The Struggle of Soldiers During and After World War Two

William Elfarr

Thesis Committee Members:

Angie Billings

Thomas Marsh

Michael Giordano

Emily Twomey

20 April 2020

My committee has helped me so much during this whole process. I would like to thank them. They have had to put up with my procrastination and my multiple schedule changes.

They have helped me learn more about what is needed to write a high level paper. Their suggestions and comments during meetings have helped steer me in the write direction because at first, I had no idea what I was doing. I am extremely grateful for the countless hours Mrs.

Billings has put into my thesis. Her dedication allowed this terribly daunting task to be much easier. My thesis would not have been possible without all the help you all have given me.

Table of Contents

Introduction ------Page 1

Chapter 1:Before and During World War Two------Page 4

Chapter 2: Before and During the Vietnam War------Page 7

Chapter 3: After the War------Page 11

Conclusion------Page 15

Works Cited------Page 19

Elfarr 1 ​

Introduction

Unfortunately throughout our history violence has been very prevalent. Wars have ​ ​ started over the smallest of tribulations. They often lead to a massive amount of bloodshed and ​ ​ unnecessary loss of life. Small tribulations between countries can turn into large scale conflicts ​ ​ through escalation. The leaders that oftentimes are the ones that cause the conflicts are not ​ ​ always the ones that pay for their actions. It is the “people fighting our ongoing wars” that pay ​ ​ ​ the price (Fallows). ​

The idea of going to war is often viewed as patriotic and romantic. The governments ​ ​ often romanticize the idea of war to increase support and recruitment. Right after the United ​ ​

States was drawn into World War 2, the government started to recruit for the military. All of the ​ ​ ​ ​ volunteers were “18,19 years old” “trying to prove that they were men” (National World War 2 mueseum). The idea of going off to war attracted many young men because the idea of war had ​ ​ been romanticized. Not only has it been romanticized, there's also this huge idea of patriotism ​ ​ that is deep rooted in the United States. This was evident in most young men at the time and ​ ​ throughout history in general. They felt like they had to serve along with their buddies. Eugene ​ ​

Sledge, a young man in Alabama, felt like he had to serve and wanted to “enlist in the Marine ​ ​

Corps as soon as possible” (Sledge 5). Many young men had this same mindset when it came to ​ ​ going off to war. ​

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The young men that fell into the romantic attraction of war soon came to their senses the ​ ​ first time that they experienced combat. They went from gaining a rough understanding of what ​ ​ the military was going to be like from boot camp to a “Baptism By Fire” (West Point). It is ​ ​ often hard to think about what was going through the minds of the young soldiers who ​ ​ experienced the first taste of carnage that was going to be their life while they were deployed. ​ ​ ​

Many times soldiers didn’t make it past their first combat experience and if they did their odds of ​ ​ survival went up because that meant that they could handle the extreme pressure that was on ​ ​ them to keep themselves and the person next to them alive. ​

The postwar experience of a soldier can be very difficult. It is often flooded with ​ ​ flashbacks, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, lack of governmental support, and a lack of ​ ​ understanding and appreciation. It wasn’t until “In 1980” when the government recognized that ​ ​

PTSD was a real problem affecting its veterans and soldiers (VA). Even now, we don’t fully ​ ​ understand PTSD and its causes and side effects. Around the time of World War 1 and World

War 2 PTSD was known as “Shell Shock” was treated using “unproven” treatment techniques ​ ​

(Oaks). Soldiers after World War 2 and Vietnam struggled to cope with the “psychological ​ ​ ​ ​ problems” which often continued long after “their return home” (Oaks). This lack of ​ ​ understanding led to the suffering of many veterans because there was no understanding of what they were going through. It didn’t help that in some cases like Vietnam, soldiers came home to a ​ ​ hostile environment. They were unable to receive the benefits that they were promised and had ​ ​ Elfarr 3 an extremely difficult time adjusting back into society. The time after the war for veterans in the ​ ​ ​ ​ early 20th century was extremely difficult because nobody could really understand what they ​ ​ had been through. ​

After analyzing the soldiers' experiences during the war, it becomes quite clear of ​ ​ the hardships that they endured. They put their lives on the line for their country and for the men ​ ​ serving next to them. However, despite these similarities in their experience during the war, ​ ​ there were some differences. They were fighting wars and this had some different effects on the ​ ​ soldiers. The main differences come after the war when the veterans return home from both of ​ ​ the wars. Where the World War II veterans are welcomed home with parades and gratefulness, ​ ​ the Vietnam veterans are not welcomed home at all. Everybody is hostile to them and they ​ ​ receive no welcome whatsoever. War has adverse effects on the soldiers involved in World War ​ 2 and the Vietnam War. Despite the fact that the soldiers' experiences before and during the war ​ ​ ​ were similar, the post war experiences were completely different. For both sets of soldiers, their ​ ​ ​ ​ experience in combat changed them. Eugene Sledge and Louis Zamperini experienced the brutalities of the Pacific theater during World War 2 and Tim O’Brian wrote of the psychological toll that soldiers took on in Vietnam. Despite the differences in theater and combat the impact on the soldiers was almost the same. Despite these similarities, they came back into two different worlds. The World War 2 veterans came back into a world of welcome where as the Vietnam veterans came back to people who were not welcoming of them and oftentimes hostile.

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Chapter 1: Before and During World War Two

Understanding the conditions before the war is vital to understanding the impacts and how certain groups of people were affected. The war did not affect all in some way even on the home front away from all of the fighting and violence. Even those who are involved in the fighting have different stories to tell and the soldiers are all impacted differently by the fighting.

Before the United States introduction into the war people did not believe that the United

States would get involved in the war. Life was simple for most. Before World War II, life was different for Eugene B. Sledge. He was from a relatively small town of Mobile Alabama. He had a strong patriotism for his country and had a desire to serve his country. His desire to serve his country was so strong he dropped from Army officer training and “signed up for one of the

Corps’ new officer training programs” because he didn’t want a desk job, he wanted to fight

(Sledge 5). Like most other young men of the time, he was oblivious to the pain and suffering that the fighting brought with it. Eugine’s passion to serve his country as soon as possible caused him to drop out of Marine Officer training because he “hadn’t joined the Marine Corps to sit out the war in college” (Sledge 6). Almost all young men of this time had this same mentality,

One recruit that had the same outlook as Eugine was Louis Zamperini. Just like Eugene

Sledge, Louis joined the military after feeling the need to serve his country. Louis Zamperini was an Olympic athlete who had “just missed seventh place” in the 5,000 during the 1936

Olympic Games (Hillbrand 34). He set records during his career and had a very promising future. This all came to an end when he “became ill, first with food poisoning, then with pleurisy” (Hillbrand 34). He was then drafted. Louis scored high on the test in training and had been assigned as a bombardier. Elfarr 5

Both stories are somewhat similar due to the fact that they are young men with no idea what war is like. The idea of war to most of the young men during World War II was often viewed as romantic and patriotic. They did not fully understand the brutality that they would face. It would leave most scarred for life. Eugene Sledge’s first encounter with the harsh realities of war was on the amphibious landing at Peleliu. Before he even made it to the beach, his “stomach was tied in knots,'' his “knees nearly buckled” (Sledge 56). He feared he would appear as a coward but soon realized that every other soldier felt the same way. In a short period of time during the landing, Eugine would become a different person; he felt “sickened to the depths of [his} soul” (Sledge 60). The carnage and war that he experienced on the beach completely changed his view of war. He soon became numb to the sight of the dead, destroyed, and decaying bodies. He also developed a deep-rooted hatred for the enemy. He lived in constant fear of his life for almost the entire time he was deployed. Often Japanese would sneak up on Marine foxholes and kill the Marines in their sleep. The threat of attack at all times was very taxing on the physiological health of many Marines. Louis Zamperini experienced a completely different aspect of war. During his time as a POW, he was subjected to torture.

Because “nothing about Japan’s use of POWs was in keeping with the Geneva Convention” prisoners were subjected to hard labor that put their lives at risk because they were also exposed to diseases through their food (Hillenbrand 170). The Japanese in Louis camps even dumped fish that “were putrid and undulating with maggots” into their washing water (Hillenbrand 162).

Louis was later told if he did not eat the fish that earlier had been put in the washing water he would be killed. These conditions slowly chip away at one's humanity. Elfarr 6

The most important impact to note is how their idea of the war differed from the reality of war. This misconception was common with almost all new soldiers and the carnage and violence of the war took a toll on everybody who was involved. However, despite all of the hardships that they faced and the physiological strain they went through, they still pushed on.

The drive to fight for one's country was not lost for most. World War II dramatically changed people's lives. The personalities of those going to war were often completely different than those coming out. After the war, the damage one person can do to another really shows through. Most experiences during the war were extremely traumatic and showed how terrible humankind is to one another.

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Chapter 2: Before and During the Vietnam War

The Vietnam war is often viewed as one of the greatest failures in American history. ​

From before the war, it was set to fail. The promises that the United States of America made to ​ ​ South Vietnam so light-heartedly would end up costing fifty-eight thousand, two hundred twenty thousand American soldiers. Unlike World War 2, the United States was not attacked directly. ​ ​ ​ However there was the threat of Communism which did in many eyes justify the United State’s intervention but there has always been a cloud of debate about Vietnam. The question that gets ​ ​ asked is was there any reason for the United States to have deployed soldiers to help police, or should have the United States backed out Vietnam and driven from the backseat. ​

Vietnam had the support of many Americans, but as it progressed more and more people started to believe that the United States should withdraw. Much like wars in the past, the United

States used the conscription system. However it was more heavily used during Vietnam. There was controversy surrounding it as well concerning college students. Because of the disconnect between the United States and Vietnam, there was no real reason for young men to go join the army to fight somewhere in Asia that they haven't heard of before for a reason that doesn't make any sense. Many young men who got drafted fled the draft through a variety of means. A ​ ​ ​ ​ Vietnam War author, Tom Valentine, talks about the “draft dodgers” and how most of the draftees came from the lower classes and most upperclassmen had a reason for a deferral like ​ ​ attending college (Valentine). Most people before going to war or being drafted felt as if “blood ​ ​ was being shed for uncertain reasons” (O’Brien 20). Most young men at that time that were ​ ​ Elfarr 8 getting drafted didn’t understand “what really happened to the USS Maddox” or who “Ho Chi ​ ​

Minh” was which caused issues (O’Brien 20). The confusion that these young men had about ​ ​ what they were going to go fight for and what they were fighting against was the big reason for a ​ ​ lot of the draft-dodging and the animosity before the war towards the United States involvement. ​ ​ ​ Tim O’Brien thought himself “too good for this war”,”too smart”, and “too everything” to go fight in Vietnam (O’Brien). This attitude about going to war is completely different from the ​ ​ ​ ​ pre-war attitude that the soldiers from World War 2 had before they were called to serve voluntarily. Despite most of the discontent about being drafted into the army to go fight in ​ ​ ​ ​

Vietnam, there were those that were not opposed to going and fighting for their country. Mike ​ ​

Troyer was one of the millions of young men drafted for service for Vietnam. Unlike most, he ​ ​

“didn’t question the draft or the Vietnam conflict” (Troyer). It was common to find young men ​ ​ like Mike Troyer who did not complain about the draft, there was a lot of discontent from those who did not want to go fight in Vietnam. Most of the time their reasons for not wanting to fight were because of the belief that the United States did not need to be involved, or the idea that they did not want to join the military and go fight and die in the jungle somewhere that they have barely heard of. ​

Despite some of the differences of opinions of the soldiers that were drafted, most had the same attitude after they had been deployed to Vietnam. Vietnam was a brutal fighting ground ​ ​ where one couldn't trust anyone because any of the civilians could be “Viet Cong Sympathizers' ' ​ ​ and your enemy could be anywhere because there were no real boundaries where it was Elfarr 9 guaranteed the enemy wouldn’t be (PBS). It took an extreme physiological toll on the soldiers ​ ​ because they could die at any moment and not know where from. A great example of this is ​ ​ when “Ted Lavender was shot in the head on his way back from peeing” right after they had thought they cleared the area and it was safe (O’Brien 12). This fear of dying kept most soldiers ​ ​ on their toes. The Things They Carried name comes from the different objects that the soldiers ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ carried with them. Many carried objects that represented “good-luck” to them like a “pebble” or ​ ​ a “rabbit’s foot” or in Norman Bowker’s case a thumb that “had been cut from a VC corpse, a boy of fifteen or sixteen” (O’Brien 12). Many carried items because it represented something ​ ​ that they should live for because there was nothing for them in Vietnam. They had nothing to ​ ​ fight for, “no dreams of glory or honor” (O’Brien 20). Soldiers became close with each other in ​ ​ many cases, and when one of them dies, it takes a huge toll on the other because they only have ​ ​ each other in the jungle. It was a dangerous job being a soldier in Vietnam in the jungle. Many ​ ​ ​ ​ soldiers were traumatized and permanently hurt. It was one of the most psychologically intense ​ ​ battlefields because of the isolation and the unknown. They had the job of policing a country ​ ​ filled with people who wanted to kill them that could be hiding anywhere and that knew the ​ ​ terrain much better than they did. ​

There is a significant amount of difference between the attitudes of soldiers before and during the Vietnam War and World War II. Most of this difference spurred from the lack of ​ ​ patriotism that was present in the soldiers of Vietnam. The soldiers of Vietnam had a complete ​ ​ Elfarr 10 disconnect between themselves, their government, the place they were fighting, and the reason ​ ​ that they were fighting. The many soldiers that volunteered to fight in World War Two were ​ ​ willing to fight. However soldiers that were drafted during World War 2 and Vietnam that did not want to go fight had no purpose in the war and did not want to be there.

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Chapter 3: After the War

World War 2 veterans came home to cheers and celebration. Veterans of World War 2 ​ ​ were celebrated because of the great victory they had just achieved over the axis powers, a ​ ​ known threat to the United States. They were heroes and they were treated, for the most part, like ​ ​ heroes. This, however, is completely different from the experience of Vietnam veterans coming ​ ​ home. They were often spit on in airports and called baby killers. They were in no way repaid by ​ ​ ​ ​ society for the great sacrifice that they made. This is because of the public view of the war in ​ ​

Vietnam. By the end of the war, many people were opposed to it because they didn’t understand ​ ​ why the whole conflict was necessary. This placed a lot of unnecessary social strain on many of ​ ​ ​ ​ the veterans who returned home from Vietnam. This treatment had negative effects on their ​ ​ health and the opportunities to give back to their communities. ​

In every war, there are those who have post-traumatic stress disorder. It is not unique to ​ ​ any war because it is something that happens when one is exposed to such harsh inhumane environments such as the environment of a soldier during World War 2 or Vietnam. Veterans ​ ​ that come back from war need to “heal [their] soul” (Epstein). In general, soldiers develop skills ​ ​ on the battlefield that make it “difficult to find challenging, productive outlets for talents developed on distant battlefields” which makes it harder for them to come back into society and ​ ​ Elfarr 12 contribute. It is important to understand how war affects one before you can understand the ​ ​ ​ ​ reasons they were treated differently and how this affected them and their outlook on life. ​

After the end of World War 2, soldiers came home and received respect from their ​ ​ fellow Americans. They were respected for their sacrifice for their country but it was not always ​ ​ understood what that sacrifice was. Many veterans had to cope with severe PTSD and at the ​ ​ time, nobody really understood what it was. “Combat leaves an indelible mark on those who are ​ ​ forced to endure it” and the effects last a lifetime (Sledge 315). It was difficult for veterans to ​ ​ cope because they did not understand that other veterans were experiencing the same emotions. ​ ​ ​

After World War 2 “10,000 returning veterans per month” were discharged on the basis of a ​ ​ psychological disorder which would come to be known as PTSD (Madigan). Shell Shock and ​ ​

Soldiers Soul was never really understood until the 1980s when the research was done on it. ​

Despite the welcome receptions and parades that they came home to, it was still extremely ​ ​ difficult facing the scars of combat in everyday life. ​

By the end of the war in Vietnam, “both opponents of the war (who viewed them as ​ ​ having killed innocent civilians) and its supporters (who saw them as having lost the war)” ​ ​

(History Channel). It is important to understand the difficulty that veterans face coming home ​ ​ after they had put their lives on the line and endured all of that intensive psychological stress. ​ ​ ​

None of the veterans were looking for a great parade in celebration of what they had done. All ​ ​ they wanted was “basic human support and help in readjusting to civilian life after this really Elfarr 13 brutal war” (History Channel). This resistance the veterans faced was also compounded by the ​ ​ ​ ​ inflation that the economy was experiencing at the time (Dale). Because of the economic difficulty that the United States was experiencing it was difficult for many to find jobs. Many ​ ​

Vietnam veterans were struggling to survive. To add on to all of the factors going against them, ​ ​ they did not even receive the basic benefits that they were promised from the government. Many ​ ​ Veterans soon realized that “GI benefits available for Vietnam veterans were almost nonexistent”

(Ciampaglia). The Nation was treating them like they had done something wrong. They had ​ ​ ​ ​ served their country and received almost nothing in return. In fact, in many cases, because they ​ ​ served their country their life became even harder and more difficult because of their sacrifice. ​

Throughout history, the soldiers' experience of coming home has been relatively similar. ​

Most have had to cope with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and the often common resentment towards them because they are often avenues people can express their anger with. ​ ​ ​ There are many similarities between the experiences of the veterans after World War 2 and

Vietnam. They both had a difficult time coping with the effects of shell shock and post-traumatic ​ ​ stress disorder. There was often difficulty adjusting back to society after the war. Despite these ​ ​ ​ ​ similarities, there are significant differences. The economic opportunity for the veterans after ​ ​

World War 2 was significantly better than that of the Vietnam veterans. This is due to the ​ ​ booming economy after World War 2. Because of the war industry had grown significantly and ​ ​ created more jobs and higher pay. In general, the economy was far better off when compared to ​ ​ Elfarr 14 the inflation ridden economy of post-Vietnam War America. Due to failed economic policy and ​ ​ poor leadership, there was inflation and a recession. This left Vietnam veterans with no ​ ​ opportunity to get a job after the war. Their job opportunity certainly was not helped by the fact ​ ​ that many businesses had a “thinly veiled disgust and discrimination” against Vietnam Veterans ​ ​

(Ciampaglia). There were also more avenues of help for World War 2 veterans. In general, ​ ​ ​ ​ veterans after Vietnam receive fewer benefits and opportunities because of the view most of the public had against the war and their involvement in it. This is an unfortunate side effect of the ​ ​ foreign policy of the government of the time. There are steps that need to be taken in the status ​ ​ quo to stop this from happening again. The American public needs to be more understanding of ​ ​ ​ ​ the pain that these soldiers experience and how it scars them for life. People need to understand ​ ​ that the veteran did as they were told and fought for their country. They weren’t fighting because ​ ​ they believed that the conflict was necessary. It is important in the future that the American ​ ​ public responds positively to veterans coming home because it is the best way to get them on ​ ​ their feet and introduced back into the public life. ​

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Conclusion

Unfortunately throughout our history violence has been very prevalent. Oftentimes the ones that are negatively affected are the soldiers in conflict. They endure hardships that they never stopped to think about before becoming involved in the conflict. Before World War 2 everything was different in the United States. Most people were extremely naive about the war that was going on thousands of miles away. There was a desire to go fight in a war that the young men knew so little about. As Eugene put it “he wanted to fight” as did most young

American men at that time (Sledge 5). Most young Americans felt pressure to enlist. Many were faking their age to get in because they felt that they had a duty to serve.

Although most felt this way before going to war, their notion of war was going to change as soon as they actually encountered the brutalities of war. Eugene Sledge's first encounter with the actual combat was at the amphibious landing at Peleliu. He was “sickened to the depths of his soul” by the terrible truth of war that he and many of his comrades were now experiencing

(Sledge 60). This was true for almost everybody who went to war during World War Two. They all faced the harsh reality of horrible things humans can do to other humans.

There was a large difference between the preconceived notion about Vietnam and the one about World War II. Vietnam was an unpopular war that did not have that romantic idea of war that World War II did. This is apparent in the use of the draft and the protest against the said draft. This was only worsened as the war went on. Elfarr 16

The combat in Vietnam was especially brutal for the soldiers. A lack of proper strategy by the United States and a tendency to waste human resources was extremely common. This is part of the reason for the horrible accounts of violence and the constant fear of death. The experience during the war for a soldier was often a waiting game on whether they could survive to get back. There was no guarantee of safety. A soldier during Vietnam named “Ted Lavender was shot in the head on the way back from peeing” after believing that the area was safe and clear (O’Brien 12). Experiences like this one only go to show the brutality of combat during the

Vietnam era. It also shows how difficult it was for a soldier to go day to day without the worry about losing his life.

The biggest difference between the stories of these soldiers’ experiences during and time around the war was the post-war experience. World War II veterans were welcomed home with parades and celebrations. They were welcomed back as heroes for stopping the evil Germans and Japanese. During the war there was public support. It only made sense that the people of

America would welcome back the soldiers after defeating countries that would like nothing less than to take over their home. The citizens were extremely patriotic and the end of the war was a time of celebration. Though most soldiers did not get any help with the side effects of post traumatic-stress disorder. At this time there was little known about it so it made it hard to help the soldiers.

For Vietnam soldiers, the only relief that they had coming home is that they wouldn’t have their lives threatened every hour of the day and night. Their welcome home celebration was nothing at all. They were looked down upon and called baby killers. Their parade was nothing at all. The United States people didn’t want to be in the war. They thought it was an Elfarr 17 unnecessary waste of life. The Vietnam veterans didn’t get their benefits either. The “GI benefits available for Vietnam veterans were almost nonexistent” (Ciampaglia). Vietnam veterans(lower case)were some of the most mistreated Veterans (Feist).Just like the World War

II veterans they had a hard time with their post traumatic-stress disorder. There was little desire to help veterans at this time and again nobody really knew what it was and how to treat it. The soldiers coming back from Vietnam had an extremely difficult time adjusting back into normal life and were not treated well.

War is a terrible thing. After looking at the soldiers' experiences during World War two and Vietnam, it is clear that the soldiers' experience in war is very difficult. There is always the threat of them losing their life. Understandably all wars are different in terms of the soldiers' experiences during the war, but World War two and Vietnam soldiers experienced many of the same fears and threats as shown by Tim O’Brian’s The Things They Carried and Eugene ​ ​ Sledge’s With the Old Breed. Despite the similarities during the war, it is difficult to deny the ​ ​ different experiences after the war. World War two veterans were heroes coming back to

America. Unlike World War 2 veterans, Vietnam veterans were not welcomed by all, in fact they were often mistreated and received nothing for their sacrifice that they made for their country.

There is no ending to Tim O’Brian’s The Things They Carried which is similar to the fact that ​ ​ there was no end of the Vietnam veterans once they got back. They struggled with PTSD and adapting to life back at home. Tim O’Brian’s message that he is telling with these nightmares is ​ that many veterans can never recover and return to civilian life. The horrors live on with them and writing this book is a way O’Brian can face these memories. Eugene Sledge and Louis ​ Elfarr 18

Zamperini both made it back after the war, but lived on with the memories of the horrors they witnessed and experienced in the Pacific theater against the Japanese. War changes people in ways most don’t understand and they live with the horrors of war for the rest of their lives.

Soldiers from World War Two and the Vietnam War faced many of the same horrors of combat.

After the war both sets of veterans carried the same experiences back to America where the

World War two veterans were welcomed and the Vietnam veterans were scrutinized. All of those that served in both wars made great sacrifices and lived with their experience during the war forever. Still to this day, veterans come home and do not receive the gratitude and respect that they deserve.

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