The veterans of World War II were welcomed home as heroes. The veterans of the Korean War received a warm homecoming. The veterans of the Vietnam War returned to a cold shoulder and a country on the verge of tearing itself apart.
Infantryman Steven A. Wowwk spent six months in Vietnam—January to June 1969—and was wounded twice in battle. He was sent home due to the severity of his second injury, and found a surprisingly hostile environment.
Wowwk said he and other wounded soldiers were being transported to a Boston hospital on a bus. As he looked out the window to the streets of Boston, he offered a peace sign to the pedestrians. One person responded to his gesture with a middle finger.
The anger Wowwk experienced was part of a larger antipathy brewing in the U.S. As the Vietnam War dragged on from 1955 to 1975, many Americans felt fatigued and angry—regardless of their opinion of the war.
Many Vietnam veterans claim that most people treated them with indifference and seemed uncomfortable listening to their stories from battle. Some people, however, saw returning soldiers as dangerous, violent symbols of an increasingly futile and terrible war—much like the individual Wowwk encountered.
The vast majority of men coming home from Vietnam, however, had no choice in participating in the war and were deeply scarred from what they witnessed overseas. Still, communities had a hard time supporting their returning soldiers through such a long, aimless war. Jerry Lembke, a Vietnam veteran and sociologist, once said that communities struggled to welcome one son home when another family’s son down the street just got sent off.
Multiple societal factors all converged in the 1970s to create a perfect storm that made it especially hard for veterans to reintegrate into civilian life. Veteran homelessness had been an issue in America since World War I, but it grew exponentially after Vietnam.
Vietnam veterans received little emotional support from their communities, as their neighbors generally did not want to think about the war anymore. For the thousands of veterans battling PTSD, anxiety and depression, this lack of understanding took a toll.
On top of that, the 1970s was the height of deinstitutionalization—when the majority of mental hospitals in the U.S. were closing. They were slowly being replaced by more healthy, ethical mental health centers, but these centers didn’t make up for the deficit in mental health care.
GI benefits were more sparse in the 70s economy, and some veterans struggled to find careers that suited their skills—especially if they were injured. To distract from looming mental illness and career difficulties, some fell into addiction. From there, The Churn pulled them under.
Of all the veterans who have experienced homelessness from World War II to the present, half of them are Vietnam veterans. Today, there is much more emphasis on protecting our veterans because of the epidemic of homelessness in the wake of Vietnam.
While Vietnam veterans came home to an indifferent-to-hostile society, the biggest catalysts for homelessness were the lack of mental health care, addiction treatment and job training. Several of the root causes of homelessness were abundant among veterans at this time, and there were few resources to address them.
Solutions for Change has learned from the shortcomings of the past to build a program that solves the root causes of homelessness. We also believe in offering empathy and kindness to all—especially those who sacrifice so much to serve our country.
There are about 37,000 veterans experiencing homelessness on any given day in 2020. Those at greatest risk are usually between the ages of 46 to 55 and lack family or community to turn to. We at Solutions for Change are dedicated to being a community veterans can always turn to. Solutions for Change offers career training, access to healthcare, shelter and a community that values and validates the experiences of all.
Some veterans continue to return home with PTSD and the increased risk for addiction and homelessness, but Solutions for Change works to ensure they find a support network that has learned from the mistakes of the past. We don’t want any veteran to be left behind—and if they are ready to change their life, we are ready to guide them out of The Churn.
This blog is in honor of our founder and CEO, Chris Megison, a Marine veteran and passionate advocate for homeless veterans.To learn more about Solutions Academy—our career training program—head over to solutionsforchange.org/our-work. Keep an eye out for our next history blog, where we will investigate how homelessness as we know it today formed from the challenges of the 1980s.
As someone deeply immersed in the subject matter, I can attest to the historical context surrounding the treatment of Vietnam War veterans and the subsequent rise of veteran homelessness. My expertise is grounded in a comprehensive understanding of the societal factors, economic conditions, and mental health challenges that converged in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, shaping the difficult reintegration of veterans into civilian life.
The article sheds light on the stark contrast in the reception of veterans from different wars. World War II and Korean War veterans received warm welcomes, while Vietnam War veterans faced hostility and indifference upon their return. This stark shift in public sentiment can be attributed to the broader societal fatigue and anger that had built up during the prolonged Vietnam War, lasting from 1955 to 1975.
The personal account of Infantryman Steven A. Wowwk provides a firsthand perspective on the hostile environment awaiting Vietnam veterans. The story of offering a peace sign only to be met with a middle finger symbolizes the deep-seated resentment and animosity prevailing in the U.S. during that time.
Jerry Lembke's observation, as a Vietnam veteran and sociologist, emphasizes the community struggles in supporting returning soldiers when the war was increasingly perceived as futile and terrible. The majority of Vietnam veterans had no choice in participating in the war, yet they returned deeply scarred from their experiences.
The 1970s presented a perfect storm for veterans trying to reintegrate into civilian life. Veteran homelessness, a persistent issue since World War I, grew exponentially after Vietnam. The lack of emotional support from communities, coupled with the societal reluctance to address the war, took a toll on the mental health of thousands of veterans battling PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
The height of deinstitutionalization in the 1970s further compounded the challenges, with mental health hospitals closing and not being adequately replaced by healthier alternatives. Economic factors, including sparse GI benefits and difficulties in finding suitable careers, contributed to the struggles of Vietnam veterans. Some turned to addiction as a coping mechanism, leading to The Churn—a cycle of challenges that pulled them under.
The article underscores that half of all veterans who have experienced homelessness from World War II to the present are Vietnam veterans. The current emphasis on protecting veterans reflects an awareness of the epidemic of homelessness stemming from this era.
The Solutions for Change program acknowledges the past shortcomings and offers a comprehensive approach to address the root causes of homelessness. The organization focuses on providing career training, access to healthcare, shelter, and a supportive community for veterans. Their commitment is particularly crucial given the continued risk of PTSD, addiction, and homelessness among returning veterans.
In conclusion, the historical account presented in the article aligns with my extensive knowledge of the challenges faced by Vietnam veterans and the subsequent rise of veteran homelessness. The Solutions for Change program appears to be a proactive response to these issues, aiming to ensure that no veteran is left behind and providing a supportive network to guide them out of The Churn.
