Report on the Morale of Forces (1968)

The morale of United States forces involved in the war in Vietnam was consistently high. This condition could be attributed to a belief in the mission of the United States in Vietnam, pride in accomplishing this mission, esprit de corps within units, the one-year tour, and the Rest and Recuperation (R&R) Program. The one-year tour length allowed a serviceman to know from the beginning of his tour the day he would return home. This was considered to be the single greatest morale factor for our forces. The R&R Program allowed each man to have one respite of five or six-day duration from the combat zone during his tour. Ten sites, ranging from Tokyo to Sydney and from Hawaii to Singapore, were offered. This program moved approximately 400,000 troops to R&R sites between July 1967 and June 1968. Other important factors in maintaining the high morale included exceptional medical care, a responsive awards and decorations policy, free mail, combat pay, income tax benefits, and excellent food service.

Source: Report on the War in Vietnam (as of 30 June 1968), Admiral U. S. G. Sharp, USN, Commander in Chief Pacific, and General W. C. Westmoreland, USA, Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, pt. 2, p. 68.

Image: “A diagram of a basic Viet Cong tunnel system. National Museum of the United States Army