The United States Military's Venereal Disease Policies: An Examination of the Military's Regulation of Sex from World War II to the Vietnam War

Abstract

Twentieth Century wars led to spikes in venereal disease rates for American soldiers and civilians in nations that the U.S. military deployed troops to. This paper examines the U.S. military's response to rising venereal disease rates in World War II and the Vietnam War, including prophylactic treatments, education for soldiers, and attempts to limit prostitution, and how the military's response discriminated against women and people of color. The topic of this paper compares the military's response between the two wars based on different types of warfare and shifting American morality surrounding extramarital sex. This paper will argue that the U.S. military and U.S. government discriminated against and oversexualized women in their campaign to limit venereal disease rates among U.S. troops and protect the American war effort in World War II and the Vietnam War.