I noticed that a lot of media and publications talk about Vietnam War veterans suffering from PTSD and other psychological/mental health issues.
What was so devastating in this specific war comparing to other wars (i.e. WW1 and WW2) that caused so many vets’ trauma?
Or is it a matter of fact that during previous wars mental health care was less developed?
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A lot of good answers in here. It seems like WWII had a very clear purpose and narrative to why we were there. “We are here to stop Hitler’s Germany from conquering Europe and threatening the entire globe” may be a clear enough purpose/mission to ease the conscience of those people who witnessed so much death (not that WWII veterans had ‘eased’ consciences by any means, but perhaps relative to a Vietnam vet)
The “why” around Vietnam is so much murkier, that perhaps that played a role in making the atrocities of that war harder to make sense of, resolve and let go? An analogy could be killing someone in self-defense versus killing somebody by accident. I imagine it is much easier for someone to forgive themselves for taking a life if it is clearly to save themselves or a loved one, versus killing someone or seeing someone be killed for no good reason
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