These two papers report on an extensive retrospective survey of psychiatrists who served in Vietnam between 1963 and 1972. This study was the first occasion on which most of these physicians had been able to discuss and assess their wartime performance in a systematic, professional fashion. Unlike the situation in other wars, the largest part of the psychiatrists' case load was not disorders caused by combat stress but rather those associated with large numbers of soldiers living in confined and isolated groups far from home. Those psychiatrists whose assignments permitted them to provide primary preventive interventions tended to report positive memories of their experience. Others reported inadequate preparation and support not only for clinical practice but also for the specific military psychiatric task of maintaining morale and combat effectiveness. These findings indicate areas where a psychodynamic approach made or could have made a significant impact on the eventual mental health of combatants.