The 'My Dad In Vietnam in 1971' meme is a popular ironic format used to parody sincere social media posts where people share vintage photos of their veteran parents. Starting around 2018, internet users began subverting this trope by posting high-quality images of video game characters, streamers, or fictional soldiers and claiming they were genuine family photos from the Vietnam War. One of the most famous examples featured YouTuber John Hicks, which successfully tricked many unsuspecting viewers. The meme thrives on the contrast between the serious, reverent caption and the often-absurd or clearly fictional person in the image, making it a staple of internet 'bait-and-switch' humor.