Has America Learned Its Lesson? The Treatment of Modern Veterans Compared to Vietnam Veterans
Open Access
- Author:
- Ropp, Danielle Elizabeth
- Area of Honors:
- History (Behrend)
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Leigh Ann Bedal, Thesis Supervisor
Leigh Ann Bedal, Thesis Honors Advisor
Richard Aquila, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- Veterans
Iraq War
Afghanistan War
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) - Abstract:
- The treatment Vietnam veterans received upon their homecoming has become a source of great controversy. Vietnam veterans were largely disappointed in their unceremonious reception and saw a drastic decrease in the amount of actual benefits they received compared to what they expected to receive from the G.I Bill, especially in education and medical care. As a result of their war experiences and feeling forgotten by their country, many veterans fell into drug abuse, homelessness, and struggled with psychological disorders and medical problems that Congress, the executive branch, and the and Department of Veterans Affairs were slow to recognize. Not repeating these mistakes with modern veterans became a main concern when recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan sent a new generation of men and women to war with millions of them depending on government care to help them physically and mentally from their service. This honors thesis examines how Vietnam veterans were received by American citizens and the government and compares this treatment to the current treatment of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The evidence derived from a variety of primary, secondary, and government sources suggests that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans experience better care and reception than Vietnam veterans largely because they received adequate educational benefits in return for their service and that the American population is now able to separate the soldier from the war. However, the government still has not fully addressed current veterans’ startling rates of PTSD and suicide.