effect on U.S.
The war had dampened many Americans confidence in the military, and had bitterly divided the nation. By 1975, Vietnam was off the Gallup Poll list of top issues in the United States. There was large concern for remaining U.S. prisoners of war who were still in Vietnam. The American government faced widespread distrust because of the Vietnam War in addition to the Watergate Scandal.
PTSD
Returning veterans faced many challenges. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is a major problem for many Vietnam veterans. Approximately 30% of men and 27% of women had PTSD at some point in their life. Some of the most common symptoms of PTSD include recurring memories or nightmares of war/traumatic event, sleeplessness, loss of interest, or feeling numb, anger, and irritability.
PTSD
Returning veterans faced many challenges. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is a major problem for many Vietnam veterans. Approximately 30% of men and 27% of women had PTSD at some point in their life. Some of the most common symptoms of PTSD include recurring memories or nightmares of war/traumatic event, sleeplessness, loss of interest, or feeling numb, anger, and irritability.
Agent Orange
Many veterans suffered from physical damage because of exposure to the harmful chemical herbicide Agent Orange. Agent Orange was a mixture of chemical defoliants used by U.S. military forces during the Vietnam War to eliminate forest cover for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops, as well as crops that might be used to feed them. The U.S. program of defoliation, Operation Ranch Hand, sprayed more than 19 million gallons of herbicides over 4.5 million acres of land in Vietnam from 1961 to 1972.
An increasing number of returning Vietnam veterans and their families began to report a range of problems, including rashes and other skin irritations, miscarriages, psychological symptoms, Type-2 diabetes, birth defects in children and cancers. In 1979, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of 2.4 million veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange during their service in Vietnam. Five years later, seven large chemical companies that manufactured the herbicide agreed to pay $180 million in compensation to the veterans or for their families. In 1991, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Agent Orange Act, which mandated that some diseases associated with defoliants be treated as the result of wartime service.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was unveiled in Washington, D.C. On it were inscribed the names of 57,939 American armed forces killed or missing during the war.
Many veterans suffered from physical damage because of exposure to the harmful chemical herbicide Agent Orange. Agent Orange was a mixture of chemical defoliants used by U.S. military forces during the Vietnam War to eliminate forest cover for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops, as well as crops that might be used to feed them. The U.S. program of defoliation, Operation Ranch Hand, sprayed more than 19 million gallons of herbicides over 4.5 million acres of land in Vietnam from 1961 to 1972.
An increasing number of returning Vietnam veterans and their families began to report a range of problems, including rashes and other skin irritations, miscarriages, psychological symptoms, Type-2 diabetes, birth defects in children and cancers. In 1979, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of 2.4 million veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange during their service in Vietnam. Five years later, seven large chemical companies that manufactured the herbicide agreed to pay $180 million in compensation to the veterans or for their families. In 1991, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Agent Orange Act, which mandated that some diseases associated with defoliants be treated as the result of wartime service.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was unveiled in Washington, D.C. On it were inscribed the names of 57,939 American armed forces killed or missing during the war.