So I have been a fan of 60s/70s music for a long time. I wasn't actually alive at the time. I have always found the conflicts of the 2nd half of the 20th century interesting. One thing I dont understand is how, earlier in the Vietnam War, American soldiers were seen as friends, but when many returned home after the war, they were greeted with hatred and insults. (I may be missing something key here, my AP History class has only made it to about 1800 since the school year just started)
There are some good previous answers on /r/AskHistorians which seem to suggest that hostility to Vietnam Veterans on their return was something of a myth:
/u/Bernardito on Why were returning Vietnam soldiers treated so poorly by the US public?
Bernardito again but also see /u/true_new_troll's replies on At the end of the movie Dead Presidents, a judge (played by Martin Sheen) says "I served in World War II -- A REAL war, I might add" when the client's lawyer asks for leniency because he served in Vietnam. Did people really have this kind of disdain for people who served in Vietnam?