While researching the topic of post traumatic stress disorder, the Vietnam War often came up more often than any other war. With over 30% of the veterans having PTSD, I found this comparison to be very interesting. Many veterans from the Vietnam war experienced PTSD right after their return from war while many WWII veterans did not experience the disorder until several years later. This difference could be due to differences in general public attitudes towards the wars, what was socially acceptable at the time, and general awareness of the disorder.
When veterans returned from WWII, they returned with a hero's welcome and subsequently an economical golden era. WWII was highly romanticized with the whole country supporting the troops and their cause. With so much positive reinforcement, the soldier's perhaps were distracted from the traumas of war and thus symptoms of PTSD were delayed until the later years of life. Contrastingly, the Vietnam war was controversial and not popularly supported amongst the American citizens. With such a long war filled with guerilla warfare and ultimately no success, soldiers returned home with a sense of loss and regret. Without a victory, veterans of the Vietnam war found little reason for their combat and suffering leading them to negative thoughts spurring symptoms of PTSD.
As the veterans of the Vietnam war are either entering or are already in their older years, I think its very important to pay attention to this generation and make sure symptoms do not worsen. Although many Vietnam Veterans experienced PTSD symptoms early on after the war, there are currently many more Vietnam veterans being diagnosed everyday. In 2003 over 153,600 Vietnam Veterans sought treatment. Like in WWII veterans, late onset symptoms are occurring and effecting the veterans as they age. In a NPR article on aging Vietnam Veterans, they bring up the same issues as I brought up in my last post on late onset PTSD; Explaining that veterans are experiencing symptoms several decades later due to less activity in ones life in the elderly age.
An interview with Jim Hale, a Vietnam War Vet
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