Men speed on a sled. Upbeat music plays in the background and a voice chimes in: "Want some quick action?" A man floats on water skis. “Outdoor action?” the voice calls. A man climbs a high and dangerous mountain. "A real action on a human scale?" the voice proclaims. “Well, here is the action that surpasses them all, in the combat branches of today's military,” concludes the voice (Quitney). It was not uncommon to see the Army or military glamorized in Vietnam recruiting commercials, much like the one described above. Despite the ornate ideals of military life and duties, the Vietnam War would prove to be anything but idealistic for U.S. soldiers. Many of the soldiers drafted into the war had no choice and did not want to go. During the retreat privates were often mistreated and suffered physical and mental punishment. American soldiers have repeatedly committed war crimes without a second thought. Due to the brutality that occurred during the Vietnam War, many soldiers suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, which often led to suicide and depression. The goal was to win the war, but those who were forced to kill without conscience cannot close their minds to the anguish they have imposed on themselves and on so many people. Millions of men were called to serve in the Vietnam War. Sometimes men were drafted and had no choice. Unlike the gift-wrapped ideals of war shown to the United States, many soldiers would find that military life would involve much more than “real action on a human scale.” To the general public, soldiers were conscripted to be heroes, but once forced into war, less-than-heroic things happened and no one would be able to oppose them. The law... middle of paper... desensitizes and desensitizes their civilized mentality, making them walk and breathe like killing machines. During the war this became evident with the countless war crimes committed by soldiers; they were trained not to have any apprehension about killing the Vietnamese, because they were "gooks" and less than human in form. These violent events scarred and traumatized some soldiers for the rest of their lives. Some soldiers developed mental illnesses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Some veterans will always live their lives damaged and in fear. Some have already taken their own lives because the burden of knowing and reliving what they experienced during the Vietnam War was too much to bear. The only goal of the war was to achieve a victory, another notch on America's belt, no matter how many lives it cost, including American ones..