The Silence They Carry : the Experiences of Vietnam War Soldiers and the Burden of Silence

Abstract

Numerous Vietnam veterans still remain silent about the war they served in, which is today oversimplified and forgotten. The author sets out to shed some light on why so many Vietnam veterans chose to keep silent rather than talk about their experiences. After conducting personal interviews with Vietnam veterans, reading previously published interviews with Vietnam veterans and interviewing the Chief of Staff of Mental Health at the Veterans Affairs, or VA Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan, he explains why these silences occurred and why they persist to today. The author also addresses the broader question of why the Vietnam War is always so oversimplified by the general public today. As Vietnam veterans tried to re-integrate into society after coming home from the Vietnam War, many veterans chose to remain silent about their experiences. Thus silence took many forms, psychological, personal, and physical. The general outlook upon and oversimplification of the Vietnam War by the American people has caused many Vietnam veterans to keep silent about their war experiences to this day.