The First Modern Pharmacological War

The Vietnam War was anything but conventional. In World War II, combat tactics revolved around gaining ground and pushing the enemy back into submission. However, during the Vietnam War, there were no front lines, rears, or territories to be conquered. This was due in part to the Vietcong’s style of combat which was surprising and deceptive. But besides differences in fighting styles, the Vietnam War was unique in that it was the first pharmacological war; the amount of drugs consumed during this war was unprecedented in American History and they helped to create a super soldier.

Statistics released by the House Select Committee on Crime showed that 225 millions tablets of stimulants were used in the armed forces from 1966 to 1969. The annual consumption for a navy seal was 21.1 pills, 17.5 in the air force, and 13.8 in the army. These so called “pep pills” were distributed to soldiers leaving on long reconnaissance missions. “Pep pills” included 20 milligrams of dextroamphetamine, a drug twice as strong as Adderall, an ADHD medicine, for 48 hours of fighting. Soldiers invading Laos for a four day mission were given medical kits that included the usual items along with 12 tablets of Darvon, mild painkillers, 24 tablets of codeine, an opioid analgesic, and six pills of Dexedrine. Units were also given steroid injections before they left. This wide distribution of drugs throughout the armed forces prompted some soldiers to say that the drugs were “used like candies.”

In combat, these drugs gave soldiers heightened senses and kept them awake. Some soldiers explained that they felt invincible while on these drugs. Along with the alertness however came aggression and violent outbursts often resulted from frequent drug usage. The drugs also boosted morale and reduced the injuries from combat and mental breakdowns. Because of these drugs, the percentage of mental breakdowns in Vietnam was the lowest compared to two previous wars; 10 percent of soldiers had mental breakdowns in WWII, 4 percent in the Korean War, while only 1 percent in the Vietnam. However, the drugs didn’t eliminate the stress soldiers experienced and as a result, PTSD and post-service substance abuse rates were higher than they ever were. This method of drug usage to deal with mental stress was like reassuring a soldier by giving them an anesthetic for a gunshot wound and then sending him back into the fighting.