Vietnam Veterans

The Vietnam War, 1961-1975, engulfed the countries of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in a very controversial military conflict between Communist North Vietnam (supported by the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union), South Vietnam, and the United States. The use of materials such as Agent Orange contributed to the strong anti-war movement in the United States, which was fueled by the youth revolt movement of the 1960s. The conflict ended with the withdrawal of American forces and the seizure of South Vietnam’s capital, Saigon, by the North Vietnamese.

Following the war, Vietnam veterans received less support than veterans of previous wars and were stereotyped as homeless drunks traumatized by the conflict. Vet Centers eventually opened nationwide to begin treating veterans of the Vietnam, Korean, and Second World War for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental health issues.