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Broken Promises

The Tragic Tale of McNamara's Boys in Vietnam

The Vietnam War was one of the most divisive and
controversial conflicts in American history. The

war claimed the lives of over 58,000 Americans

and countless Vietnamese civilians, and it left a
lasting impact on American society. But what many

people do not know is that the US government

deliberately sent thousands of mentally-disabled

men into combat during the Vietnam War. Shivashish roy
2022-26 ece
It was a dark chapter in American history that is often overlooked, but the

truth is that during the late 1960s and early 1970s, the US military relied

heavily on mentally-disabled men to fill its ranks. These men were often

drafted into service without being properly screened or diagnosed, and they
were sent to fight in a war that they did not fully understand.

The story of these men is a tragic one, filled with
sorrow, suffering, and sacrifice. It is a story of how the

government used the most vulnerable members of

society as pawns in a deadly game of politics and

power. And it is a story that deserves to be told.
One of the most compelling examples of this tragedy

is the case of Bobby Garwood. Garwood was a young

man from West Virginia who was drafted into the
Army in 1965. He had a low IQ and was diagnosed

with schizophrenia, but he was sent to Vietnam

anyway.

Garwood's experience in Vietnam was harrowing. He
was captured by the enemy in 1966 and spent the next

14 years as a prisoner of war. During his captivity, he was subjected to brutal
torture and abuse, and he witnessed the deaths of many of his fellow

prisoners.

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