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In all, the U.S. seems to have become more cautious and considered in international politics as a result of Viet Nam. Allies, especially in Western Europe, have adopted a somewhat schizophrenic line toward the U.S., first condemning its Viet Nam War policies as obnoxiously aggressive, now worrying its policies elsewhere are contemptibly weak. Says former Under Secretary of State George Ball: "Rather than snickering at America's alleged impuissance, our allies should rejoice that we have now achieved the maturity they accused us of lacking during our Viet Nam adventure."
It is the psychological, moral and spiritual adjustment that has proved more difficult and problematic. Some, of course, believe Americans are an oblivious people, who have simply cruised on and learned nothing. "We have no national memory," Lillian Hellman once told Gloria Emerson. "Maybe it's a mark of a young and vigorous people. I think we've already forgotten Viet Nam." When William Westmoreland, former U.S. commander in Viet Nam, appears on campuses these days, he finds "total change. Crowds are larger, open-minded. Now there's very little criticism, and mostly from professors." Of course, the kids Westmoreland is addressing would have been only about eight years old at the time of the Tet offensive. To them, he could almost be talking about Carthage.
Viet Nam fragmented America into constituencies that even now identify themselves according to their war grievances. The veteran vs. draft resister issue can still stir anger. William Keegan, now 29, a steel-foundry worker in Churchill, Pa., served for a year in Viet Nam as a medic after being drafted. He says bitterly: "The real heroes seem to be the guys who ran away to Canada to dodge the draft. Where will the country be if we ever face a crisis again? We'll have a heck of a time getting people to fight, and other countries know this." But many draft resisters, slipping into their 30s, also sense their communities' distaste, the snarls of veterans from the nation's more straightforward wars. Still, this month brought at least a modest symbol of reconciliation when Robert Garwood, the Marine private who spent the past 14 years in Viet Nam and may be formally charged with collaborating with the enemy, came home to Greensburg, Ind. His townspeople carefully refrained from passing any judgment on him; they warmly welcomed him back.
One of the heaviest casualties of the Viet Nam War was trust in institutions, in experts, in majorities and consensus. That deep-dyed skepticism, born in the great credibility gaps of the war and Watergate, is one of the most profoundly significant effects of Viet Nam. Says Dr. Ronald Glasser, a Minneapolis physician who, after his Army service, wrote 365 Days, one of the finest evocations of the war: "The present inflation, Watergate, our lack of belief in expertise, our confusion, all of these things came out of that war. When someone tells me a nuclear power plant has six back-up systems, I'm immediately suspicious."