2.7 million Americans were deployed to serve in the Vietnam War. Bill Guthrie is a veteran who served in the Vietnam War and Marsha is Bill’s wife. They started dating just before his deployment. Bill and Marsha recall their experiences during the Vietnam War. In remembering the Vietnam War, it’s important to consider the sacrifices the men made for their families, the after effects of war, and the long hours back at the camp.
Leaving for the war means leaving your loved ones back at home with limited communication. Soon after Bill and Marsha started dating, Bill Guthrie volunteered himself for Vietnam and Marsha recalls, “We hadn’t made a commitment to each other, or anything, and we were dating. So it was his choice. He knew what he was doing, and what he was going to get himself in for. I was just hoping and praying that it wasn’t going to be out there fighting” (Guthrie). Marsha and the rest of Bill’s family hoped that he would make it home safely. Marsha and Bill wrote to each other as often as possible to keep in touch. Research has shown that leaving for a long period of time can put a strain on relationships between the spouse and family. In the article, Military children and families it is stated, ”Throughout history, military children and families have shown great capacity for adaptation and resilience. However, in recent years, …show more content…
Entering into training camp and returning from the battlefront may change a person dramatically. Much of the time spent is back at the camp with little to do, even though that is a large portion of war the service men and women experience lifelong traumatic memories. It’s important that when talking about the Vietnam War to consider that the men had to leave their loved ones, the mental instability that war may cause, and for much of the time in war it was