Manuel Ortega and his first leave
The US didn't go in South East Asia to fight a conventional warfare but a civil one, were most of the enemies didn't used use any official uniform at all, at least in the beginning.
It was a war that often didn't have any real battlefield and many of the losses reported were lost during terrorist or sniper attacks, because of mines or booby traps, and sometimes even because of homicides.
More than a war by weapons, it was a real war of nerves.
The character of Manuel Ortega has difficulties in relating with other people and suffers from insomnia, nightmares and optic illusions similar to real hallucinations.
It's an accurate description of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which was an issue that hit (and still hits) many veterans.
The truth is that it always existed (even during wars in the past) but the US realized it for the first time during the Vietnam War.
The keywords to deepen the subject are “POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER”
PTSD is a problem that can stay for the duration of the life of a subject, particularly in those that don't receive professional help.
