When glancing back in time into the more modern history of the United States of America, are we starkly reminded of the 9/11 tragedies and the "War on Terror" which immediately followed these horrific events. It is also clearly recalled how the majority of Americans fully supported the Bush administration's response to 9/11 by the American invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and then later Iraq in 2003. Going back even further in American history do we come to the era of the Vietnam War, and here we are also reminded of how unpopular this war was among the general population spanning from all avenues across the entire United States. It is also interesting to note that on December 1, 1969 (during the height of the Vietnam War) the United States government issued the draft, which randomly called up young men to be sent to fight in the war in Vietnam. Even though these young men had no other choice than to fight on behalf of America or be faced with imprisonment, this factor was not at all taken into consideration by the vast amount of Americans who were not only against the war in Vietnam, but also despised the American G.I.'s who fought in the war. And to add insult to injury, when these poor boys returned home to the country they obediently fought for they were not welcomed with open arms, but were confronted with intense scorn and contempt stemming from their fellow Americans. However, in the aftermath of 9/11 young men, and young women, volunteered to fight for their country in the spirit of defending democracy and fighting for freedom, and in turn were promoted by a large percentage of Americans as patriots. So what changed? Why were Vietnam War vets spit upon and called baby killers, while Afghan and Iraq War vets were looked upon favorably and given the title of American Heroes? The following presentation will attempt to dissect this dichotomy and hopefully bring awareness to the reality of how "The War on Terror" was in fact very unpopular with much of the American public yet was sold as a just cause by the U.S. government and was also propped up and positively promoted via the mainstream media. But before we address the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq let us begin with the war in Vietnam.
The Vietnam War was a Cold War conflict, which was fought in the Southeast Asian countries of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia beginning on the 1st of November in 1955, and lasted until the fall of Saigon on the 30th of April in 1975. Though Laos and Cambodia were involved in this war the main struggle however, was fought primarily between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnam was communist and fought against the South Vietnamese and United States forces by installing an armed and militarized organization known as the Viet Cong, who used both guerrilla tactics as well as more conventional methods in their means of warfare. Though North Vietnam was supported militarily by both the Soviet Union and China, with the hopes and intentions of building up and expanding communism in Southeast Asia, the Viet Cong took their orders directly from Hanoi (the seat of government in North Vietnam). The Viet Cong were also known as a part of the People's Army of Vietnam, or the North Vietnamese army. The Viet Cong made demands for the unification of both North and South Vietnam along with calls to drive out the Americans as well as to overthrow the South Vietnamese government which was backed by the U.S. government. Eventually, after the collapse of the South Vietnamese government following the Fall of Saigon in 1975 to the North Vietnamese Army, the Communist Party of Vietnam reunified the country and North and South Vietnam were merged to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on July 2nd 1976.
The total number of casualties in the Vietnam War is not entirely certain, but it has been estimated that nearly 2,000,000 Vietnamese civilians on both sides were killed, along with the deaths of over 1,000,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters, with between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers who also died, and the United States government for its part lost over 58,000 of its military personnel who also fought in the Vietnam Conflict. So even if there is no official count of the amount of casualties, I believe it is safe to say that when including all parties involved, over 3.2 million people died as a result of the fighting spanning across the 20 year period that is known to history as the era of the Vietnam War. Though the United States suffered far fewer casualties than the Vietnamese, this doesn't mean that the Vietnam War was a victory for America. Ultimately the Communist forces of North Vietnam achieved their objectives and North and South Vietnam merged into a Socialist State, something that the U.S. government was supposedly trying to prevent through their military involvement and presence in Vietnam.
When the war was officially over and the American soldiers who fought in Vietnam returned home to the United States, they weren't received back with the same warmth and celebration as were other veterans from the previous wars, such as the Korean War and World Wars I and II. Instead, the Vietnam veterans were despised and insulted by the antiwar protesters and were even looked down upon by other people who supported the war, but disrespected the veterans for losing the war. Being held in contempt there were no welcome home parades or celebrations honoring their service. As a result of this social reproach many veterans found it difficult to find work and many became homeless. In addition to their poverty and the discrimination coming from their fellow Americans, the vets were also left to cope with the mental anguish caused by the horrors they experienced during their tour of duty in Vietnam. During the 1970s mental health issues were not properly understood and the veterans were forced to deal with their problems all alone, which in turn led to even more challenges for the vets with many turning to drugs as a result. Overtime however, public opinion began to change towards the veterans of the Vietnam War and during the 1980s and 1990s more recognition of their sacrifices were acknowledged. Various programs and support groups were established to address the physical and mental health needs of the Vietnam veterans, and today they are generally more appreciated and recognized for their service.
Now when it comes to the "War on Terror" (which was birthed in the aftermath of the tragedies which occurred on September 11, 2001) a huge amount of the American population supported the United States government in responding to terrorism. However, there was also at this time a significant amount of Americans who were not in favor of war, but were not given the platform or air-time in the mainstream media. For during the early 2000s the alternative media did not have the online following it does today, yet even now there are attempts to block alternative viewpoints by canceling anyone who disagrees with the official stories presented by the legacy press. For at the birth of a new millennium the inception of a new type of personal communication also came into focus. The Internet was just over a decade old in 2001, and personal blogs were just beginning to rise. But immediately following the events of 9/11 many websites would be created dedicated to exposing the stories behind the headlines as well as a barrage of conspiracy theories that would also flood the World Wide Web. For now the War on Terror would not just be waged on the battlefield with soldiers and artillery, but it would also spawn a psychological warfare in which the goal would be the conquering the human psyche.
Within a month of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the United States government launched a war against Afghanistan, which was the country believed to be hosting Osama bin Laden, the supposed mastermind behind the terrorist attacks on American targets. It was also at this time that patriotism in the United States went through a rebirth, and for a moment everyone in America put aside their differences and the entire country came together as one. But this would be short lived, for with the invasion of Iraq in 2003 the little voices of dissent were beginning to be heard. Though still on a high from 2001, many Americans supported George W. Bush's war against Iraq, yet at the same time many were now questioning the authenticity of the official story of 9/11 with cries of the attacks being an "inside job" rising to the surface of American pop-culture. Though these rumors have been disregarded by the mainstream media, the growing alternative media continues in its critique of the events surrounding 9/11 and has continued in its opposition to, and defiance against the various U.S. led wars beginning from 2001 and on-wards.
Now when it comes to the veterans and those who died fighting in the War on Terror, they have been celebrated as American Heroes. However, the same government that sent these brave men and women off to fight and die for freedom and democracy, is the same government that has not been there to support the veterans when they came home maimed and psychologically broken. For the facilities to treat the Afghan and Iraq vets has been far below the standard of care one would think would be there waiting for the people who sacrificed so much for the country they so dearly loved. For the majority of Afghan Iraq War vets suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and as of June 2021 it has been estimated by Brown University that 30,177 active-duty personnel and veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have committed suicide, a figure that excels over four times as many troops that died fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. And even though the vets of the War on Terror have not suffered the same social ostracism of the veterans of Vietnam, yet at the same time they have not been given much remembrance in the media in recent days. I guess now that the war in Afghanistan is over there is now nothing more to see, and thus the memories of our fallen heroes are now vanishing away.
In conclusion, the war in Vietnam was at the time very unpopular with the American public, and if it were not for America experiencing terrorism within her borders I suppose too that the War on Terror would not have been as readily accepted as it was by the majority of the citizens of the United States at that time. However, with the rise of video streaming platforms on the Internet an alternative view of world news and reports has been presented to the public. Though it is true that some alternative news sources are more conspiracy theory than actual fact, this doesn't mean that the news coming from mainstream news sources is the Gospel truth either. It takes a discerning eye to be able to see through all the deception coming at us from a multitude of outlets, for at times there is so much falsehood being spewed that (if possible) even the elect might be led astray. But as it is said, "you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."
References:
https://www.britannica.com/question/How-many-people-died-in-the-Vietnam-War
