Vietnam's UNBEARABLE Hygiene Conditions of a Grunt!
Today we're examining what hygiene actually looked like for American soldiers in Vietnam - from the men who had it relatively comfortable in rear bases, to the combat infantry surviving on improvisation, field hacks, and prayers that a razor nick wouldn't put them in the hospital. We'll cover shaving, bathing, teeth brushing, latrines, insect repellent that melted plastic, explosives used to heat water, and what the Army classified as its single biggest medical problem of the entire war. This comes from U.S. Army Medical Department official histories, oral accounts from Vietnam veterans, field manuals, and documented medical records covering over 1.4 million hygiene-related medical visits during the conflict. The war your hygiene depended on wasn't the one the generals planned. It was entirely determined by three letters: MOS - Military Occupational Specialty. Your job decided your war. SOURCES: U.S. Army Medical Department. "Skin Diseases in Vietnam." Official history. Army Medical Department professional publication, 1970. Neel, Spurgeon. "Medical Support of the U.S. Army in Vietnam, 1965-1970." Department of the Army, 1973. U.S. Army 9th Infantry Division. Surgeon's Report on Dermatological Attrition, September 1968. Declassified. U.S. Army Surgeon General. Hospital Admission Statistics, 1965-1969. Official statistical compilation. Appy, Christian G. "Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam." University of North Carolina Press, 1993. Baker, Mark. "Nam: The Vietnam War in the Words of the Men and Women Who Fought There." William Morrow, 1981. Caputo, Philip. "A Rumor of War." Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977. O'Brien, Tim. "If I Die in a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home." Delacorte Press, 1973. Herr, Michael. "Dispatches." Knopf, 1977. CherriesWriter.com. Veteran oral accounts and field hygiene documentation. (Vietnam veteran website). U.S. Army Field Manual FM 21-10. "Field Hygiene and Sanitation." Military publication on field sanitation standards. Department of Veterans Affairs. Long-term health research on Vietnam veteran dermatological and fungal conditions. Terry, Wallace. "Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans." Random House, 1984. U.S. Army Chemical Corps. Technical data on DEET-based insect repellent formulations, military-grade specifications. National Archives. Medical Departmental Records, Vietnam Theater, 1965-1973. Declassified.
What Happened To The Vietnam Veterans Who Came Home In 1971 — No Parades, No Thanks, No Questions
Vietnam's MISERABLE Financial Conditions of a Grunt!
VIETNAM - 50 YEARS LATER
Update from Ukraine | Great News! Ukraine Hits Russia's Weakest Points
5 Army MOSs That Get Zero Respect – Here's Why
Why the Average Door Gunner in Vietnam Was Dead or Wounded Within 14 Days
What REALLY Happened to American POWs in the Hanoi Hilton — Years of Torture in North Vietnam
600 Viet Cong Followed One Patrol Into the Jungle... and Never Came Out
25 LOST Gentleman Codes American Working-Class Men Swore By Before 1965
What Patton Said to the German Officer Who Executed a Red Cross Nurse
Why Door Gunners Had the Most Terrifying Job in Vietnam
Viet Cong Militia Stunned When MACV SOG Found Their Base From a Single Footprint
The Darkest Reason German Child Soldiers Were Shot
Vietnam's BRUTAL Eating Conditions of a Grunt!
How Navy SEALs Eat, Sleep and Survive 5 Days of Hell Week Without Quitting
The Most Terrifying Woman of The Vietnam War
30 Gentleman Rules American Schools BANNED After 1970 That Made Working-Class Fathers Unforgettable
Viet Cong Commander Laughed in His Face — 30 Seconds Later He Was Dead With 12 Others
When MACV-SOG Borrowed An Australian SAS Scout - And Refused To Give Him Back
