VietnamSyndrome

DictionaryofAmericanHistory
,2003
FromU.S.HistoryinContext

VIETNAMSYNDROME
referstobothacollectiveandanindividualailmentstemmingfrom
America'sinvolvementintheVIETNAMWAR.Onthecollectivelevel,Vietnamsyndrome
describes
America'sgeneralreluctancetousemilitaryforceabroadbecauseofthe
psychologicaltraumacausedbydifferentaspectsoftheVietnam

War.
Causescitedare
America'smilitary"loss"inVietnamdespiteU.S.wealthandmilitarysuperiority,unprecedented
mediaaccesstothemosthorrificimagesofcombat,guiltoverthemistreatmentofVietnam
veterans,andapublicperceptionthatU.S.involvementwasfundamentally,andevenmorally,
wrong.
TheVietnamsyndromeresultedina
political,military,andcivilianbodyunwillingtoriskmilitary
engagementforfearof"anotherVietnam."
ThesyndromemeshedintoAmericanforeignand
militarypolicy
fromRichardM.Nixon'spresidencytoBillClinton's.

AfterthefallofSaigon,U.S.
policywasoneofextremecaution.Oneofthemostvocaladvocatesofcautiousnesswas
CasperWeinberger,RonaldReagan'ssecretaryofdefense.
RequirementsforU.S.military
involvementabroadincludedthattheconflictbeshortandhaveminimalAmericanlosses,
overwhelmingpublicsupport,andnocivilianrestrictiononmilitaryauthority.
DuringthePersianGulfcrisisof19901991,PresidentGeorgeH.W.Bushdeliberately
attemptedtohealtheeffectsoftheVietnamsyndrome.
AswarwithIraqloomed,Bush
repeatedlyassuredtheAmericanpublicthattheconflictwouldnotbe"anotherVietnam."
Further,theAmericanpublicwelcomedthechancetosupportAmericanservicemenand
women.Onlythreedaysafterthefightingstopped,BushdeclaredtheeffectsofVietnamwere
buriedin"thedesertsandsoftheArabianPeninsula."
OnanindividuallevelVietnamsyndromereferstoaformof
POSTTRAUMATICSTRESS
DISORDER(PTSD)foundin20to60percentofVietnamveterans.
Thesymptomsincludenot
onlyalltheclassicPTSDsymptomssuchasanxiety,rage,depression,andaddictionbutalso
intrusivecombatrelatedthoughts,nightmares,andflashbacks.Guiltisalsoasignificantpartof
Vietnamsyndrome.
Soldiersnotonlyexperiencedguiltforsurvivingwhentheirfriendsdidnot
butalso
guiltovertheVietnamesekilled
,especiallywomenandchildren.T
hestrategies
veteransdevelopedtocopewithlifeinacombatzonedidnottranslatebackintocivilianlifeand
manifestedasdysfunctionalbehaviors
.TreatmentforveteranswithVietnamsyndrome
symptomsincludesdrugtherapy,individualaswellasgrouptherapy,andbehavior
managementtechniques.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Friedman,MatthewJ."PostVietnamSyndrome:RecognitionandManagement."
Psychosomatics
22(1981):931935,940943.
Isaacs,ArnoldR.
VietnamShadows:TheWar,ItsGhosts,andItsLegacy.
Baltimore:Johns
HopkinsUniversityPress,1997.

LisaA.

Ennis
FullText:
COPYRIGHT2003CharlesScribner'sSons,COPYRIGHT2006Gale,COPYRIGHT
2007Gale,CengageLearning.

SourceCitation

Ennis,LisaA."VietnamSyndrome."
DictionaryofAmericanHistory.
Ed.StanleyI.Kutler.3rd
ed.Vol.8.NewYork:CharlesScribner'sSons,2003.328329.
U.S.HistoryinContext
.Web.5
May2016.
URL
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/uhic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?failOverType=&
query=&prodId=UHIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&displayquery=&mode=view&di
splayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&
sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=UHIC%3AWHIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=
&documentId=GALE%7CCX3401804405&source=Bookmark&u=colc95696&jsid=18e8b67ac44
a5eba86cd19710f317b6e
GaleDocumentNumber:
GALE|CX3401804405

Text:
"America'sgeneralreluctancetousemilitaryforceabroadbecauseofthepsychological
traumacausedbydifferentaspectsoftheVietnamWar."

Text:
"America'smilitary"loss"inVietnamdespiteU.S.wealthandmilitarysuperiority,
unprecedentedmediaaccesstothemosthorrificimagesofcombat,guiltoverthemistreatment
ofVietnamveterans,andapublicperceptionthatU.S.involvementwasfundamentally,and
evenmorally,wrong."

Text:
"political,military,andcivilianbodyunwillingtoriskmilitaryengagementforfearof
"anotherVietnam.""

Text:
"fromRichardM.Nixon'spresidencytoBillClinton's."

Text:
"AfterthefallofSaigon,U.S."

Text:
"RequirementsforU.S.militaryinvolvementabroadincludedthattheconflictbeshortand
haveminimalAmericanlosses,overwhelmingpublicsupport,andnocivilianrestrictionon

militaryauthority."

Text:
"AswarwithIraqloomed,BushrepeatedlyassuredtheAmericanpublicthattheconflict
wouldnotbe"anotherVietnam."Further,theAmericanpublicwelcomedthechancetosupport
Americanservicemenandwomen.Onlythreedaysafterthefightingstopped,Bushdeclared
theeffectsofVietnamwereburiedin"thedesertsandsoftheArabianPeninsula.""

Text:
"POSTTRAUMATICSTRESSDISORDER(PTSD)foundin20to60percentofVietnam
veterans."

Text:
"intrusivecombatrelatedthoughts,nightmares,andflashbacks.Guiltisalsoasignificant
partofVietnamsyndrome."

Text:
"guiltovertheVietnamesekilled"

Text:
"hestrategiesveteransdevelopedtocopewithlifeinacombatzonedidnottranslate
backintocivilianlifeandmanifestedasdysfunctionalbehaviors"