I returned in May of 1968. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997. probably a nightmare. Following World War II, the U.S. government had established a generous benefit program for veterans. And I thought, 'What have they given?'". There was one group of Vietnam veterans who received a warm greeting from fellow Americans upon returning homethose who had been held captive as prisoners of war (POWs). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their . Veterans returned from Vietnam not with their battalion or company, but alone on a plane after their 365-day tour. Helmer, John. New York: Reader's Digest Press, 1976. This was largely because it was not mainly a war between armies. Going into the movie I had heard my mother's disgust over the others in her generation who showered returning solders in curses and dog poo poo. Additionally, when the soldiers returned home from World War II and the Korean War, they were treated as heroes. They tended to blame American troops for the tragic situation in Vietnam, instead of blaming the government leaders who had sent them there. Their captors used brainwashing and brutal force to try to get them to sign confessions or make statements against the U.S. government or in favor of North Vietnamese Communists. The cold reception the veterans got from many Americans left them feeling different and alone. Rather than being greeted with anger and hostility, however, most Vietnam veterans received very little reaction when they returned home. Bruce put it in 1965. It was after returning to the U.S. and while en route to the hospital that Wowwk first encountered hostility as a veteran. These stories added to the soldiers' resentment of the antiwar movement. //