Quote:hell, it was broadly "overlooked", so long as it remained reasonably discrete and did not impair overall individual or unit readiness, but substance abuse of any kind never was in any way officially condoned.
It is just part of the coping mechanism that Vietnam vets utilized in dealing with an unjust war. I never mentioned substance abuse as being officially "condoned." Of course it wouldn't be. It would've been horrible p.r. for the war. But I would question the extent of the "impairment" of ANY of these drugs, as you seem to be convinced there was no impairment and that these drugs were used descretely.
It's safe to assume that the bottom rung of the Vietnam vets bore the cost of the war, and were the one's most likely to be addicted (or use) drugs during the war. The reason why I say it was widely condoned was because we were living in a culture of drug experimentation at the time, and the stigma of drug use just wasn't as profound as it is today. But it was reflected in the music we listened to, in the art that we saw, and in the movies that we watched.
Commanding officers looking the other way is, IMO, condoning such a practice. But it also was not an official policy either. If the services existed that could have helped the vets without letting them get strung out and homeless, then this would be a different subject. But as we all know, social services were cut drastically in the 80's, and that's when homelessness basically became part of the norm in this country.
