ABSTRACT
The Vietnam War stands beside the Civil War as one of the longest and most enduring traumas in the nation's history. The trauma of Vietnam had no clear and dramatic beginning comparable to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor or the Confederate firing on Fort Sumter. Fights frequently broke out, and intense hatred developed between leaders and followers. The new replacements soon encountered practices that were in conflict with their sense of morality and proper conduct in human relationships. From a military standpoint, it appeared that the war in Vietnam would be easy to win. It was assumed that because the enemy did not have helicopters, tanks, planes, armed personnel carriers, and other sophisticated weapons of war, it would soon be defeated. Many veterans became uncomfortable by the pressure from the higher command to increase the number of enemy killed.
