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In the eyes of many, Vietnam was a rock ‘n’ roll war, in that rock was the dominant music of American troops. Movies such as Good Morning Vietnam, Apocalypse Now, and Platoon have portrayed Vietnam in this context. The role of music in Vietnam is also seen as unique due largely to its content and availability. This image of Vietnam as unique in its relationship with American popular music is, in many ways, justified. Not only did American participation in Vietnam result in the composition of many popular songs of the time, but Vietnam was also the first American war where soldiers actually listened to war protest music while they were fighting overseas.1 Soldiers in Vietnam had music provided by AFVN (Armed Forces Vietnam Network) and also had access to tape recorders with which they could play whatever music they desired.
Importance of Music in Vietnam
Why is this connection between American popular music and the Vietnam War important? Perhaps the easiest and most direct response is that the music was important to American soldiers. This is evident in that musical terms quickly replaced traditional military slang. For example, rock ‘n’ roll quickly replaced the term lock and load.2 In addition, lyrics and titles of songs were often used in everyday conversation, as in the case of a gun ship that was often seen in harbor by American soldiers near the coast. The soldiers, probably due to the ship’s giant smoke stacks, soon began to refer to it as Puff the Magic Dragon, in reference to the folk hit sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary.
In order to take the question a step further, one must ask exactly what types of music Vietnam soldiers were exposed to and what effects it had on them. What did popular music have to say about the Vietnam War? What did the military command structure allow American troops to hear? This is extremely important. After all, soldiers in Vietnam would not have felt any impact from the popular music of the time if they were not exposed to it. If there were songs that the military censored, did U.S. troops hear anything that they were not supposed to hear?
The answers to these questions can be used to address larger issues, including how music affected the morale of the American soldier in Vietnam. After all, men with good morale fight better than men who are miserable. One can also ask how music affected the camaraderie between soldiers. Historically, one of the most important motivations for men at war has been not letting down the men with whom they serve. If music had an impact on the relationships amongst soldiers, this most definitely would have affected the war as a whole. Taking the question a step further, how did music affect relationships between enlisted men and officers? It is very possible, after all, that tension between officers and enlisted men, regardless of its source, could lead to insubordination.
One could make the argument that war protests and the music that grew out of the anti-war movement damaged the morale of the American soldier and may have contributed to the “loss” of the Vietnam War. For that matter, the outlook may turn out to be grimmer. If mere differences in musical preference caused tension amongst soldiers based solely on the genre of the music, this presents a greater problem to military forces as music becomes more accessible and portable with improved technology. In analyzing Vietnam, a war where music was in the forefront more than ever before, one can judge the impact of music on soldiers in combat and non-combat roles. The conclusions one reaches when addressing these questions can be of great significance.
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