Many young Americans refused to join the army and go to Vietnam. Explain why.

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Many young Americans refused to join the army and go to Vietnam. Explain why.

During the Vietnam War, throughout the USA, young men were forced to become conscripts and go and perform a year's service in Vietnam. Many young Americans refused to join the army. This was due to several reasons.

   Throughout the 1960s, most Americans, as a crusade against communism supported the war in Vietnam. They believed they were spreading democracy and western values, which would benefit the Vietnamese people. But, gradually the anti-war protest movement grew. As the war continued, the amount it was costing the government spiralled. This caused taxes to rise. Because of this, every person in the USA was involved in the war; after all they were paying for it. It now became more of an issue to the people and many began to question its motive.

   Due to advances in modern technology, this was the first 'TV War. There was no press censorship according to the rules of democracy and this allowed the media to portray the war in whatever light they choose. They portrayed the full horror of the war in a way that had never been possible before. This was the American people's first sight of what really when on during a war. Due to the extensive press and TV coverage, ordinary people could see the war close up on the TV news every evening. Also, because of conscription, many people had friends or relatives who were fighting in Vietnam. They became increasingly worried as to their safety. This extensive knowledge of what was going on in the war, did not encourage America's young men to sign up to go and fight and was one of the main reasons for so many of them refusing to join the army.

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   Also, as the war dragged on, more and more Vietnam veterans were being sent home. Parents were shocked by the condition their children returned in. Many were permanently scarred both physically and mentally, shocked by the horrors they had witnessed. Young men, as the average age of soldiers was 19, had become brutal killers and many who had taken up drugs whilst in Vietnam were now addicted. Seeing these people returning in such a condition increased the determination of those people who were already campaigning for peace and discouraged new conscripts from joining.

   Out the many young men ...

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