Vietnam

The significance of the Vietnam War in bringing about the confluence of the hippy counterculture can not be overstated. For the duration of that war, one's political and spiritual identity were defined by one's position on the conflict in Indochina. Several other urgent issues were on the table during those decades: civil rights, environmental disasters, labor struggles, and political corruption, to name a few. But it was the war that split Americans into two camps, separating the hawks from the doves. 

Draft notice

And because compulsory conscription of young men to fight this war was in effect, the Vietnam War had an intensely personal impact on college aged youth. Those who questioned the justification for this war began to meet and talk and think on campuses and cafes everywhere. This counterculture of peace activists was actually born several years before men started growing their hair long, and before the word "hippy" was applied to peace protestors. And the peace movement has continued to carry on long after the hairstyle and the word have gone out of fashion.

North and South Vietnam

The history of the Vietnam War is complex and messy. Battlefield conditions were terrifying. The tactics were frustrating. The moral quandaries for soldiers were agonizing. Back in America, the gory details were televised on the nightly news. Families bickered or glowered across the dinner table, divided by the war. So it was a war fought on many fronts, and I will be writing more about all of them in upcoming articles.

Vietnam service ribbon

When they returned home, veterans of the Vietnam War were not greeted by cheering crowds, as the veterans of most other wars have been. Many felt shunned by society, and were passed over for work and housing opportunities. This despite the fact that so many of them had no choice when they were drafted. And this was also despite the fact that so many of them were opposed to the war which they had been forced to fight. Some had even decorated their helmets with peace signs and such. But strangest of all, this neglect occurred despite the fact that it was compassion for these self-same inductees that had inspired draft resistance and anti-war protest in the first place. When it was finally over, America just wanted to forget. And regrettably, pacifists were only too happy to go along with that. However, veterans rights groups eventually prevailed upon the public conscience, and most liberals these days do advocate decent education, employment and health care for vets, who all deserve dignity and respect for their sacrifices and service.