The Psychological Effects of the War on the Victims - Essay Example

LIVED EXPERIENCE OF WAR, AN ETHNOGRAPHIC METHODOLOGY and Lived Experience of War, an Ethnographic Methodology Abstract For many years, various studies have been carried out to establish long terms health-related effects of soldiers who once served in war. Of particular interest is the health of soldiers who served in the Vietnam War. From a general perspective, any issue related to war is often argued on the basis of economic implications. This explains why in most cases, the effects of war are measured in terms of monetary value and the loss of infrastructure to the warring parties. However, this analysis has ignored one of the most fundamental areas of war which is the psychological effects of the war on the victims, participants and their families. It cannot be ignored that some of the soldiers involved in the Vietnam lost their lives. However, it is inappropriate for the government to brush aside the long term effects of this war as it is seen to have caused major physiological implication on both the soldiers who survived and the families of the soldiers who dies in battle. It is under this backdrop that this paper will analyse the profound effects on the soldiers returning from the war in Vietnam and the current psychological state of the families of the soldiers who died during the war. Introduction “Research has established that participation in the military requires an individual to be psychologically prepared for anything that can happen” Kashdan et al, 2006, p.127). Over the years, this tradition has been carried through the various training programs that military men and women have to undergo training to psychologically prepare them for the task of ensuring national security. However, an important part that is ignored is the fact that such soldiers have family who begs the question, are these families physiologically prepared to what might happen to their kin in battle. Despite the fact that both nations suffered heavy casualties both in terms of human lives and destruction of property, the fact that the war was being wage din Vietnam has had profound effects on those who survived the war. In addition, the various films depicting the war and its aftermath do not help the situation either. The Psychological Point of View For most U.S citizens, the Vietnam War is over but so many years later, it is as if the war happened a few years ago. According to Laufer et al. (2004, p.65) among the worst affected by the war are the war veterans who have long been forgotten after sacrificing their lives to ensure the peace and stability of the U.S nation. During and after the war, most of the soldiers who surprisingly have shortly graduated from the defence college were exposed to a lot of stress. This is because, most of the soldiers who participated in the war had barely graduated as military officers while others were picked directly while still undergoing training in various training institutes. After the war, what is clear is that these soldiers lost their friends while some of them witnessed scenes of violence that will forever remain embedded in their minds. Considering the fact that these war veterans were returning to a relatively calm society enjoying relative peace, any act of violence would portray such soldiers as psychopathic delusional individuals in the society. However, psychologists argue that the exposure to extreme scene of violence by such soldiers would create a situation whereby they are not able to effectively operate under controlled conditions (clam situation).”Instead of labelling such citizens as reckless individuals, perhaps it would have been better to get to the root of the problem for such behaviour” (Dohrenwend et al. 2006, p.979). Wars that the U.S. has participated recently have led to an increase in number of suicides and mental health disorders such as PTSD. A study by Wood (2013) shows that close to 8000 veterans die by suicide every day. Those, however, are soldiers who participated in Iraqi and Afghanistan war. The author pointed out that there has been a significant increase in number of suicide cases since 2001. The graph below explains more. Source: Huffingtonpost Wood, David 2013 The graph reveals that there has been an increase in number of suicides cases, it has risen and doubled since 2001. A study by Woods (2013) shows that for soldiers who serverd in Iraq, the number of suicides rose from 13.5% to 24.8% per 100, 000 between 2004 and 2007. The number of suicides currently has risen as compared to suicides rates in 1980s. Pual (2011) reveals that close to 150,000 Vietnam veterans are belived to have commited suicide after they were released back home from war. The number is much higher than the number of soldiers who died during the war in Vietnam; it is almost three times higher than those who died during the war. Vietnam War is that the war was very unpopular even before it kicked off. This is because the act of aggression was not adequate to wage a full-blown war on another sovereign nation. Despite the poor public support, the U.S government went ahead and deployed its soldiers in Vietnam where the war took place. Before leaving to war, most soldiers were aware of the poor public support that the war had back at home. However, they were obliged under the current military rules and regulations not to question any of the decision named by the federal government. There were a lot of casualties involved in the war particularly on the Vietnamese citizens including women and small children who had nothing to do with the war. This is referred to as collateral damage. However, the concept of collateral damage would come back later to haunt the soldiers who participated in the war. After witnessing scenes of small children and women being blown by live mines and grenades, such soldiers experienced difficulty in sleeping particularly due to the recurrent flashbacks and vivid memories of battle scenes. This condition later came to be known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) occurs when an individual appears to lose his or her identity owing to a past or current experience that is taking place. Some of the most common symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) include lack of sleep, disorientation, and feeling of worthlessness, self-pity, anger, depression and slow reflex actions. The combat experience in Vietnam remains the major factor that is attributed to the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) currently experienced by most war veterans. Studies have shown that the war changed the dynamics of those who participated in the war completely and most probably, their lives will never the same again. In previous years, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) did not receive much attention as it ought to do. “It was not until the early 1990’s that most soldiers and ex-soldiers who participated in the Vietnam war began complaining of symptoms that are related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)”(Hunt,2008,p.78) . The assumption here is not that these symptoms had not been experienced in previous wars but rather, the experience under these circumstances was at a greater magnitude such that it attracted the attention of the relevant authority and state bodies. The Vietnam War as Portrayed by Popular Film Reasons for Going to War There were various reasons why many young soldiers wanted to participate in the Vietnam War. According to Fontana and Rosenheck,(2004,p. 27) While most of them had an obligatory duty to go to battle, there were others who volunteered to participate in the war due to various personal reasons. For some soldiers, it was their duty and loyalty to the country that made them participate in the war while others just wanted to fulfil the dreams of perhaps their parents and those who looked up to them. ‘The Platoon’ is one of the major films that seem to paint the real picture behind why soldiers participated in the Vietnam War. Another film that depicts the situation before the war is ‘Full Metal Jacket’ which shows how young soldiers wanted to become ‘killing machines’ in an attempt to protect and uphold freedom and justice of the American nation. The two films depict patriotism and desire to serve the country against external aggression. However, some of the films produced prior to the war do not depict the real picture regarding the desire to join the Vietnam War. An example of such a film is the ‘Apocalypse’ which depicts the main actor as an individual who is enthusiastic about getting back to the war but cannot until a chance comes up. Soldiers Reactions and Adjustments to the War Prior to the war, soldiers were drawn from across all the states in the U.S. At the beginning, most soldiers are portrayed in major films as ignorant and inexperienced in addition to being arrogant and disrespecting the chain of command. However, the commencement of the war quickly changes the dynamics where the young soldiers realize the true and real situation on the ground. Soldiers began making acquaintances and friendship and also establish some level of discipline as time goes by. More importantly, disregard of authority is highly punishable, and it is such factors that perhaps point to the success of the U.S soldiers in Vietnam. Towards the end of the war, most soldiers come out as experienced soldiers having gained massive skills and experience in combat while others come out several ranks above what they entered as. In addition, the level of discipline and respect for the rule of the law is portrayed as having significantly increased in most soldiers. Soldiers feelings toward the Vietnamese “The perception of the U.S soldiers towards the Vietnamese’s people is seen as rather unbecoming” (Beckham et al. 2006, p 1068). In most films, the U.S. soldiers belittle the Vietnamese in addition to seeing them as less individuals in the society. This perception is greatly portrayed in the film ‘Full Metal Jacket’ where U.S Marine shares innocent civilians for information. In addition, most films portray as right to torture since the Vietnam people are seen as the aggressors and not the perpetrators. Whether this approach is appropriate or not entirely depends on the interpretation of individual opinion on the situation at the time and the aftermath. How Exposure to the Vietnam War Affected Soldiers Mentally and Physically It is no doubt that the Vietnam had a massive effect on the U.S. soldiers and all those who participated either directly or indirectly in the war. Besides the obvious physical effects of the war on soldiers, the war had major psychological effects on the parties involved. Boscarino, (2006, p.248) is of the view that during the war, soldiers were trained not to trust anyone including even their own. This was to avert the fear where some soldiers colluded with the enemy as it might have happened in some undocumented cases. It is this high level of mistrust among the soldiers as well as the constant fear of death that weighed heavily on the soldiers’ psychological capability and state. Most of the soldiers during the war were overly paranoid and read mischief in almost every action. When walking in the bush, the breaking of a branch would automatically trigger a hail of bullets regardless the source or the cause of the noise. The situation became so bad that some soldiers lost their lives in friendly fire. This is because, some soldiers who were under a lot of pressure reacted without necessarily verifying the identity of the source of the noise. Veteran Attitudes toward life at Home According to Wolfe et al. (2004, p1235), most soldiers came home to a hostile welcome. Despite being seen as heroes while, in the foreign land, the reception back at home was way short of what the soldiers would have expected. They came home to an anti-war protest staged by civil rights groups and civilians who had adopted an offensive approach to the war. Even the families of the soldiers who returned had mixed opinion regarding the whole experience. Withstanding the fact that a lot of soldiers lost their lives in the battle, there was a general feeling of betrayal, anguish and uncertainty of the future. Coming home to a hostile reception after sacrificing their lives on the battlefield weighed heavily on the veteran soldiers. Most of them did not anticipate this kind of reaction if the previously mentioned motivation is anything to go by. Instead of being treated as heroes and people who put their lives on the line for the overall good of the nation, the soldiers ultimately became the enemy within. After going through the whole experience, most veterans feel that it is the government’s fault for their predicament. Most of them were retired from the service immediately after returning from Vietnam. “Whatever criteria used to retire such soldiers, nobody knows” (Lifton, 2003, p.115). Currently, most of the war veterans are forgotten and live in a state that one would not expect dedicated individual to be living in. Considering that these people wanted to come back as heroes who sacrificed their lives for their nation, the nation appear to have forgotten the hard work and dedication put by these soldiers in securing the U.S nation. The situation might even be worse for the families that lost their loved ones in the battle. Most of these families blame the government for the loss. Some of the soldiers who served in the war were young parents and it was not clear how the future children without knowing who their dad was. In conclusion, the psychological effects of the Vietnam War are bound to take many years to overcome. According to Boyle et al, (2009, p. 27) the loss of property and related economic effects of the war might have been regained but the psychological trauma of the soldiers and the families of those who dies in the war will forever remain. Personal Interview One of the soldiers awarded the CIB is one Eddy Stevenson. “CIB are initials that mean Combat Infantry badge that is awarded to those who stood for honour and glory of the nation” (Gibbons, 2014, p.13). According to Stevenson, most soldiers were not even allowed to complete their basic training at the military training college. They were taken to war with little experience despite the fact that some of the soldiers volunteered to participate in the war. Mr. Stevenson recalls how they would refer the jungles of Vietnam as ‘boonies’ or ‘Indian jungle’. Stevenson states that some of the things that motivated them is knowing the hardships that they underwent in battle. He poses this question to me, “Imagine an infantry of young soldiers, hungry, tired and in a really bad mood, guess what they can do to the enemy” References Beckham, JC, Lytle, BL & Feldman, ME 2006, ‘Caregiver burden in partners of Vietnam War veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder’, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, vol. 64, no. 5, pp. 1068. Boscarino, JA 2006, ‘Posttraumatic stress disorder and mortality among US Army veterans 30 years after military service’, Annals of epidemiology, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 248-256. Boyle, CA, Decoufle, P, & O’Brien, TR 2009, ‘Long-term health consequences of military service in Vietnam’, Epidemiologic reviews, vol. 11, no. 1, pp.1-27. 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