As the U.S. nears the 50th anniversary of the conclusion of the Vietnam War, an extensive national poll is providing insights into the lessons gleaned from and the influence of this two-decades-long struggle.
Recently, Nexstar teamed up with Emerson College to gauge American sentiments about the war after all these years. Approximately one-quarter of the respondents surveyed were Vietnam War veterans.
These are some key points.
- 44% of the surveyed adults stated that the Vietnam War lacked justification.
- According to polls, the Vietnam War stands out as the most unwarranted conflict of the past hundred years. By contrast, merely 38% viewed the U.S. invasion of Iraq, another controversial war, as unjustifiable.
- Forty-six percent of Vietnam veterans surveyed indicated that the war was not justifiable.
We queried veterans regarding six distinct conflicts, from World War I through to operations in Afghanistan and Iraq,” stated Spencer Kimball, director of polling at Emerson. “They deemed each one justifiable with the exception of the Vietnam War, which they were part of. Overall, Americans informed us that the U.S. shouldn’t have engaged in a struggle where over 58,000 military personnel lost their lives along with an even greater number of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians.
Furthermore, 50% of the Americans surveyed stated that they still did not have a clear understanding of what the U.S. was combatting in Vietnam. The survey also revealed that merely 17% of those polled thought that students were receiving accurate education regarding the war in schools.
A few other findings:
- According to a poll, 70% of Americans believe that Vietnam veterans did not receive proper treatment upon their return.
- 79% of Vietnam veterans believe that PTSD is a “significant issue,” although only 25% report seeking mental health care.
“Not only is there stigma for the general population to get help but it’s even lower amidst veterans — who are reporting they see the mental health needs but are not actually receiving help themselves,” Spencer said.
Finally, for as divided as America was during the Vietnam War, most people polled said the current era is even more divisive. Forty-three percent of Americans polled say the U.S. has not learned its lesson and has not become more cautious of getting involved in foreign conflicts.
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