| dc.description.abstract | The Vietnam War is arguably the most controversial war in American history. The motives, rationale, and methods used to fight the war stir great controversy within the U.S. public. To some, the United States would have won the Vietnam War if it had not "been fighting with one hand behind its back" due to the anti-war movement, but to others, the United States could never achieve victory in the Vietnam War because of the determination of the North Vietnamese state and the Viet Cong. This debate sparked hostility against Vietnam veterans in America during the war as well. American popular culture and myth commonly portray Vietnam veterans as brash, impulsive, and sometimes even violent people received with hostility by the leftist anti-war protestors like the hippies and draft card burners. However, veterans who fought in the war made up one significant part of the anti-war movement, many of whom enlisted. Though the common view is that the military is largely conservative, Vietnam veterans received hostility from conservatives as well because they were considered ineffective fighters and losers in some cases. Vietnam veterans sought out other veterans they could relate to as a way to socialize during the war, and veterans' groups were something like therapy for veterans. Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) was the first veterans' organization created by and for disgruntled Vietnam veterans to demand an end to U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The VVAW was one piece of the vast anti-war movement against the Vietnam War, but a very significant one because of the backgrounds of its members, their grievances against the war, and the size and scale of its protests. The VVAW played a substantial role in showing the American people the horrors of Vietnam and why the war was wrong, and the organization became an advocate for issues in America like veterans' issues and U.S. foreign policy. | |
