They knew that the enemy was all around them, but their main form of contact came through traps or ambushes rather than large-scale battles. combat troops experienced constant fear and anxiety during their frequent patrols of the villages and countryside. In fact, some South Vietnamese civilians (people not involved in the military, including women and children) actively helped the Viet Cong guerillas (small groups of fighters who launch surprise attacks) that the Americans were fighting against. Instead, the local farmers and villagers usually viewed the Americans with distrust or even hostility. soldiers expected the South Vietnamese people to greet them as heroes. Their feelings of vulnerability were increased by strained relations with Vietnam's rural communities. This unfamiliar environment made their jobs more difficult and unpleasant. Upon arriving in Vietnam, American soldiers found themselves in a strange land of watery fields and dense jungles. troops consisted of African American men from the inner cities, the sons of immigrants from factory towns, and boys from rural farming communities. But many others were poor or working-class teenagers who enlisted or were drafted into the military right out of high school. Some of these men were career military officers. More than 2.5 million American men served in Vietnam during the war.
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