The Combat Contract to the Behavior of American Soldiers in World War II and Vietnam - Essay Example

Apply the combat contract to the behavior of American soldiers in World War II and Vietnam. Introduction Wars can have devastating effects yet countries continue to invest an enormous chunk of the resources in preparation to attack their enemies. Every year countries mobilize their resources towards developing modern weapons in anticipation to fight against the attacks of their enemies. In the older days, the American Military was composed of volunteers who served their country with passion and zeal. Precisely, a majority of young men had been lured into the service. Following the enactment of the Selective Draft Act of 1917, entry into the service became restricted. However, despite the declaration of the law that was introduced to limit entry into the service, more volunteer still flocked for opportunities to serve in the military. In the American Soldiers, the author highlights the problems experienced by men and women who have been given the role of safeguarding their country at the expense of their lives. Having served in the military, Peter Kindsvatter, shares his lifetime experience in the army (Kindsvatter, pp.1-10). The book highlights some of the historical events during the World War II and the Vietnam wars. Kindsvatter takes into account some of the memorable moments that were witnessed during the two wars. The author uses materials written in of to demonstrate the behavior of soldiers during the World War II and the Vietnam War. The author of the book decided to come out and tell his experience in the army given that very few writers have dared to tell their stories. Interestingly, the author sought to find out what motivates citizens to come and serve in the army despite being aware of the risk that they face (Kindsvatter,pp.1-10). The Notion of War For a very long time, war has been considered to be an exciting affair. In American war was deemed to be an opportunity for America to show its power. Every victory in war was regarded as a mark of strengthening its position as the world superpower. The move by America to participate in the World War II was highly criticized and was seen as a sign of America to undermine their enemies. The US entered the war with an intention of promoting global democracy. Most of the common perception that people have about war is that it settles scores between warring factions. However, most people fail to consider the adverse effects wars can have to their military. Many American soldiers have lost their lives while in their line of duty yet people fail to make a follow up on those who survive. The implication of war can be very devastating and can end up wrecking the lives of those serve in the military. Many people still scramble to secure vacancies in the army despite being aware of the risk that faces them. Such harsh realities are what sparked Kindsvatter to retell his story in the service (Kindsvatter, pp.11-20). The most shocking and interesting thing is yet to be understood what drives people to seek such jobs. It has been established that a majority of those who find the vacancies are jubilant about the job. Participants of the war were remarkable people who had made decision serve the country the fate was awaiting them. Effects of the Vietnam Wars The Vietnam War will go down as one of the most unsuccessful war America has ever participated. America was verbally displayed a blow in a war were a lot of soldiers lost their lives. The memories of the Dark Age still haunt the survivors. Sadly, those who survived have been left to perish in abject poverty with the Federal government doing nothing to honor the remarkable men and women who put their lives at risk (Kindsvatter, pp.11-29). Those who served in the two wars experienced shocking events that left them shocked. Despite offering the noble services country, some of the survivors have been left to suffer in poverty. Also, some of them developed disabilities something that has made them lose hope in life. During the war, soldiers witnessed their colleagues being taken down. The painful memories caused a majority of the soldiers to develop negative behavior that was influenced by high-stress levels. Besides, some of them developed hatred and other negative traits. One would have expected them to be given psychological counseling to cope up with the post-war era. The war changed the behavior of a majority of the soldiers having undergone a lot of torture and pain. Despite the psychological pain they endured, a solution was not provided to soothe the outstanding soldiers. Consequently, most of them found it very difficult to readjust to the new life whereas their kindred rejected others. The American government also did very little to ensure that the survivors underwent a program that could them recover. They were abandoned and left to find their means to readjust to life. Most stakeholders failed to realize that every war has severe impacts of those who are involved. The soldiers could not stand their colleagues being murdered or undergo torture before being killed (Kindsvatter, pp.30-45). To soothe the stress levels during the war, most of the soldiers found comfort in drinking alcohol and smoking dangerous drugs such as marijuana. Although others drunk alcohol for leisure purposes, it was evident that most took alcohol to soothe their stress. They considered it as the only way they could relieve their stress. As a result, some of them ended up being addicts. In the process, some developed anger, hatred and nervousness because of alcoholism. The drugs had severe effects to some of the soldiers who were trying to find a means of forgetting some of the unfortunate events they had witnessed in the two wars (Kindsvatter, pp.30-45). The Vietnam War and WWII had both physical and psychological implication to the participants. Some soldiers were killed whereas others were shot brutally. The sight of soldiers witnessing their friends being killed in the hands of merciless killers affected the thoughts and emotions of the survivors. Also, fear was instilled in them whereas also developed some bad behaviors of terminating their lives. A majority changed their behavior something that trickled down into their domestic affairs. Some of them ended up divorcing their wives since they could not come up with them. The memories of the war also kept replaying in their minds. Interestingly, some of them started to develop the negative attitudes while still at the battlefield something that put more risk in their lives. A majority of them swore never to return to the military service given the unfortunate events that they experienced while at the war (Kindsvatter, pp.40-61). Effects of WWII on American Soldiers Just like the Vietnam War, the World War II had almost similar implications to the American soldiers. The survivors who came home later found it hard to cope with the unfamiliar transition. Most of them wished that they could have the life they were enjoying before going to the War. However, all did not go as they had anticipated. After the war, many could not find employment to raise their families given that their situation was considered pathetic. They were unable to find jobs since they were discriminated because of their postwar health conditions. By the time the soldiers were returning home, the American government had developed a policy to promote equal opportunities for women. Also, the war had put troops out of touch with their children something that made kids consider them as strangers on their return. Such experiences forced most of the soldiers to oppose their family members. They felt hated by they expected to love them (Matray and Donald, pp.1-11). Gender issues were also prevalent during the World War II. As expected, women were supposed to take care of their families while their husbands were on duty. Women were to carry out their household duties and take care of the family until their men came back. However, it later came to dawn as a shock for the soldiers who had developed male chauvinism behavior while at the war when they found that the government had made laws to empower women. The soldiers could not stand their wives taking employment whereas they were left unattended at their homes. Male soldiers were used to the traditional way of life where women performed all duties at home while the husband was supposed to go out and put food on the table at the end of the day. The change on the role of women in the society was a shocker to some of the soldiers. It became harder for the soldiers to cope with the way of life (Kindsvatter, pp.11-20). Some of the survivors of the war also experienced nightmares during the night. Besides, some had the painful flashbacks of the World War II were they escaped death narrowly. Besides, some felt lonely having been left with most of their friends. The shock that they faced in the aftermath of the war made some of them experience mental conditions. Consequently, some of the families abandoned them something that made them feel isolated from the rest of the society. Similar to the Vietnam War, most of the survivors were lured into alcoholism. Some of the general intelligence who returned to the country developed alcoholism as a way of forgetting the problems they went while at the battlefield. Besides, divorce cases increased among the couples given that most of them returned home while drunk and started arguments over petty issues. Most of the soldiers had experienced harsh conditions during the war something that came to affect their social lives. Despite developing the negative attitudes life and other people, it was evident that the situation at the war was unbelievable. The soldiers could not tolerate some of the occurrences. The government failed to organize counseling sessions for the veterans whose stories were incredible. The soldiers had developed after war stress that went on to affect their lives. Also, they gave up with life as they had no hope of regaining the previous lifestyles (Bradford, pp.3-9). The World War II forced some of the soldiers to develop nerves problems. They lost their conscious and had little sympathy for others. The soldier had to retaliate during the war and killed their enemies. Since most of them were newly enrolled in the army, they had not killed any people hence it was a new experience for them on the battlefield. Furthermore, some developed unstable emotional problems. The veterans formed Post-traumatic stress disorders that needed to be handled for them to survive (Bradford, pp.3-9). Controlling Behavior after War Violent behavior has been the most common occurence among soldiers who return from battlefields. Furthermore, most end up developing bad relationship with people. According to various pieces of evidence that have been presented from various research works, the veterans of the Vietnam War developed violent behavior as a result of combat exposure. In a study conducted by the Cambridge University involving 4609 participants, it was established that about 12.6% confessed to have battered their marriages partners on returning home (Dean et al., pp.3). The United States government has started carrying out programs aimed at addressing cases of behavioral changes among its soldiers, especially after warfare. Instead of allowing the soldiers to go treatment centers to seek aid, people are referred homes where they stay with other soldiers who have undergone similar difficulties. A policy has been developed to address the issue so that the soldiers can always have a second chance of returning to the service. Soldiers can also be treated while at the site of the war hence given an opportunity to go back. The government has made the measures to ensure that they receive proper medication at the appropriate time. Furthermore, antidepressants are provided for those who show signs of high-stress levels while in combat. Besides, before they enter on the ground, their commanders have to identify those who seem too weak. They are excluded from the war where they are given some time to relax. The strategies have been helpful in minimizing the challenge that was once widely spread in the American forces. Despite, the effective measures that have been put in place, critics feel that enough has not been done to address the thorny issue in the American forces. They believe that comprehensive approaches should be put in place to meet the challenge (Dean et al., pp.11). Conclusion Wars can have severe implications. During wars, a lot of life and property is destroyed. The aftermath of the war usually devastates the survivors of the War. Despite the predicament the army soldiers undergo, very few people have been bold enough to step forward and tell their stories. Part of the reason is that some cannot stand the anguish of retelling painful moments they experienced on the battlefield. A majority of the soldiers who take part in combats end up changing their behavior after the war. The war exposes them to brutality where they witness atrocities that they have never seen. Some of them are strong enough to withstand the test in the aftermath of the war. However, a majority end up developing negative behavior as a result of the wars. The American Soldier is a book that features the experience that soldier goes through while at war. The former military personnel suffered while serving in the battlefield. A tale is about how soldiers develop anger, hatred, alcoholism and vices (Kindsvatter, p.285). The government should have supported the veterans in the then aftermath of the war. Furthermore, it failed to provide counseling to help reduce the psychological implications of the war that the soldiers experienced in the wake of the war. The combat contract adversely affected the behavior of the soldiers because the government did little to make the situation less severe. Despite going the difficulties wars, a majority of the survivors lack support from close relatives and the government to overcome the situation. Behavioral change is one of the impacts of war. The veterans develop negative attitudes nor because of their wish but due to circumstances that are beyond their control. Measures should be put in to offer psychological counseling to soldiers who return from missions. However, very few people seem to understand the challenges experienced by the soldiers (Allison, pp.12-13). Work Cited Allison, William T. My Lai: an American atrocity in the Vietnam War. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012. Print. Bradford, James C. A companion to American military history. Chichester, U.K. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell Pub, 2010. Print. Dean,K. Wessely,S. Albakir,M. Fear,N. MacManus,D. Violent Behavior in UK Military Personnel Returning Home After Deployment, Psychological Medicine (2012),42,1663-1673. Kindsvatter, Peter S. American Soldiers: Ground Combat in the World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam. Lawrence, Kan: Univ. Press of Kansas, 2003. Print. Matray, James I., and Donald W. Boose. The Ashgate research companion to the Korean War. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate Pub. Limited, 2014. Print. Read More