Vietnam vet
Southeast Asia servicemember
A Vietnam vet is a military veteran who served during the Vietnam War, roughly 1955–1975, though American involvement peaked in the 1960s and early 1970s.
The term carries particular weight because many Vietnam vets returned to a hostile or indifferent reception, unlike veterans of earlier wars: My uncle is a Vietnam vet who never talks about his service.
The phrase often appears in discussions of PTSD, Agent Orange exposure, and the cultural reckoning that followed the war.
- PTSDChronic reaction to horrific events
- combatArmed hostile engagement
- soldierArmed forces member
- tour of dutyAssigned period of service
- warArmed struggle between groups
trauma · jungle · rice paddy · helicopter · rolling thunder · flashback · Agent Orange · MIA · POW · missing in action · Purple Heart · fatigues · draft · Saigon · napalm · infantry · platoon · homecoming
- VeteransVA, retired soldier, ex-serviceman, wounded warriors, VFW
Vietnam vetdraft dodger
One who avoids compulsory enlistment
draft evader · conscientious objector · anti-war activist · deserter · career diplomat
Vietnam, vet, Vietnamese, vets, vetted, vetting, veteran, veterans