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The Rough Road After The Vietnam War Summary

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The Rough Road After The War: Mike Clarke on returning home from Vietnam
Former President Richard M. Nixon once said “No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now.” This is a sentiment reflected by many Vietnam War veterans today. One such veteran, Mike Clarke, served as an infantry medic in the Vietnam war. When he joined straight out of high school, he was not sure how he wanted to serve. The coordinators chose to make him a medic. He was a very loyal soldier and even after getting shot he still wanted to return to the heart of the war with his buddies. It can be hard to comprehend the trauma the veterans of the Vietnam War suffered. In order to understand the veterans, it is important to consider the way they were treated after the war, the sacrifices they made and the after-effects of the war on the soldiers. After the war, many veterans felt a backlash from people at home. There had been several protests against the war and numerous people thought the Vietnam war was not worth the fight. Veterans were returning from the front lines, expecting a warm welcome home. Many, like Clarke, were met with hostility from the people at home. As Clarke said, “I don’t recall, at that time, anybody saying anything to me, but nobody was running over to shake my hand, either. It was more like you were ignored at that time” (Niles). Some soldiers who returned from Vietnam never even got paid, leaving them

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