The Vietnam War was arguably the most controversial war in United States history. Was the US right to get involved or should the US have stayed out of another country’s conflict? Many believed that the US was doing the right thing by fighting against the spread of communism, but others felt as if it were not the business of the US. As you may or may not know the draft was used in this war because there were not enough volunteer soldiers to meet the needs of the military. This caused distress for many people in the US because many men were taken away from their families and loved ones to go fight in a war that supposedly had nothing to do with the US.

For this article, I interviewed my great uncle who fought in the Vietnam War because he was drafted just months after turning eighteen years old. While being interviewed he told me that he spent a little over 10 months in Vietnam and that it was his first time being away from home. When I asked about his overall thoughts on being drafted and the war itself, he said “I did not really have much of a choice and once the US decided to involve ourselves in the war, we had to go through with it.” I then asked him what it was like to be fighting in a war so far away from home while being so young and he said, “I took it day by day and marked off the days on a calendar every afternoon.” Being an 18-year-old fighting in a war that you were suddenly brought into was not an easy task and he simply “did his best and hoped to live” while fighting in a gruesome war that lasted 20 long years.

 During a war soldiers can lose their lives at any given time. My uncle told me that his way of surviving was to keep an M16 with lots of ammunition and always return fire whenever being shot at. He also shared that being young he couldn’t fathom the idea just like most young people who assume they had many years ahead of them to live. Lastly, I asked him what life was like when he returned from Vietnam, and he said his father had work ready for him less than a week after he got home. He admits that he should have taken more time to adjust to civilian life again, but he was also grateful that he did not have to search for work like many others that he served with had to do. Sadly, he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which is more commonly known as PTSD. When he returned, he would hear gunshots at night while trying to sleep so he turned his radio up very loud most nights. This is unfortunately the reality for most people who fought in the Vietnam War. Although some soldiers were treated poorly for fighting in the Vietnam War even, even though they were drafted and were required to fight in the war, my uncle said that he received many calls and letters from people thanking him for his service.

I enjoyed interviewing my great uncle on his experiences fighting in the Vietnam War. I learned a lot about him as well as the war. I found it fascinating that he fought in the war at such a young age, and it put things in perspective for me since I am turning eighteen years old in less than a week and I will be required to register for selective service. I could not even imagine fighting in a war at this age and I really gained compassion for my great uncle along with every soldier who fought in the Vietnam War.