s and effects of those stresses in attempt to answer "why", and, ideally, prevent another atrocity like the My Lai Massacre.In any war, psychological stresses are inevitable. The memory of risking one's life will not fade quickly and is reason alone enough to drive one insane. As stated previously, however, the war in Vietnam provided additional stresses. A major stress was the fact that neither the citizens of the United States nor of South Vietnam accepted American interference. A solider was usually uninformed of the intentions of their government. Soldiers are taught to carry out orders without asking questions. This could lead to a solider developing a belief that all fighting was being done in vain. Eventually, a solider would lose care in what he was doing. His self worth would lower, thus lowering his view of worth of others. When he sees all the death and destruction in what has became his world and realizes he is partly responsible, he begins to regard himself as a killer, who himself deserves death. It is highly probable that even with the end of a tour soldiers go home with this "responsible killer" attitude, and is forced back into an unaccepting society still believing he doesn't deserve to live, and often questioning why he still is. Over the years, these repressed feelings grow until they eventually become uncontrollable, and take control of the person, physically and mentally. There are two major viewpoints on the psychological effects of events such as My Lai. One of these views is from the commanded solider. If the happenings of everyday life in Vietnam are enough to drive one insane, the effects of watching and participating a massacre of over 300 innocent people are truly destructive. Months after such happenings, the soldiers are expected to return to normal, everyday civilian life. This in its self is a form of denial. The same pressures on every solider are on those witnesses to the outrages, only the witness mus...
