I.

What happened in Vietnam? Social effects of Vietnam War A. Combat fatigue vs. PTSD: not the same thing 1. What causes PTSD? a) b) c) 2. a) b) c) 3. a) b) c) d) 4. trauma of killing enabled by conditioning amplified by society homecoming s intensity of initial trauma nature of social support network available to victim very similar to psychological problems associated with rape 400k-1.5 million (lower stat disabled American Veterans, higher Harris assoc. independent consulting co.) means 15-55% of the 2.8 million that served in Vietnam not more crime prone, murder rates, robbery, etc. all the same as other returning vets. more prone to alcoholism, drug abuse, divorce, depression, suicide answer lies in killing and in societies reaction to it.

What are best indicators?

How many?

Why is Vietnam Different? a)

II.

Killing and shooting on the battlefield. A. B. 80-85% of soldiers in WWII don shoot t In Gettysburg, 25k guns collected, over half not shot and multiple loaded. 1. 2. 3. C. 1. 2. 3. D. E. small % of shooters actually shooting, other helping. if all were shooting, kill rates would be much higher deaths in most big engagements were 1-2 min per 100yds. in Vietnam, 50,000 rounds expended per VC dead. for snipers # is 1.4 rounds. Snipers, while distanced form target, suffer severe stress problems.

Who shoots most? Snipers.

In Korea shooting rate is up to 55% In Vietnam the rate rises to 90-95%

F.

Why don people shoot? t 1. 2. animal reaction to fearful situations effects of shooting basic training chants Rape, Kill pillage and burn change target ranges from bulls-eyes to pop-ups switch to life-size portraits as targets enforce stress (sleep deprivation, etc.) Falklands a) 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. British vs. Argentines Panama Afghanistan Somalia Gulf war Kill ratios 50-100:1

G.

How do you get people to shoot more? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

H.

Example of where differences in shooting rates shows up? 1.

III.

Normal ways that soldiers have been helped through this problem (shooting stress) A. B. C. D. E. Constant praise that the individual did the right thing Presence of older roles models in units Careful adherence to codes and conventions of warfare 1. Don shoot surrendering soldiers t Rear areas or safe areas where soldiers can unwind Presence of close friends who have gone through training with soldiers 1. 2. new soldiers hazed horribly in WWII new units that had just come into Ardennes were sodomized and tortured so that they would have same experiences of vets

F. G. H. I.

Group cool-downon return voyage Gains from victory balancing out costs Parades and monuments Reunions

J.

Unconditional warm welcome by society, friends, family, 1. 2. Constant assurance that the cause was just and righteous. Proud display of medals

IV.

How was Vietnam different A. Young, average age 19. Much easier to condition young people in basic training than older people. 1. 2. 3. 4. B. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. C. I was 23, refused to tell time using 24 hour clock. Did literally thousands of pushups, additional running etc. Often asked by classmates, why are you doing this? My reply, so that I can retain my civility Many of people shot were very young and done so at close range in villages. Had to confront families of people they shot In past combatants and families separated Had to confront children of people they shot, or had to shoot children themselves. read quote on pg. 265. Nick Uhernik was never the same person again. In WWII, we would rotate troops out of the front in to safe rear areas In Vietnam, due to the nature of the two wars being fought, terrorism by VC made no areas safe. In prior wars, units were rotated in and out Duration +6 months a) 3. 4. spent war with your unit. In Vietnam it was 12 months in country Most replacements were individual a) b) c) 5. FNG (fucking new guy) Cherries No one or unit to bond to

War against VC in south

Rear lines 1. 2.

D.

Individual loneliness 1. 2.

Each person arrived as an individual alone,

a) 6.

Because each solder had 1 year, many refused to bond with people around them (short-timers calendars) In Vietnam, lowest number of psychiatric problems during war Highest number of lingering effects (possible exception being the gulf-war)

This leads to a funny paradox a) b)

E.

Pharmacological war 1. 2. 3. In previous wars, soldiers drank. Vietnam they drank, and they used drugs, Marijuana, opium, heroin, Many with stress problems were removed form units, given large doses of Phenobarbital (CNS depressant) which might be useful if combined with therapy, but was used instead as a Band-Aid which would enable them to make their 1 year. Came home on a plane, alone No parades, no ticker tape, no memorial days every year. After Falklands soldiers were shipped home deliberately spending three weeks on a cruise ship. Not until the fall of the Soviet Union did we see that we, in fact, won the big war, that we lost a battle in Vietnam, but not much different than losing the Philippines to the Japanese In book Homecoming, a collection of more than 1000 letters of personal experiences On returning from Vietnam minus my right arm, I was accosted, twice...by individuals who inquired, Where did you lose your arms? Vietnam? I replied, yes. The response was Good, serves you right. I was spat upon in the San Francisco airport. The man who spat on me ran up to me from my left rear, spat, and turned to face me. The spittle hit me on my left shoulder and on me few military decorations above my left breast pockets. He then shouted at that I was a mother fucking murderer. I was quite shocked and just stared at him. After WWII GI bill sent all that served that wanted to go to college
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F.

The uncleansed vet 1. 2. 3.

G.

The loser soldier 1.

H.

The Condemned vet 1. 2.

3.

4.

5. 6. V. A. B. C. VI. A.

WWII memorial everywhere Vietnam memorial took 20 years.

Social costs of PTSD Vietnam vets 4x more likely to divorce Large proportion of homeless Far more likely to commit suicide Getting people to shoot should be easy 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. B. 1. 2. 3. 4. C. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. People recruited at psychologically malleable age Distance from enemy psychologically Taught to hate and to dehumanize Fear of dying unless they DO shoot Given the threat of authority The absolution and pressure of groups They don shoot t they shoot in the air they find non-violent things to do they need to be conditioned (in the Pavlovian sense) We condition them to kill Act, don think. t Raise shooting rate from 15-20% to 90-95% With astonishing effectiveness the behavioral modification programs work. Can we see similarities between this type of training and elsewhere?

Conclusions:

Even then, they have difficulty killing

Solution?

VII.

Relationship between what we did to people in Vietnam to changes in society today. A. B. C. Violent movies 1. 1. create images of violence and killing which we become numbed to Similar to pop-up target shooting or reaction drills in military Violent video games Dissolution of the family
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1. 2. 3. D. E. 1.

Groups which provide support and restraint In urban areas 70% of all children borne out of wedlock. Authority figures become peers (see Fielding Lord of The Flies) s Increased diversity and polarization in America

Society provides distancing Civilian society apes the way that the United States military conditions it trainees to be able to be violent without thinking about it.
1.

Result? Explosion in violence.

a)

Since 1957, aggravated assaults have risen from 62/100,000/yr to 440 in 1992. These are assaults with the intent to murder or maim (not simple assaults: brawls). Murder rate has only risen from ~5-10/100,000. Assault rate help down by imprisonment s...310/100,000, up from 100 in 1975. Murder rate held down because of advances in medical technology, in absence of that, rise in murder rate would parallel that of assaults.

b)

c)

F.

Pursuing strategies and training that lead to optimal wartime performance may have long term deleterious effects on society.