vietnam
The military's disregard for PTSD and other mental wounds suffered during war only continued throughout the Vietnam War. According to the Washington Post, 8.7 million Americans served during the Vietnam War, at least half of those soldiers developed PTSD. Many of those who suffered PTSD were "dishonorably discharged". Recently, many Vietnam veterans have been filing lawsuits to change their dishonorable discharge status. It took years for Vietnam veterans to step up and ask for the respect they deserve for serving their country due to the ideals forced upon them by the military. Over 830,000 Vietnam veterans developed and were diagnosed with PTSD. According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Vietnam veterans suffered many more cases of PTSD in comparison with the Gulf war and The Iraq Afghanistan war ( Through 2009).
Homeless Veterans
"Twenty to Twenty-five years after Vietnam, 4 out of 5 veterans said they suffered from chronic PTSD related symptoms." Unlike the military like to think, PTSD just doesn't go away. PTSD symptoms cause an individual to become, nervous, depressed, and lose interest in activities they once found enjoyable. For many, this leads to substance abuse, divorce, separation from family or friends and unemployment. Because over 830,000 Vietnam vets were diagnosed with PTSD, when they returned home they found it difficult to simply fit back into society. Many had no family members who fully understood what they encountered back in Vietnam which only made situations for veterans worse. At least 300,000 of those veterans became homeless.
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Many veterans of Vietnam were drafted, and many found themselves disagreeing with the politics of the war. However, they continued to do what they were supposed to and fight the war for their country. The war was brutal and demoralizing. When many returned home they were met with disgust from citizens on the home front who had no way of understanding the emotional turmoil they had just gone through. They were also met with an uncaring military who they had just served. They received little to no support for mental illness and injury suffered and were met instead by an uncaring population and no way to receive treatment for the mental wounds they had been left with.