Vietnam Veterans: Heroes or Villains?

After soldiers returned from Vietnam to the United States, they received a lot of bitterness from people and were blamed for fighting in a war in which a majority of people viewed as pointless. No gratitude was shown to these men, despite them risking their lives and fighting for a country who did everything short of dragging them to Vietnam. These men actually received quite the opposite. They were attacked by anti-war groups, spat upon, shunned, and in some instances refused service at restaurants. This was the first time veterans of any American war were treated so poorly. Before the Vietnam War, men returning from combat were met with glory, parades, and citizens viewed them as heroes. So why were Vietnam veterans treated so differently?

The song ¨Born in the U.S.A.¨ written by Bruce Springsteen comments on just that. He criticizes the United States for their treatment of the men who were serving their country and doing their duty as citizens of the United States. In the song he refers to how much these soldiers already had to deal with when they came back home, to then have to deal with the attacks of the American media and public. Springsteen refers to this in the line ¨The first kick I took was when I hit the ground.¨ In his song he also speaks upon how it was not only hard for veterans to get jobs after the war, but they also did not received adequate support from the government transitioning back into their lives. ¨Went down to see my V.A. man He said "Son, don't you understand".¨ The message of this song is still very strong and important. What happened to these soldiers happened and cannot be changed, however it is a great opportunity for the United States to learn from its mistakes and treat veterans of war as what they are, heroes.