Those who bravely fought in the Vietnam War often came home to either fanfare or disappointment. It was a difficult time for soldiers who either volunteered or were drafted into a war that wasn’t of their own making. And returning to normal life was often a difficult thing. However, the following anthems from 1968 likely gave many a Vietnam War veteran a little bit of comfort. Perhaps they still do. Let’s take a look.
“The Unknown Soldier” by The Doors from ‘Waiting For The Sun’
This psychedelic rock song is a complex, heady piece to pick apart, but one thing is pretty clear. “The Unknown Soldier” was clearly Jim Morrison’s view of the Vietnam War, particularly in terms of how it was perceived in the media at the time.
While the average American was carrying on with their life back home, countless soldiers in Vietnam were dying. Many of whom were never found, hence the “unknown soldier” line and title. It’s a stark and honest examination of people’s disconnect from the war, despite the fact that so many of their own friends and family members were fighting it. Nobody really knew how terrible the conflict was, outside of the soldiers themselves.
“Draft Morning” by The Byrds from ‘The Notorious Byrd Brothers’
“Today was the day for action / Leave my bed to kill instead / Why should it happen?”
Plenty of musicians, namely folk protest musicians, penned tunes about the draft. But few managed to touch on the experience of the draft as honestly and simply as The Byrds (namely David Crosby) did with “Draft Morning”. The rock song follows a newly recruited Vietnam soldier and his experiences through the war. And its lyrics are pretty brief. It’s a stark, intense depiction of what getting drafted was like for many young men throughout the 1960s.
“Talking Vietnam Potluck Blues” by Tom Paxton from ‘Morning Again’
This one’s a bit of a deep cut that’s on the lighter side of songs Vietnam War veterans remember. Any Vietnam veteran who was a fan of Tom Paxton heard it on Morning Again, and it remains one of the most honest and comical anthems to drop in 1968. “Talking Vietnam Potluck Blues” references everything from smoking p*t to Hare Krishna to finding any sort of comfort in an otherwise tumultuous, difficult time.
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