ONE DEGREE

#18) "Heroin"

The enemy's bloody Tet Offensive in 1968 finally convinced our leaders in Washington that the Vietnam War was not winnable. An inauspicious exit would be the new goal. Before Tet, the fabric of the Army was strong and meaningful. After Tet, it fell apart. The US had given up. Who wanted to be the last to die in Vietnam. Anxiety was high. Discipline fell apart. First Lieutenants who persisted in pursuing risky patrols invited an M16 round in the back or a fragmentation grenade under their hooch. Post traumatic stress symptoms began to appear. There was increased adrenalin and cortisol circulating in the grunt's bloodstream. Self-medication with alcohol, marijuana, and heroin was commonplace. When I was there, ’70-'71, heroin usage was epidemic. Those providing these sedating agents were thriving. South Vietnamese governmental officials were a prominent source. Daily, the mamma sons smuggled pure heroin onto the 85th Evac. compound. Recognition of a heroin crisis threatened military reputations. One of our physicians reported the heroin travesty to the commanding general in Da Nang. He was threatened with a court-martial and Leavenworth if he did not desist. Eventually, the same physician converted a hooch into a colorful Halfway House to detox the troops. Passing a clean urine sample allowed the soldier to return home. Prescribed quality marijuana softened the agonizing process.