11/17/1982 BOARD OF SELECTMEN Minutes

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• (2) • in donated office space at 583 Main Street, Hyannis, Readjustment Difficulties for the Vietnam-era Veteran: a) Difficulties Particular to Cape Cod and the Islands-- The Brockton Vet Center estimates that 20,000 Vietnam-era veterans live on the Cape and Islands. The Massachusetts Special Commission on the Vietnam Veterans estimates the figure to be 15,000. Whatever the actual number, it is high; and it is certain that many of the vets-- and their families-- are faced with the troubles that Vietnam vets nationwide have suffered. Also, it is true that many Cape vets have not been able to receive the assistance that many veterans elsewhere in the country have re- ceived. The nearest Veterans Administration facilities are in Brockton, Boston, and Providence. Travelling to these cities means a sacrifice in money and time that many veterans cannot afford, and many vets have long been reluctant to travel off-Cape. The consequences of this isolation naturally have been bad, as an already unsettled situation has become worse, b) Difficulties Shared by Many Vietnam Veterans*- The combatant in the Vietnam war was confronted with the horrors and violence that sadly exist whenever men fight each other. Psycho- logical side affects--. outward or seemingly hidden-- were unavoidable • for most vets. All those who knew the trauma and fear of battle con- sequently deserve the nation's respect and concern. And this truth gains further credence because of other problems besetting the vet because of characteristics of the Vietnam conflict that were unique to it in comparison with World War I and World War II. One "non-typical" war result is that our most recent combat veterans have had a harder time settling "back in the world" than did veterans from earlier wars. "At least half a million Vietnam veterans still lead lives plagued by serious, war-related readjustment problems" accord- ing to Sherman Roodzant, the National Commander of the Disabled Ameri- can Veterans, and he admits he has made a conservative estimate of numbers. Vietnam veterans need the support of their communities-- and Cape and Island towns can lead a unique local movement to aid our war veterans. The root cause of problems that most Vietnam veterans face, as as just stated, is traced to their natural reactions to the blood- letting that occurred in Indochina for so many years. Re-functioning in the structured American society that fines people for littering is difficult for veterans after they survived in a war zone that rewarded killing (the body counts) . A Vietnam-era veteran was des- tined to not easily reenter the flow of American life. . . . and other factors beyond the actual combat experience compound . this problem. The high majority of American soldiers served a 12 or 13-month tour in Vietnam. Service personnel constantly entered and exited the I