In movies such as Full Metal Jacket, Good Morning Vietnam and many others depicting the war, the soldiers seem to be highly bitter about the fact that they are in war far from their home, "just to save some gooks." I understand that the majority of people don't really understand how horrible war is before they're actually experiencing one and how their deep regret might make them say such statements, but considering that if they've all gone there because they wanted to, those statements would be quite groundless? Therefore, I ask you historians (because this has bothered me for quite a while), were American soldiers forced to go to Vietnam and if they were, how many?
Hopefully some numbers will help understand the scope of Vietnam. The Selective Service System, commonly referred to as "the draft," inducted 1,857,304 Americans into various branches of the military from August of 1964 through February of 1973. A lot of movies about the war (eg. Full Metal Jacket) are focused on marines or general infantry.
About 1/3 of the 2,500,000 G.I.s that served in Vietnam from 1956-1975 were conscripted through the draft, which means about 1,750,000 volunteered. Those are fairly large numbers to generalize the attitudes of American soldiers. It wasn't until the late 1960s and early 70s that the anti-war movement became the force we remember it as today, especially with testimonies from soldiers returning home describing the horrors of war: everything from the difficulties of guerrilla warfare to the treatment of Vietnamese POWs.
However, again, it's difficult to make sweeping generalizations about attitudes; it all depended on that specific person's personal experience. Some joined because they had relatives that served in the military, some joined out of a want to travel, etc. If you are still interested, I recommend the movie, Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam for some personal narratives from real soldiers.
Sources/more information: https://www.sss.gov/About/History-And-Records/Induction-Statistics http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092851/
Many American soldiers were drafted into military service during this time. Some undoubtedly were eager or at least willing to serve, while others felt the war itself, and by extension their being compelled to serve, was a grave injustice. At the outset of the war public opinion was mostly in favor of military action in Vietnam. However, as the war dragged on, as details about on-the-ground conditions reached the public, and as counter-culture movements swelled, the American public became deeply divided with respect to their perspectives on military action.
Considering the representation in films and popular media of soldiers being almost universally embittered to service in Vietnam I see two potential explanations.
The first being that Vietnam really was a terrible experience for soldiers. Not just the guerrilla warfare and alien environment, but lack of public respect and empathy. No one coming back from Vietnam got the heroes welcome their fathers or grandfathers received when coming back from Europe.
The second being that these media representations of Vietnam were created by people whom lived through the events and are made with the benefit of hindsight. Apocalypse Now is not meant to be historically accurate, but rather to draw thematic parallels between American intervention and European imperialism. Full Metal Jacket likewise is not especially historically faithful, rather it satirizes the horror of the war in juxtaposition with prevailing western sensibilities at the height of the war. The portrayal of soldierly life in these films etc. is meant to communicate an authors/directors/actors message or point of view.