1955-1979
Turmoil marks Vietnam era
President John F. Kennedy examines a soldier's dog tags in an August 1961 visit to Fort Bragg.
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The war in Vietnam claimed the lives of 101 men who called Cumberland County home. That's the largest number killed from any county in North Carolina, but it doesn't tell half the story of Vietnam's toll on the community.
Fort Bragg did not send many large units to fight in Vietnam. But from 1966 to 1970, more than 200,000 soldiers trained at the post before leaving for the war.
The effect of such a large troop rotation - in and out, getting a quick and often negative impression of the community - was dramatic and would continue to be for years to come.
Some contrasting stories reflect this period of conflict:
President John F. Kennedy visited Fort Bragg in 1961 and met with Special Forces soldiers wearing green berets. The president's approval of the nontraditional headgear spurred the Army to sanction the green beret, which was made famous in a John Wayne movie.
Then, in 1970, there was the case of a "Green Beret doctor," as he was called in many news reports: He was Capt. Jeffrey MacDonald, whose wife and two young daughters were found stabbed to death at their home on post. MacDonald was convicted of their murders in 1979, in a case made famous by the "Fatal Vision" book and movie.
In 1969, there was a downtown parade in honor of former Massey Hill High School student Robert M. Patterson, an Army sergeant who received a Medal of Honor for heroism in Vietnam.
Then there were the anti-war protests. They drew national attention because of the proximity to Fort Bragg, in a community that generally supported the war. Jane Fonda came to Fayetteville to participate in three anti-war events.
Hay Street hangover
Finally, there was Hay Street.
Bars weren't new to Fayetteville, by any means, but the city's so-called main street became notorious for bars, strip joints and prostitutes during this time.
Unlike the glorious victory of World War II, soldiers and civilians had to deal with withdrawal and defeat in Vietnam. It was like a hangover that wouldn't go away.
Fayetteville's reputation took a hit; derisive nicknames such as "Fayettenam" stuck.
Since the war, the Army has been transformed in many ways. Hay Street and the rest of downtown have, too.
But Vietnam left its mark.
Jack Lee, who served as Fayetteville's mayor from 1971 to 1975, put it this way: "Half the towns in the United States or more, all they knew about Vietnam was that it was some place in Asia, and that was about it. We were closer to it."
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