I'm an old hippie and I don't know what to do
Should I hang on to the old
Should I grab on to the new
I'm an old hippie...my new life is just a bust
I ain't trying to change nobody
I'm just trying real hard to adjust
(adapted from the Bellamy Brothers "Old Hippie")
Check out my website at www.itsanamthing.com It is far from finsihed and further from perfect but it is something I am passionate about.
Vietnam War Facts
While many aspects about the Vietnam War are debatable, the facts and figures of the war have a voice of their own and are indisputable.
· 58,148 Americans were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.59 million who served.
· The average age of those killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years.
· 50,274 were enlisted, average age 22.37.
· The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year, thanks to the mobility of the helicopter.
· After Vietnam the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand managed to stay free of communism. The Indonesians expelled the Soviets in 1966.
· During the Vietnam War the national debt increased by $146 billion (1967-1973). Adjusted for inflation, the debt in 1992 dollars was $500 billion.
· 6,598 were officers, average age 28.43.
· 91 percent of Vietnam veterans say they are glad they served.
· 74 percent said they would serve again even knowing the outcome.
· 1,276 were warrant officers (NCOs), average age 24.73 years.
· 11,465 were less than 20 years old.
· From 1957 to 1973 the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 South Vietnamese and abducted 58,499. Death squads focused on leaders that included schoolteachers and minor officials.
· The number of North Vietnamese killed was approximately 500,000 to 600,000. Casualties: 15 million.
· One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. Although the percentage who died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled.
· The Tet '68 offensive was a major defeat for the VC and the NVA.
· Two-thirds of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers, two-thirds who served in World War II were draftees.
· 8 nurses died-1 was killed in action.
· Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation.
· The suicide rate of Vietnam veterans has always been well within the 1.7% norm of the general population.
· Non-hostile deaths: 10,800
· Missing in action: 2,338
· Men under the age of 21 killed: 61%
· 3,403,100 (including 514,300 offshore) personnel served in the Southeast Asia Theater (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, flight crews based in Thailand, and sailors in adjacent South China sea waters).
· 240 men were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam era.
· POWs: 766 (114 died in captivity).
· Wounded in action: 303,704
· 7,484 American women served in Vietnam. 6,250 were nurses.
· 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era (Aug.5, 1964-May 7, 1975).
· Hostile deaths: 47,378
· Severely disabled: 75,000--23,214 100% disabled; 5,283 lost limbs; 1,081 sustained multiple amputations.
· Married men killed: 17,539
· Average age of men killed: 22.8 years.
· Highest political office attained by a Vietnam veteran to date: Vice President Al Gore.
· Most successful Vietnam veteran/businessman to date: Frederick Smith of Federal Express.
· 79% of the men who served in Vietnam had a high school education or better when they entered the military service.
· Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old.
· The oldest man killed was 62 years old.
· 11,465 KIAs were less than 20 years old.
· Vietnam Veterans represent 9.7% of their generation
· 8,744,000 GIs were on active duty during the war (Aug. 5, 1964 – March 28, 1973)
· 2,594,000 personnel served within the borders of South Vietnam (Jan. 1, 1965 – March 28, 1973)
· Another 50,000 men served in Vietnam between 1960 and 1964
· Of the 2.6 million, between 1 – 1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack.
· Peak troop strength in Vietnam: 543,482 (April 30, 1969)
· Total draftees (1965-1973): 1,728,344
· Draftees accounted for 30.4% (17,725) of combat deaths in Vietnam
· National Guard: 6,140 served; 101 died
· Last man drafted: June 30, 1973
· 97% of Vietnam veterans were honorably discharged
· 91% of actual Vietnam War era veterans and 90% of those who saw heavy combat are proud to have served their country
· 66% of Vietnam veterans say they would serve again if called upon
Vietnam War Veterans
Many veterans are unable to leave behind the trauma of Vietnam and psychologically return home. They struggle with a variety of extremely severe problems that they and their families, friends, and communities do not understand or know how to cope with:
· Fears (such as of closed spaces, crowds, unfamiliar places, or sudden attack)
· Anxiety (such as restlessness, obsessive worries, compulsive rituals)
· Panic (such as a terror of losing control, suffocating, or going crazy)
· Depression (such as hopelessness, loss of all interests, suicidal impulses)
· Rage in the form of either intense violent emotions or violent actions
· Irritability (such as feeling constantly annoyed, on edge, and critical)
· Shame (such as feeling embarrassed, exposed, violated, or like a misfit)
· Guilt (such as feeling others should have lived and he should have died, or feeling that he failed or made mistakes that had terrible consequences)
· Isolation (such as being physically present but emotionally absent, going off alone for long periods of time, or refusing to talk about family matters)
· Emotional emptiness (such as staring off into space blankly or refusing to show any feelings when everyone else is very emotional)
· Alienation (such as feeling that no one understands or that everyone makes too much fuss about unimportant things and too little about big problems)
· Being over-controlling (such as being extremely demanding or needing to make all decisions even if they are really someone else's responsibility)
· Inability to relax (such as always being on the go, never able to have fun, or turning everything into serious work or a crisis)
· Addiction (such as compulsive overuse of alcohol, drugs, or gambling)
The Hidden Enemy: PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
What neither these veterans nor their families (nor even many VA counselors and doctors) knew was that many of these veterans were and are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder include:
· Unwanted distressing memories or a feeling of reliving traumatic Vietnam experiences (flashbacks)
· Nightmares and difficulty falling or staying asleep restfully
· Bodily stress and tension, especially when reminded of traumatic Vietnam experiences
· Loss of interest in activities and difficulty concentrating on activities or projects
· Detachment or withdrawal from emotional involvement in relationships
· Difficulty feeling or expressing emotions other than irritability or frustration
· Feeling like there is no future or their lives will be cut short by an untimely death
· Feeling jumpy, on edge, and easily startled
· Feeling constantly unsafe and unable to let down their guard (hyper-vigilant)
About one in three Vietnam veterans who served in-country suffered from full or partial Post Traumatic Stress Disorder a quarter century or more after the war.
More than two in three Vietnam veterans suffered from full or partial Post Traumatic Stress Disorder sometime since Vietnam.
Many Vietnam veterans tended to be extremely isolated from relationships and community, primarily as a result of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
In addition, many veterans had great difficulty in rejoining the very tightly knit extended families and communities in their homes after the war.
Other people, such as spouses, children, family members, friends, or coworkers, often are more aware of the veteran's emotional distress than he is himself.
Decades of haunting memories and overwhelming feelings leave the veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder feeling demoralized and alone. He may believe that as a man he must bear the burden of pain, fear, anger, shame, and guilt silently. He may believe that he has failed his most precious loved ones and lost the respect of his community.
He may feel helpless to conquer the habitual urge to drink alcohol. As a result, it becomes almost impossible for him to enjoy life or relationships, and the harder he tries to fight the symptoms the more stressed he becomes!
Yet, when family or friends see signs of the veteran's inner turmoil, they don't know why it's happening and often blame themselves: "I always thought it was something I was doing wrong, but I never knew what!" Nor do they know how to help: "I gave up trying to break through his emotional walls."
The family's view of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder may include:
·"Little things get him very depressed or enraged, like he's always at the end of his rope."
·"He tries to enjoy being with us, but his heart's not in it and his mind's always somewhere else."
·"For him, every problem's a disaster, and we're slow, stupid, and never careful or tough enough."
·"He's always got to be on the go, can never sit still, and can't even hold the same job for long."
·"I never understood why he kept going back to alcohol, even though he always ends up in a fight, in jail, or out in the mountains for weeks after he's been drinking. He won't stop even though it's killing him."
Getting and keeping a good job, or returning to complete school or for advanced education, require exactly the abilities that are most impaired by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: mental concentration, managing anger, solving problems without turning them into crises, communicating clearly, balancing work with relaxation, and feeling a sense of hopefulness and purpose.
Despite courageous efforts, veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder often become trapped in the vicious cycle of settling for bad jobs and avoiding or walking out on good jobs.
Now well into their 40s and 50s, Vietnam veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder face great difficulty in getting a good education or having a rewarding career.
January 27, 1973
All warring parties in the Vietnam War sign a cease fire.
March 1973
The last American combat soldiers leave South Vietnam, though military advisors and Marines, who are protecting U.S. installations, remain. For the United States, the war is officially over. Of the more than 3 million Americans who have served in the war, almost 58,000 are dead, and over 1,000 are missing in action. Some 150,000 Americans were seriously wounded.
April 29, 1975
U.S. Marines and Air Force helicopters, flying from carriers off-shore, begin a massive airlift. In 18 hours, over 1,000 American civilians and almost 7,000 South Vietnamese refugees are flown out of Saigon.
April 30, 1975
At 4:03 a.m., two U.S. Marines are killed in a rocket attack at Saigon's Tan Son Nhut airport. They are the last Americans to die in the Vietnam War. At dawn, the last Marines of the force guarding the U.S. embassy lift off. Only hours later, looters ransack the embassy, and North Vietnamese tanks role into Saigon, ending the war. In 15 years, nearly a million NVA and Vietcong troops and a quarter of a million South Vietnamese soldiers have died. Hundreds of thousands of civilians had been killed.
PBS aired a documentary by Tom Hanks entitled "Return With Honor" about the 462 airmen who were held in captivity for up to 8 1/2 years in and around Hanoi during the war. I urge each of you to watch it.Finally, I say we bring them all home, dead or alive, or we send Jane Fonda over there to find them.......
