https://www.ranker.com/list/what-was-it-like-for-vietnam-soldiers-coming-home/melissa-sartore

Vietnam Veterans Describe What It Was Like Coming Back To The States

Melissa Sartore

Lasting nearly 20 years, the conflict in Vietnam resulted in thousands of United States troops being sent to Southeast Asia to preserve democracy.

The difficulties, hardships, and conditions in Vietnam were only part of the struggles faced by those who fought during the conflict. Vietnam soldiers coming home faced a stigma they didn't understand, much less anticipate, and economic, social, and physical challenges that would last for decades. Vietnam soldiers returning home were met with protests and attacks, spit on and humiliated in the process.

It's difficult to explain what it was like for Vietnam soldiers coming home from an outside perspective. Stories of Vietnam soldiers returning home highlight the complexities of international conflict, but also illustrate the deep divide felt across the American landscape. From apathy to vitriol, here's a cross section of how Vietnam soldiers were received - in the words of the veteran themselves.

No One Asked, And No One Cared

Upon his return from Vietnam, veteran Jamie Bryant recalled feeling disconnected from everyone around him. It wasn't that Bryant didn't want to talk about his time in Vietnam. Rather, he felt like no one wanted to know. He told author Arnold R. Isaacs:

There has really never been anyone who has asked me: 'What happened to you over there? What was it like?' It's like having a whole year of your life that didn't exist.... When you first get back, you don't think about it much. Then you begin to wonder why no one asks the questions. Then you begin to feel like maybe it isn't something you should talk about.

From Bryant's perspective, it was "the spookiest thing" and, according to Isaacs, it was also why many veterans never talked to anyone about their service in Vietnam. Veterans felt both silenced and "shunned."

Passengers Moved Away From Them To Avoid 'Contamination'

Former United States senator, presidential candidate, and Secretary of State John Kerry is also a Vietnam veteran. He recalled one incident shortly after his return home:

There I was, a week out of the jungle, flying from San Francisco to New York. I fell asleep and woke up yelling, probably a nightmare. The other passengers moved away from me - a reaction I noticed more and more in the months ahead. The country didn't give a [care] about the guys coming back, or what they'd gone through. The feeling toward them was, 'Stay away - don't contaminate us with whatever you've brought back from Vietnam.'

A Peace Symbol Was Answered By A Middle Finger

When Steven A. Wowwk returned to the United States after having been hurt in action, he experienced outright hostility by civilians who watched as his gurney made its way to Chelsea Naval Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

According to Wowwk, he looked out of the bus-turned-ambulance to see groups of people watching from the street. He wanted "to acknowledge them, and I just gave the peace signal." Wowwk was shocked by the response he received: "Instead of getting return peace fingers, I got the middle finger.”

They Faced Malaria, Bad Health Care, And Rampant Discrimination

Soon after returning to the United States, Peter Langenus started to exhibit symptoms of malaria. Langenus had served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970, leading men through some pretty horrible conditions. While he traversed the Vietnam landscape "without shaving, bathing, or changing clothing" for weeks at a time, "none of that prepared me for the reception at home upon our return."

After he showed signs of malaria, Langenus was denied medical care at the VA hospital. He was told that, since he didn't have symptoms while in Vietnam, it didn't qualify for care in the United States.

As an added hardship, when Langenus attended law school after returning from Vietnam, his "entire educational benefit was $126." His tuition, however, was "$300 a credit."

Even after law school, as he looked for a position at a law firm, he recalled being met with a sense of disgust when he told them he'd served in Vietnam.

No One Said 'Thank You'

Alan Cutter returned to the United States in 1972 after his tour of duty in Vietnam. When he arrived, no one said, "Welcome home," or came close to thanking him - not even members of his family. Cutler now walks with canes; when he's asked about them, he calls them a "gift" from Vietnam. Even then, he's met with "I'm sorry," a statement to which he's not sure how to respond.

Steven Wowwk, who was permanently disabled in the conflict, never got a "thank you," which he calls "better than nothing." As the phrase, "Thank you for your service," continues to be uttered today, Wowwk acknowledges, "It’s better than them walking away and not even recognizing you."

People Threw Rotten Eggs And Yelled At 'The Enemy'

Terry Tople, a machine gunner from the 9th Infantry Division, recalled his arrival at Travis Air Force Base in California. He described being carried on a stretcher:

I got stuff thrown at me, rotten eggs, tomatoes. All of us coming off that airplane were [hurt], and they were throwing stuff at us. I’ve told that to people around here and they just can’t believe it. It happened. They were yelling at us. I can refer back to when the [WWII] people came home and they were heroes. When we came home we were the enemy, I think. I felt like we were the enemy. That really hurt.

Projectiles like eggs weren't only hurled at the veterans, themselves. Bob Feist, who served in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969, recalled his car being egged and having to wear a wig to hide his regulation haircut in the interest of staying safe.

They Got The Cold Shoulder Amid Angry Chants

Pat Murphy, a Navy veteran, remembered coming back from Vietnam and being met by protesters on both coasts. Murphy "thought that was just ridiculous. When we came back from Vietnam and landed out there - you are just so happy to be home, and you have these long haired pukes out there waving signs about baby killers."

Gerald Hawkins was met by similar cries, recalling, "I was spit on in Chicago. I was proud of my Marine Corps uniform and they called me [names].” Paul Edward Jenkins also remembers being spit on by civilians as he walked by.

There Was Name-Calling On One Side, Apologies On The Other

Bob Boughton of Fredericktown, Ohio, spent time in a Pennsylvania hospital after he returned to the United States. He describes waiting for transport: "An elderly woman came up to me, looked me square in the face, and called me [hurtful names]."

As the woman walked away, he had another visitor, one who represented the other side of a deeply divided nation. According to Boughton:

A young lady dressed in bell-bottoms, love beads and a peace symbol came up to me as the elderly woman walked away. She looked me in the face and told me she was sorry for the way the returning vets were being treated. I never got the chance to thank her, nor even got her name. But I could never forget her face and those few kind words.

They Were Ignored By An Apathetic Country

Gary Peters, a veteran who served in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970, was, by his own admission, "an emotional wreck" when he got back. He recalls:

I kept it all to myself so my family and friends thought I was OK and acted like I had never left. I entered civilian life with no problems and continued with my life. But nobody ever gave a damn about what the Vietnam vet had to endure... or the emotional scars that never go away.

Sometimes the sense of exclusion manifested itself differently. For example, when Phil Price tried to get a drink in New York City, his Army uniform prevented him from doing so: He couldn't go into a bar with a "No soldiers allowed" sign out front.

They Couldn't Get Jobs Or Go On Dates

There were a lot of obstacles facing returning veterans - everything from finding jobs to making personal connections. Peter Tiffany was told by potential employers that veterans weren't welcome because they were aggressive substance users.

Danny Kelly knew the stigma veterans faced and took another approach:

I returned in September 1969 and was in Atlanta, GA. I denied being a vet until recently because I was repeatedly told that Nam vets had flashbacks and could freak out on the job. I was repeatedly asked how I could live with myself after [harming] all those innocent people. I could have dealt with being spit on by a hippie. I probably would have broken him in two. Being 21 and not being able to get a job, a date, a place to live, or a drink with other vets was the hard part. I still remember.