Drugs during the Vietnam War: Ben Feldman

Here are three interviews to provide further understanding and depth to this topic. The first is with a Vietnam War veteran named Terry Harris who abused drugs occasionally. He experienced the lifestyle and conditions that so many other soldiers in the war experienced. This is lifestyle and these conditions are what lead to/ caused the massive drug issues. Mr. Harris will explain what it was like to fight in the war, why he turned to drugs at times, the significance of these events, and his overall opinion on the matter. Next, is an interview with Randy Taylor who conducted drug searches during the war. He will explain his role in the conflict, what he saw/ experienced, and how it affected him. Lastly, is an interview with Dr. Gerald Newman, a psychiatrist whose job entails working with many Vietnam War veterans with drug issues and/ or PTSD. He provides a more medical explanation for the drug problems of servicemen during the war. The overall goal of the three interviews is to give a first hand account in relation to the topic. All three are extremely different and when put together, provide the reader with a full understanding from many perspectives.

Interview #1: Vietnam War Veteran Terry Harris

Q: What do you remember from the war?
A: I remember it all pretty vividly. I decided to join the army because I really had nothing else to do. I was from a small town in Nebraska and I didn’t have too many job options. When I joined, I trained for a few months and the next thing I knew, I was in Vietnam. Back then, I wouldn’t have been able to show you where that was on a map. It was incredibly frightening. I had a few buddies from high school fighting in the war as well and we wrote to each other frequently. Most of the time was spent waiting in the jungle so there really wasn’t much to do. All of that time was spent anticipating battle and worrying about everything. I didn’t know how my friends and family were doing, I didn’t know if my buddies had survived the day, it was pretty surreal.

Q: What did you do pass the time between battles?
A: Like I said, it was spent anticipating my death in the jungle. Anywhere you walked, you were susceptible to ambush. There were no rules about when and where to kill somebody so every second was spent under the realization that it might be my last. The anxiety was literally indescribable. Most of the guys smoked cigarettes to curb the anxiety. There really isn’t much going on in the jungle so we just talked, listened to music, told stories, and smoked.

Q: How prominent was drug use?
A: Oh ya, I forgot to mention that most of the cigarettes were marijuana cigarettes (not all tobacco). During the war, it was kind of a given that those were what you were talking about. We really did anything to get our mind off what was going on. I would estimate that easily over half of the soldiers in my squad smoked marijuana in Vietnam. The demand was incredibly high and the supply matched it. It was literally a cash crop for the Vietnamese farmers. We bought it for cheap and you could pretty much buy a cigarette from anyone. The price for pre-rolled joints during the war was about one-fifth that of the price in the USA. Everyone did it and it helped me cope.

Q: Did the army introduce you to smoking marijuana?
A: No, we smoked a little in high school and at university before I got to Vietnam.

Q: What is your take on people saying that the Vietnam War caused drug use/ addiction in thousands of people who wouldn’t have otherwise done so?
A: I couldn’t agree more with that statement. Fighting in wars causes people to crack. They do some strange and stupid things. Once someone witnesses a person get murdered, they will be scarred forever. When it happens one hundred times, their personality begins to change. When that same person murders fifty men, it begins to change even more. When they live under intense fear and anxiety for a few years straight, people go insane. We really did anything we could to avoid that happening but it was difficult. Most of my buddies got pretty depressed and cold during the war. I am an extremely loud and outgoing guy and there were a few years where my entire personality was different. Friends and family tell me it seemed like wasn’t anybody in my body. I was just there but I wasn’t the same fun loving guy. What I’m trying to say is that war is indescribably horrible and we did whatever we could do deal with it. That meant a lot of drug use for guys. Every variable of life was perfect for it. For example, it was all grown right there in ‘Nam. That meant that it could be purchased anywhere (because it was naturally grown wherever you traveled) and it was extremely cheap. We were all pretty young so we were at that age where you would probably being doing that kind of stuff anyway. All your buddies had it so there was a little pressure but mainly it was just easy access. Also, there really wasn’t much to do since we were in the most remote areas of the world. Lastly and most importantly, the anxiety I was just describing. Your scared s**tless and your bored. You want something to calm your nerves and you can get some pot for cheaper than anywhere in the world. It was kind of a no brainer.

Q: So obviously, the war promoted drug use but is it really fair to say that all of those soldiers wouldn’t have used if they hadn’t been fighting?
A: It’s definitely not fair to say that every single soldier that used during the Vietnam War wouldn’t have done so otherwise had he not been a soldier. However, I can honestly say that 90% of the guys who were into the serious stuff (heroin and opium) wouldn’t have gotten into it had they not been in the war. I can also say that over half of the soldiers wouldn’t have smoked pot. Lastly, the prominence of the use would have definitely decreased. People might have still been smoking pot but it would have been a hell of a lot less. Take me for example. I smoked a little in high school and university like I said. I would have grown out of it over the next couple years and probably never done it again. However, the war caused me to smoke more than I ever had and continue doing so after I returned home.

Q: Did soldiers use any other drugs?
A: I didn’t but there was definitely a lot of heroin and opium out there. There were rumors saying the entire US army was addicted to heroin and B.S. like that but it wasn’t like that. Poppy grows well in ‘Nam so there were plenty of dealers. Some guys really couldn’t handle the pressure and stress so they leaned on drugs to ease the pain. I’m sure every one of ‘em regrets it but I don’t blame them a bit. We saw some brutal stuff that will haunt me to my grave. To be honest, I came pretty close to using some hard-core stuff.
Q: Do you want to talk about that experience?
A: I’m sorry but I can’t. Some really horrific s**t happened and I got pretty freaked out. That’s all you need to know.

Q: What did the US Army do to prevent the use of drugs among soldiers?
A: They had a few strategies once it came out that it was “such an enormous problem”. There were rumors that the entire army was addicted to every drug known to man so they were under a lot of pressure to be rid that reputation. Generals organize random searches and many men in the units had to go through drug testing. In my opinion in really wasn’t much of a problem but the Army couldn’t just sit there and let everybody think our armed forced were high on drugs twenty-four, seven. They were in a tough position and so were we.

Q: After the war, were you addicted/ did you find yourself relying on any substances?
A: I definitely smoked a lot of pot after the war because I wasn’t able to hold a job or do anything productive for a while. In ‘Nam I never used any other drugs so there wasn’t much of a temptation to try new stuff back home. Eventually I just ran out of money cause pot is a lot more expensive here. That was how I stopped. (*begins to laugh)

Interview #2: Randy Taylor (conducted drug searches for the army)

Q: What was your role during the Vietnam War?
A: My goal was to decrease the amount of drug abuse among soldiers during the war. A few years into the war was when the rumors started flying about US soldiers and drug abuse. It was rumored that pretty much every serviceman was addicted to something. The US government needed support for the war and it was already pretty unpopular among citizens. Everyone saw no reason for us to be there and the only outcome was a loss of money and American lives. Then everybody found out that the soldiers were all smoking marijuana and abusing heroin. This angered the American people and further decreased the popularity of the US involvement. The government couldn’t have everybody thinking that our armed forces were drugged out and people worried that drug abuse was lowering the quality of our armed forces and therefore risking more lives. For these reasons, the government had to put a stop (or at least attempt) to the drug abuse. This was where I cam in. My job was to conduct drug searches during the war.

Q: What methods did you use to enforce the anti-drug policy?
A: The predominate method was random drug searches at the barracks of army bases. We would choose a unit, barrack, base, etc. that was rumored to or suspected of prominent drug use. On a random date, my unit would arrive and search every individual serviceman for drugs on them (in pockets, hidden in clothing, etc.). Next we searched the sleeping units to check in bags, in/ under beds, etc. When drugs were found, they were handed over to the general of the unit so he could deal with his soldier. Depending on the severity, a soldier might have been sent straight to rehab, jail, back home, etc. Other times, they were let off with a slap on the wrist. Occasionally, we would use drug tests to check levels of THC but that wasn’t very often. Similar units to mine used helicopters to look for fields of marijuana and poppy plants. The growers of the fields would be inspected to see if they were American or supplying American soldiers.

Q: Which drugs were most prominent?
A: Marijuana was by far the most used drug during the war. To be honest, it wasn’t really what we were after. It was so common and out of control that there really was no point in trying to stop it. In my opinion, it was understandable that this drug was used and I feel that it had no negative impact on the soldier’s performance during battle. It was so cheap and easy to access that no matter how much of it we confiscated, there would always be more. Some people suggested harsher punishments for servicemen who had been caught for it but it really isn’t possible to send a soldier (who is risking his life fighting for our country) to jail for smoking a joint. Therefore, whenever marijuana was found, it would be confiscated and the culprit would most likely receive a light punishment. Mainly, we were after heroin and opium. This is because those drugs are much “harder” and have much worse effects on the body. They are highly addictive and prolonged use can have a profound impact on a user. They can be deadly and undoubtedly worsen the performance of a soldier in battle. They are “more illegal” if you will and ceasing rumors about harder drugs was more important than those of softer drugs such as marijuana.

Q: What were the consequences for a soldier found with harder drugs?
A: He would be taken out of his unit immediately. We would perform tests to determine dependence levels and react accordingly. A highly addicted soldier was sent to our rehabilitation centers for treatment. A servicemen “just looking for a good time” would be punished in any way we felt suitable.

Q: How effective were the rehabilitation centers?
A: To be honest, they were relatively ineffective. The main reason was a lack of funding. The government was embarrassed and demanded we end the drug epidemic but because they were spending so much money on the war, there wasn’t much to support our mission. This made it incredibly difficult to make any progress. There were thousands of addicted soldiers and we had enough room in our centers to help around half of them. Our only solution was to move servicemen in and out as quickly as possible. After a few days at most, a soldier would be released. An addicted patient requires months to make a full recovery and we could only afford to house them for a few days. It was ineffective and frustrating.

Q: What was your attitude while attempting to crease the drug epidemic?
A: Mainly, I was sympathetic and frustrated. Imagine knowing that your own people are hurting/ dying because the program you run isn’t effective. On top of that, you know how you could make it more effective if the government would just give you a little more money. Then, the government complains to you when you don’t make progress. Our work was monotonous and sad. I saw some patients that I knew would never fully recover. There were patients so emotionally drained they couldn’t stand up. I witnessed some of the worst cases of PTSD and I witnessed fellow Americans experiencing withdrawal which is one of the hardest things I’ve ever watched. Every patient I wished I could keep in the center 5 times longer than we did. I released patients knowing they had made no progress and would be right back here or dead within a few months.

Q: What is your personal opinion about drug use during the war?
A: I believe that it caused some serious problems. It cost everybody loads of money and it was a serious hindrance in our attempt to win the war. However, I do not blame a single soldier who abused any drugs because the stresses of war are astounding. I cannot begin to explain what a terrifying environment war is. Many people make the case that drug abuse wasn’t so prolific in any other wars but there are a few reasons and none of them are because the soldiers were inferior, trashy, etc. The war was being fought in Vietnam. Vietnam was one of the largest growers of marijuana and poppy plants. This meant Vietnam was one of the largest producers of marijuana and heroin. Accordingly, drugs could be accessed anywhere you might be. Also, they were cheaper than anywhere else in the world. Soldiers had plenty of money so buying and finding drugs was a breeze. Also, they had extended periods of free time between battles. They were stationed in remote areas with little going on. Stress was even more intense because there wasn’t a thing to take your mind off the possibility of an ambush at any time. Lastly, identifying our enemy was incredibly difficult for soldiers. The Viet Cong dressed and looked like Vietnamese civilians so any man a serviceman walked by, might potentially kill him. My point is that it isn’t right to blame the soldiers for abusing drugs. I wish they didn’t and there definitely better alternatives but unless you fought in the war, you don’t have the right to blame them.

Interview #3: Dr. Gerald Newman (Psychiatrist for many Vietnam War veterans)

Q: How would you describe your role in the Vietnam War?
A: I became a Psychiatrist in 1983 so I really didn’t have a role in the Vietnam War. I was young kid during the war and I actually don’t know much about its history. I remember hearing the about the Mi Lai Massacre, the Kent State shooting, and the end of the war. Besides hearing about a few big events, I would say I had no involvement or role in the Vietnam War.

Q: Does the Vietnam War have any affect on your work today?
A: Yes, the Vietnam has a tremendous affect on my work. I work at a jail as a psychiatrist and evaluate the mental state of criminals. Many of my patients are Vietnam War veterans who followed the wrong path after the war. The crime rates in war veterans are much higher than those who haven’t been involved with any violence. This seems obvious and normal but when you think about it, it’s quite unfair. They risk their lives fighting for their country. They see and do horrible things and are under ridiculous amounts of stress and anxiety. When they return, how could someone expect them to reenter society as normal citizens? They aren’t just normal people any more. They witness horrific things and are scarred for the remainder of their days. Had all of those things never happened to them, most of them would surely never involve themselves in illegal activities.

Q: Why is the crime rate of Vietnam War veterans higher than of veterans from other wars?
A: There are a few reasons for this. The first is that the stress and anxiety was multiplied in this war because of the circumstances. The Viet Cong (the US army’s enemy) appeared to be normal Vietnamese Citizens. They dressed just as all the other people dressed. They had the same features as the other people. There was no sure way to identify the enemy. This caused added anxiety because soldiers feared for their lives anywhere they went. On the other hand, they had to worry about killing innocent people. The Mi Lai Massacre is a great example of this. That US army platoon suspected people in the village of hiding Viet Cong members. They thought many of the villages were Viet Cong. They massacred the village and found out every person was innocent. They had the find a balance between not trusting anybody as to not get killed and before firing, being one hundred percent sure that the target is Viet Cong. The next reason is that soldiers received little to know support when they returned from the war. In other wars, propaganda glorified servicemen. The citizens had tremendous respect for those who risked their lives on the battlefield. The government honored them. Women wanted to be with them. This was not the case in the Vietnam War. Most citizens in America didn’t support the war. The common belief was that we were wasting time, money, energy, and innocent lives by fighting in the war. The people viewed it as unjust and took some of their blame out on soldiers. Events such as the Mi Lai Massacre further weakened support. The soldiers obviously didn’t enjoy risking their lives everyday under horrible/ terrifying living conditions. Therefore, nobody saw the point in being there, depression was high, and moral was low. This caused a lot of questionable behavior during and after the war among servicemen because they knew once they returned, their reception would be bitter. In short, Vietnam War veterans had more anxiety and less support than other veterans leading to higher crime rates.

Q: What are the most common crimes your patients have committed/ are accused of committing?
A: Most of my patients are accused of drug crimes. There are also many cases of violent crimes and abuse. DUIs are common also but I don’t interview many patients who are in trouble for DUIs.

Q: Why are most of the problems/ cases drug related?
A: This is because drugs are addictive. Violence and stealing (can be but) usually are not addictive activities. I understand that earlier in the paper you explained why drug addiction cases were so high among veterans during the war so I wont go into that. Basically, there were a lot of soldiers who were still addicted to or continued to abuse drugs. They were unable to kick the habit so they continued the illegal activity until they got caught. Then they end up talking to me. The number of violent crimes are undeniably higher than usual but the majority of the crimes are drug related.

Q: How significant was PTSD during the war and how does it affect your work now?
A: It was extremely significant and it hugely affects my work today. PTSD basically means “going a little crazy or being depressed because of extreme emotional trauma”. As I was discussing earlier, anxiety is always high for soldiers and it was exaggerated by the circumstances in Vietnam. It affects my work today because most of the veterans who are accused/ convicted of crimes have some sort of PTSD. They have either gone crazy, are super depressed, or are somewhere in between. This leads to drug abuse, continued drug addiction, alcoholism, and violent crimes.