American Military History, Volume 2 by Richard W. Stewart

The end of American ground forces' direct participation in the Vietnam War in January 1973 left the U.S. Army a much weak- ened institution. Public trust in the Army was at a low point, with many blaming the military for the war as much as they blamed the civilian policymakers whose orders the military was carrying out. Many of the soldiers who returned from Vietnam faced a hostile or at best indifferent public reception.

A number of soldiers had become drug addicts in Vietnam, where the supply of heroin was plentiful. Discipline, especially in the rear base camps, had begun breaking down in many units toward the end of the war as it became appar- ent that America was only interested in leaving Vietnam.