Study Examines Effects of Wartime Racism on Asian-American Vietnam Veterans

During the Vietnam War, some Asian Americans soldiers fought two battles -- one against the North Vietnamese and another against racism...

By James Larkin, UCSF News Services

April 6, 1999 - During the Vietnam War, some Asian Americans soldiers fought two battles -- one against the North Vietnamese and another against racism.

During basic training, US Army drill sergeants were known to pull an Asian-American out of a group of new recruits to show the other soldiers "what the enemy looks like." During combat exercises, some were made to wear black pajamas and play the role of enemy Viet Cong soldiers. And once they arrived in Vietnam, they were often harassed or even subjected to violence by their fellow soldiers.

For years, researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs have studied many aspects of the psychological consequences of warfare but until now little attention was paid to the impact of racism on Asian-American Vietnam combat veterans. In response, the VA has launched the Asian-American Vietnam Veterans Race-Related Study (AVRS), though finding veterans to participate is proving to be harder than expected.

The study, which is based at the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Honolulu and San Francisco, seeks Asian-Americans residing in Hawaii and in Northern California. "We need many more veterans from Northern California and Hawaii for our study to produce meaningful results," says Lily Lee Adams, who heads the California section of the AVRS. About 85,000 Asian-Americans served during the Vietnam War period and approximately 30,000 actually served in Vietnam.

Herself an Asian-American Vietnam veteran, Adams knew it would be difficult to recruit participants. "It is well known that Vietnam veterans as a whole tend to be more reluctant than other veterans to participate in research projects," says Adams. "The same is true for Asian-Americans. So when you seek volunteers who are Vietnam veterans and Asian-American, you really have your work cut out for you."

To ensure she gets enough participants, Adams has started criss-crossing Northern California, shuttling between the East Bay, Sacramento, and San Jose to meet with veterans one on one. "I really want this study to work," says Adams. "So if it means driving two hours to meet with a potential participant, I'll do it."

So far Adams has recruited a handful of veterans and her interviews with them have been both encouraging and enlightening. Although it is much too early to draw any conclusions, Adams has already identified a familiar pattern among the veterans' experiences.

"During basic training, our soldiers were taught that Asians were the enemy," says Adams. "There was not much effort made to differentiate between the many different Asian ethnicities." De-humanizing the enemy is a standard training method but, by lumping all Asians together, the training sent very negative messages with long-lasting effects.

For Okinawan-American David Oshiro, even serving in the elite Army Special Forces did not shield him from the internal conflicts he would confront many years later. During an interview for the VA study, Oshiro recalled a wartime incident in the Vietnam city of Da Nang. Oshiro was involved in a minor motor vehicle accident with a Vietnamese bicyclist when suddenly the soldier was surrounded by a group of angry Vietnamese. Despite the language barrier, it was clear to Oshiro that the crowd was accusing him of betraying his race. Born and raised in Hawaii, Oshiro had always considered himself an American, so he was stunned by their reaction. To this day he still feels some of the anger, fear and frustration he experienced on that day nearly 30 years ago.

According to Lance Luke, the haunting memories of Vietnam aren't just of the enemy -- they also include his fellow soldiers. As the only Asian-American in his US Army unit, Luke was sometimes subjected to threats and violence at the hands of a supposed comrade. Eventually the abuse became so bad that Luke's tormentor was transferred out of the unit by a sympathetic officer.

Tragically, these soldiers' stories are not unique. However, by studying their experiences, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (San Francisco) hopes to develop better treatment methods for all veterans. Any Asian-American veteran who served in Vietnam and is interested in participating in the study should contact Lily Adams at 415/221-4810, extension 4589.

This article by James Larkin appears here courtesy of the News Services office of the University of California - San Francisco.  Please do not repost the article without obtaining permission from the source.