"The Whole Thing's Pointless"

The attitudes of GIs did not turn seriously until President Johnson stopped the bombing of North Vietnam and agreed to enter into peace talks with Hanoi and the National Liberation Front in late 1968. ^* Until then, in visits to the field, GIs spoke optimistically, if grudgingly, of what they'd accomplished in Vietnam and often seemed rather proud to have done their time. Many of them angrily criticized demonstrators back in the States, notably those who were avoiding the draft by going to college.