VLVL 4: War, politics and love

[Otto]

19 ~ Paul Hardcastle (1985)
They fought the longest war in American history.

In 1965 Vietnam seemed like just another foreign war, But it wasn't.
It was different in many ways, as so were those that did the fighting.
In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26...
In Vietnam he was 19.
In Vietnam he was 19.

(TV announcer's voice)
The shooting and fighting of the past two weeks  continued today
25 miles west of Saigon
I really wasn't sure what was going on  (Vet's Voice)

Nineteen, 19,nineteen 19
19,19,19,19

In Vietnam the combat soldier typically served a twelve month tour of duty
But was exposed to hostile fire almost everyday

Nine19, nine 19

Hundreds of Thousands of men who saw heavy combat in Vietnam were arrested
since discharge
Their arrest rate is almost twice that of non-veterans of the same age.
There are no accurate figures of how many of these men have been
incarcerated.
But, a Veterans Administration study concludes that the greater of Vets
exposure to combat could more likely affect his chances of being arrested or
convicted.

This is one legacy of the Vietnam War

(Singing Girls)
        All those who remember the war
        They won't forget what they've seen..
        Destruction of men in their prime
        whose average was 19
        Destruction
        Destruction
        War, War
        Destruction, war, war
        Destruction
        War, War

After World War II the Men came home together on troop ships, but the
Vietnam
Vet often arrived home within 48 hours of jungle combat
Perhaps the most dramatic difference between World War II and Vietnam was
coming home...none of them received a hero's welcome
None of them received a heroes welcome, none of them, none of them
None of them, none of them, none of them (etc...)
None of them received a hero's welcome
None of them received a hero's welcome

According to a Veteran's Administration study
Half of the Vietnam combat veterans suffered from what Psychiatrists call
Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder
Many vets complain of alienation, rage, or guilt
Some succumb to suicidal thoughts
Eight to ten  years after coming home almost eight-hundred-thousand men are
still fighting--the Vietnam War

(Singing Girls)
Destruction

Nineteen, 19, Ni-nineteen 19
19,19,19,19
Nineteen, 19, Ni-nineteen 19
19,19,19,19

(Soldiers Voice)
        When we came back it was different...
        Everybody wants to know "How'd it
        happened to those guys over there
        There's gotta be something wrong somewhere
        We did what we had to do
        There's gotta be something wrong somewhere
        People wanted us to be ashamed of what it made us
        Dad had no idea what he went to fight and he is now
        All we want to do is come home
        All we want to do is come home
        What did we do it for
        All we want to do is come home
        Was it worth it?

from:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/weltdeswissens/hardcastle5.htm