independence
• The French did not recognize Vietnam's independence, and a war began
• The U.S. chose to support France, but the Vietnamese defeated the French in the final battle, at Dien Bien Phu
• The 1954 Geneva Conference ended hostilities between French and Vietnamese
• Vietnam was temporarily divided at 17th Parallel until the French would leave.

• Vietnam is first war heavily covered by TV news; it is called the “Television War.”
• American Public sees daily images of casualties
• The public begins to turn against the war, and the soldiers lose a great deal of public support

Where is Vietnam?

Vietnam is in

Southeast Asia, near Laos,

Cambodia,

Thailand, and parts

of China

Watch President Kennedy talk about the war:

Watch this video about the

tunnels in Chu Chi:

You had to pass both a physical and mental examination in order to be allowed/selected to serve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb5BuGQCOkI

http://www.teachertube.com/video/vietnam-2128

Most of the literature we are reading in this unit was written by Vietnam veterans who chose to express their pain and their experiences through the art of literature.