The Experiences of Soldiers During the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a War the happened in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to
1975. The cause of the war was the Communist north side of Vietnam was trying to take over
the democratic south side of Vietnam. Irrationally fearing the further spread of Communism,
America and other members from the SEATO Alliance stepped in where they shouldn't have.
There were several extreme experiences that soldiers faced during the war including
Environmental Conditions, Guerrilla Warfare, Health and Hygiene, Psychological Impacts
and Support from Government/Military.

The Environmental Conditions soldiers faced during the Vietnam War included Extreme
heat which resulted in severe sun burns, heat-stroke and dehydration. Also, the wet jungle
landscape of Vietnam impeded the soldiers, especially during monsoon season. The high
levels of mud and water caused foot rot and when theM14 replaced the M16 as the service
mens main artillery it became infamous for fouling and jamming, causing a large amount of
injury's. The cynical phrase was "You're OK as long as you don't get wet", easy to say in the
jungle. The Red Dust of other parts of the country were infamous amongst the men serving in
the war, as the fine particles would penetrate everything, staining it a bright red colour.

Guerrilla Warfare is defined by Wikipedia as "Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional

warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes,
raids, etc.) to combat a larger and less mobile formal army." During the Vietnam war that
larger, less mobile formal army was the American, French and Australian Soldiers sent there
to help combat the guerrilla forces of Communist Vietnam, or the Viet Cong. In 1965, Ho Chi
Minh ordered the Viet Cong to not engage the enemy head on, unless the odds were greatly in
their favour. Safe, hidden bases were an important priority to the Viet Cong, so tunnels
became the favoured medium. The Vietcong built massive tunnels, with villagers in Viet
Cong controlled villages digging at least three feet a day. A fine example of this is the tunnels
under Cu Chi. Also booby traps were used heavily by the Viet Cong, ranging from whatever
was on hand like rusty wire and wooden spikes, to more advanced land mines.

Health and Hygiene was a major problem in Vietnam. During war, health and hygiene is
usually on the bottom end of the to-do list. Intense conditions caused many horrible and, at
times, fatal illnesses and diseases such as malaria, jungle or foot rot and dysentery. Malaria, a
disease that in Vietnam, was caused by a mosquito bearing Plasmodium, the parasite is
injected into the bloodstream, could at its worst could stop blood circulating to the brain,
causing hemorrhaging and at times causing severe psychiatric symptoms. Jungle or Foot Rot
was a major problem in Vietnam because of such wet conditions, and boots the service men
had were not made for the extreme conditions there. Foot rot first starts as a cracking of the
skin on the feet, then small bumps that resemble planter warts appear, usually dark in colour.
Also the smell of rotting flesh becomes overpowering as the feet do start to rot. In the later
cases they can look like gangrene and may spread to other parts of the body if not treated.

The Psychological impacts on soldiers varied from the many horrors witnessed, to the death
of close comrades, to the "Cold Shoulder" treatment they received when they returned from
active duty. Many suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, also called shell-shocked
in previous wars. When the soldiers returned home, they were treated like the enemy. This
was because there was such a large resistance and 'anti-war' movements and many back in
America felt that they had not right to be fighting that war.
Support from Government and/or Military after the war was minimal to begin with, but as
time has moved on help has become more readily available. Services including Counselling
for both Veterans and their families and Veteran pensions have been extended toward the
Veterans of Vietnam. A lot of support charities and groups have also appeared, including the
Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Veteran Support Foundation (VSF), and the Veterans
Health Council.

In conclusion the experiences of soldiers during the Vietnam War were both horrific and
tragic, scarring all that were involved for life. Many faced terrible environmental conditions,
bad health and hygiene that lead to several serious diseases due to the extreme conditions and
living with the Psychological issues form the aftermath of War. So hats off to those brave
man and women that fought and died during those years of hell, those years in Vietnam.