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Accession Number:
AD1112588
Title:
Changing the Conversation: A Comparison of Presidential Narratives about the US Military after the Vietnam War
Corporate Author:
AIR UNIV MAXWELL AFB AL MAXWELL AFB
Report Date:
2020-06-01
Abstract:
In the ten years following the Vietnam War, the American military transitioned from being scorned by much of society to being a respected American institution. In 1975, the American public had low trust and confidence in the US military. The military that fought in Vietnam was perceived as having low morale, drug problems, disobedience issues, race issues, and poor discipline. Additionally, reporting of the militarys actions in Vietnam strengthened the perception of a flawed and failing military institution. Agent Orange, discovered to be extremely harmful to humans, despite accompanying government assurances to the contrary, was spread by Air Force aircraft. In the Saturday Review, Eugene Linden detailed the reports of enlisted soldiers fragging their senior officers. By titling his article The Demoralization of an Army Fragging and Other Withdrawal Symptoms, Linden depicted the US military in Vietnam as having lost its way. Seymour Hershs expose of the My Lai massacre portrayed not only military service members who would violate the rules of war and human decency, but also military officers that were complicit. Additionally, Hersh revealed that in the aftermath, military officials withheld information from the public in an attempt to prevent further tarnishing of reputations. These stories underscored institutional military problems.
Descriptive Note:
Technical Report
Pages:
0119
Distribution Statement:
Approved For Public Release;
File Size:
10.51MB
