| Description |
American women who came of age in the 1960s grew up during the era of Cold War and containment. During this time, Americans turned to the family for a sense of security against communism. The belief was that if the home were secure, the nation would remain secure from communism, and the only way the home would remain secure was if women fulfilled their role as mother and wife. Women featured in this paper who volunteered to serve in Vietnam were not entirely opposed to the domestic role, they simply wanted to delay it and experience the world, an opportunity their mothers did not have. Women who went to Vietnam were proud to take on the domestic role for the American soldier, to bring him a sense of home in order to help ease the burden and stress that they experienced in the field. While this would be one of the hardest times of their lives, it was also one of the most rewarding. While the roles they would play were usually domestic in nature, the skills and life lessons learned in Vietnam enabled these women to become strong and independent. |
