Christian Appy argued that Vietnam was a “ working class?” war because most that were drafted were working class people and most of them were the age of 19. The parents of these children were waitresses, factory workers, truck drivers, clerks and, etc… which are working class people. “ you would be lucky to find 3 veterans in one of those rich neighborhoods, never mind 3 who got wounded” dan. There are stats that show that boys who grew up in Dorchester were 4 times more likely to die than those that grew up in fancy suburbs. Education was also part of the draft system as 80% of those who went to the war didn’t have more than a high school education. Some that volunteered to war were because the job offered good wages, and benefits which were things more privileged people didn’t care about as much as the less privileged.
The soldiers felt demoralized because they didn’t have a clear objective, as they were unsure of the mission and their purpose. “ I never felt I was fighting for any particular cause.” David Parks. “ I fought to stay alive and I killed to keep from being killed” Colonel Robert Hienl. Besides that there were drug problems, as soldiers started to use drugs like heroin,mariguana, and other drugs. The Actions that the government took to keep morales high didn’t work, it distracted them more as the entertainments and movies were things that were to be available there. Another thing that demoralized them is the situation they witnessed, and the cruelty of their comrades. There was a racial tension in the war which created more of a division rather than a unity that was needed for the war.
I do believe class divide does still exist today but not the extent of what was before as I believe the wars that are happening now are not as big as the vietnam war. I don’t know how soldiers in military are treated but people in my life that I know that went to military are mostly from lower class family, and when I asked most of them gave me the same answer “ it’s because it will pay for my education and I get more benefits” I don’t think those are things people that privileged would care as much about. For that Reason I believe there is still a class divide
Will Wright 