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Vietnam veteran is a phrase used to describe someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. The term is usually associated with veterans who were in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States armed forces and countries allied to them, whether or not they were actually stationed in Vietnam during their service. However, those who did not actually serve in Vietnam are sometimes referred to as "Vietnam era veterans".
In the English-speaking world, the term "Vietnam veteran" is not usually used in relation to members of the communist People's Army of Vietnam or the Viet Cong.
South Vietnamese veterans
Although exact numbers are difficult to ascertain, it is safe to say that several million people served in the South Vietnamese armed forces — the vast majority of them in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) — between 1956 and 1975. It is known that during 1969-1971, there were about 22,000 ARVN combat deaths per year and the army reached a peak strength of about one million soldiers during 1972. The official number of anti-communist Vietnamese personnel killed in action was 220,357.
Following the communist victory on April 30, 1975, South Vietnamese veterans were rounded up and sent to reeducation camps, essentially forced labor camps in desolate areas. They were detained without trial for up to decades. After being released, they and their children face significant discrimination from the communist government. A significant proportion of the surviving South Vietnamese veterans left Vietnam for western countries, either as boat people or through the Humanitarian Operation (HO).
United States veterans
According to official sources, 2,594,000 US personnel served within the borders of South Vietnam between January 1, 1965 and March 28, 1973, while 3,403,100 served in the entire Southeast Asia theater, and 8,744,000 US personnel were on active duty between August 5, 1964–March 28, 1973.More than 58,000 US personnel died as a result of the conflict.[http://www.archives.gov/research/vietnam-war/casualty-statistics.html This comprises deaths from all categories including deaths while missing, captured, non-hostile deaths, homicides, and suicides. The US Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes veterans that served in the country then known as the Republic of Vietnam from February 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975, as being eligibile for such programs as the department's Readjustment Counseling Services program (aka Vet Centers).
Veterans from other nations
Nationals of other nations fought in the American-led coalition, sometimes as armed forces of allied nations, such as Australia and South Korea, but sometimes as members of the US armed forces.
Some foreign nationals volunteered for the US military, but many more were US permanent residents, who were subject to the draft, if they were male, of draft age, and not otherwise deferred or exempt from service.
South Korean veterans
South Koreans forces at their peak were approximately one-tenth of US forces; by extrapolation that would indicate 250,000 South Koreans served in-country.
Australian veterans
Australia was directly engaged in the Vietnam as a US ally. Approximately 50,000 Australians served in Vietnam. According to official statistics, 508 personnel died or went missing in action.
New Zealand veterans
Initially, in May 1965, New Zealand provided one 4 gun artillery battery (140 men) with two rifle companies of infantry, designated Victor and Whiskey companies, and an SAS troop arriving later. The New Zealanders operated in Military Region 3 with the Australian forces as part of the ANZAC task force (brigade)based in Nui Dat in Phuoc Thuy Province, North East of Saigon. Even at the height of New Zealand involvement in 1968, the force was only 580 men. New Zealand's total contribution numbered approximately 4,000 personnel. 37 were killed and 187 were wounded. To 2006, no memorial has been erected to remember these casualties.
Canadian veterans
During the Vietnam era, more than 30,000 Canadians served in the US armed forces. Fred Graffen, military historian with the Canadian War Museum, estimated in Vietnam Magazine (Perspectives) that approximately 12,000 of these personnel actually served in Vietnam. Most of these were natives of Canada who lived in the United States. The military of Canada did not officially participate in the war effort, as it was appointed to the UN truce commissions and thus had to remain officially neutral in the conflict.
110 Canadians died in Vietnam and seven are listed as missing in action.
The numbers of draft US conscientious objectors, draft dodgers and deserters that went to Canada is estimated to be between 30,000 and 70,000 by most authorities.
Negative stereotypes of Vietnam veterans
There are persistent stereotypes about Vietnam veterans as psychologically devastated, bitter, homeless, drug-addicted people who had a hard time readjusting to society, primarily due to the uniquely divisive nature of the Vietnam War in the context of U.S. History.
That social division has expressed itself by the lack both of public and institutional support for the former soldiers expected by returning combatants of most conflicts in most nations. In a material sense also, Veterans Benefits for Vietnam era veterans were dramatically less than those enjoyed after World War II. The Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended, 38 U.S.C. 4212, was meant to try and help the veterans overcome this.
However the negative image of the Vietnam veteran has been battled in recent years, primarily by people such as B. G. Burkett. Burkett wrote a book called Stolen Valor in which he gathered statistics attempting to prove that Vietnam Veterans were actually quite prevalent among the government and business leaders of America 30 years after the Vietnam War. Furthermore he discovered a large number of people claiming to be veterans who were not. Using the Freedom of Information Act and military personnel records, he found these 'fake vets' in every walk of life: from the VA hospital, to University professors, to book authors, to interviewees in serious studies of the Vietnam War, to homeless people, to veterans magazines, etc.
There are still, however, many proven cases of individuals who have suffered psychological damage from their time in Vietnam. Many others were physically wounded, some permanently disabled. This trend continues with Desert Storm veterans and for those serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
See also
External links
- Vietnam Views (marking the 30th anniversary of its end, a social journal that captures stories from those affected by the war)
- Vietnam Veterans Home Page - the original Vietnam veteran presence on the Web, launched on Veteran's Day, 1994, with stories, poems, maps, and other information by and for the Vietnam veteran.
- More statistics on the war
Vietnam War veterans | Military veterans | History of Vietnam
"Vietnam veteran"