Dan Mouer's Comments on What is a Vietnam Veteran?
Date sent: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 06:14:39 -0500 From: Dan Mouer
To: Stephen Davies
Stephen Davies wrote:
Dear Dan
I am a history professor at Malaspina University in Canada and I am currently teaching an upper level course on the social impact of war on America in the twentieth century. Part of the course concerns itself with the soldier's experience in war and afterwards. As part of the readings for that section I have linked your piece on what is a Vietnam veteran for my students to read and there will be several of their weekly readings questions which will be directed specifically to your writing. If possible I was wondering if you could respond to some questions so that I could share your views with my class. These questions are versions of the questions that they will have to prepare for discussion I would appreciate any thoughts on these questions or any other insights that you might wish to share with my class. If you are agreeable and you have the time, the following would be particularly relevant:
1) In your estimation what has been the most important factor in separating the Vietnam veteran from the veterans of other wars?
The older I get and the more I talk with veterans, the more I believe that it is our similarities with vets of WWII and Korea that are so striking, but there are some differences, of course. The Vietnam war was so politically divisive, and for strange reasons, those who served in Vietnam became identified with the "hawks"--in other words, the warrior got confused with the politics of the war in the public minds' eye. This made it very difficult to be a veteran of Vietnam for a long time...although that has changed somewhat. The soldiers' experiences were different, too, in that there really were no "fronts" and "rears" in Vietnam. I remember watching an interview with a WWII Marine who spoke of his three weeks on Iwo Jima in which, as he said, he was so scared he thought he would die at any time. Then he added, that feeling like you might die instantly for such a long period is an experience that transforms you forever. Iwo Jima was hell on earth, but many tens of thousands--or hundreds of thousands-- of Vietnam War soldiers, Marines, nurses, civilians all were subject to the sometimes near-certainty that their deaths were about to happen, and for many this paralyzing and transforming experience lasted for an entire year. Soldiers in Vietnam didn't go into hellish battles for a week or two or three and then withdraw to some rear echelon town for leave or liberty to drink wine and date the local women. They were, as often as not, on duty 24 hours a day 7 days a week, week after week. I think the level of fear, uncertainty, and sheer exhaustion that was so common in Vietnam made a different kind of veteran.
2) You stated that "Many of us have never seen Vietnam. We waited at home for those we loved." In doing so are you defining a veteran as the family of those who served as well? Is a veteran simply someone who serves, or is it much more complex than that? Would the same hold true for example WWII?
I believe that the peoples of the US and Canada explicitly acknowledged the "homefires" veterans of WWII and appreciated their sacrifices, because our nations were fully mobilized for the war. Vietnam was a news item for most Americans, not a personal experience. Those who fought the war--in the field or by keeping together a household back home--did so alone, in an isolation that was often enforced by widespread disdain for the war itself. I was married and had an infant son when I was drafted. While the thought of returning to my family was the beacon that got me through my tour of duty, I was too young, too wounded and too self-absorbed to fully appreciate what my wife had been through. She had lived for a year with a new baby in a strange town on the $135 per month or so she got from my pay. I came home demanding her attention and affection to make me feel safe and welcomed, but I don't think I was very sensitive to her needs, or to the distance that a year and a war can introduce to a young marriage. Our marriage had virtually ended within months of my return. I spent much of my life for the next 18 years as a single parent. My son's life was clearly impacted by the war, as he was shuffled between towns, parents and schools. So, you tell me: is it correct to refer to my first wife and to my son as "veterans?" If that's what it takes to acknowledge their roles and sacrifices, then why not?
3) You have stated that "...what makes us Vietnam vets - is something we understand , but we are afraid that no one else will." Can you elaborate at all on what it is that veterans understand and no one else will?
I don't think I can elaborate on this very much. War is an experience that is not easily talked about for many reasons, not the least of which are the pain of remembering painful and frightening experiences and the fact that there seems to be little common frame of reference with those who haven't shared the experience. It is not surprising to discover how many Vietnam vets, after 25-30 years, are just now reaching out, looking for old "buddies," joining more vets organizations and activities, etc. Old soldiers are often drawn to each other and their shared experiences, perhaps because they cannot face the twilight of life feeling so isolated and strange. I have found that I can speak of my own wartime experiences and my feelings about them to some extent with other vets, and with people who have suffered some other kinds of profoundly transforming (and usually traumatic) experiences in their lives. Well, perhaps it's not even the need or desire to "speak" about experiences, as to be in the company of those who have had similar ones, so that one's own feelings are validated.
Stephen, Good luck with your class. I'm glad to have been able to help. BTW, I did some post-grad study at Simon Fraser back in 1975-76. I sure do miss BC! -- Dan Mouer "Pioneer" http://saturn.vcu.edu/~dmouer/homepage.htm