This is well written piece and I am happy the author was able to articulate these thoughts and feelings.
Roger that.
Without controversy, the greatest respect one can demonstrate to another human is to simply and raptly listen to the tale he/she has to offer, and to digest it with silent rumination, without rejection.
Regarding that golden moment from a veteran of the killing fields, he will give it to you only if he completely trusts your sense of treating his confidence as a privileged, holy communication not to be lightly esteemed. This is one of the richest life events you can experience as a trusted friend outside the fraternity of those who have served as a combatant.
May your reputation be worthy to receive and keep alive this nugget of lonely pain shared.
(From personal experience.)
In honor of Grover Don Penn, Marine: First (Edson's) Marine Raider Battalion, engaged in the most forward front of the battle for Bloody Ridge, Guadalcanal, September 12-14, 1942.
In honor of George Raymond Parker, Jr., Marine: Heavy Weapons Platoon of 6 Marine Division, who fought through the battle for Sugar Loaf Hill, Okinawa, May 12-18, 1945. Purple Heart, Silver Star.
In honor of Albert Burke, Combat Infantryman: 104 Battalion of 26 "Yankee" Infantry Division, fought in Moncout Woods, October 1944, thence to Metz, 3-day march of Patton's 3rd Army to Luxembourg in the Battle of the Bulge, crossed the Rhine and southward into Germany until the war's end. Heavy .30-cal Machine Gunner. Would not accept promotion beyond PFC. Expert in quad-.50 cal operation.
In honor of Gino Centofanti, Signal expert with Patton's 3rd Army. Remained after the war in the Occupation Forces, ASA.
R. I. P., friends.
I met with an old vet and his wife in their little room at the nursing home. He had the globe and anchor tattoo and I said “Oh - you were Navy? World War II I imagine.”
He mumbled - “Yeah - I drove a Higgins boat.”
“Oh - the landing craft.”
He looked up at me “Hmm - not many people know what that is, I’m surprised.”
“I like to read”
His wife piped in “Harry was at D-Day”.
He shot her a bit of a glance. I just got up and shook his hand again and thanked him for his service. Sat back down - “So are those your kids in the photos?”
And yes - he ended up with his own business, sort of an inventor, raising a bunch of kids, etc.
Which reminds me: I need to call a bunch of folks today - at least those who I didn't call yesterday (the Marine Corps Birthday).
I left Vietnam in 1971, discharged in 1972. About a month after I returned my family threw a party for me. While sitting outside my uncle started telling me about Tarawa. He was in the Navy and was transporting the Marines to the beach. His boat got shot up and was disabled and ended up going to shore with the Marines, he had no gear and no weapon. Since the tides were misjudged they couldn’t land as close as expected and they had to wade through water for some distance, they were sitting ducks for the Japanese machine guns dug in on the Island. He started grabbing gear, a rifle and ammunition from the dead Marines he had to wade through (1500 Marines were killed or wounded on that first day). He fought side by side with the Marines for several days.
I share this story with you because he only shared it with me and my father (US ARMY). When he passed away I was talking to his son who did not serve in the military. When I mentioned his fathers time in the Navy and the battle at Tarawa and he looked at me in disbelief. He never shared this story with his own son.
PTSD wasn’t defined until 1980.
Whew, glad I got out before that.
Jeeze, I miss the comradere and esprit decor
In rare moment, my command master chief, a man who ran more submarine spec ops than anyone in US history said “where you ever scared?
I said “hell yeah”
He said “me too”
All vets have these thoughts nearly every day. Some may experience them for fractions of second, or for minutes at a time. They replay over and over again like an endless 24 hour war movie.
Utter B.S.
I am a vet. I was a rear echelon support officer.
I never saw combat.
Most vets never see combat.
Most vets that saw combat do not see the horrific scenes/sounds/smells described above.
Not all that do suffer PTSD.
The description of the above is for those at the tip of the spear, or the unlucky.
To say that all vets experience this on a daily basis is completely irresponsible and misleading.
Most vets have two horror stories. One of their war job and the friends they miss living and dead. The other was the battle at home of being called baby killer by people that prefer to kill unborn babies. The VA is set up to do little to help and those that suffer the most like form PTSD sometimes have to go through all the stress they experience in war and lots of stress to even get help.
We will never be normal again.
Some of what sucks is just getting old.
I used to drive submarines, Bradleys, LAV’s, hummers, flew planes
now I cant manage a self propelled lawn mower and it’s depressing
I think it’s a mistake to perceive all vets as isolated loners cast to the margins of society by their experiences. Yes, some are. I’m sure their memories haunt them. And they deserve the best care we can give.
But many others simply accept that they did what they had to do, put the past behind them, and pick up their lives where they left off. And remember, not every veteran fought in combat. Many never heard a shot fired in anger. Which is not to disparage or diminish their contributions, but only to point out that “veteran” does not equate to “battlefield traumatized.”
To every single one (except Bowe Berghdal), a humble thanks for your service.
BTW despite the recent breach of opsec with seal team 6
MOST vets cant share their stories
35 years on in am just starting to say a few things
And yeah that’s lonely, so you join the local VFW, but you cant talk about shit while the wifes there, then comes the divorce..
There are tons of fraternal orders
where outside of the fraternity most folks don’t get it.
But vets are of the highest caliber in my experience
After WWII a boatload of vets, missing the adrenaline of the military, hopped up some old surplus Harleys and a new American fraternity was born
99% of the off road trail in this country were cut by ex GIs with surplus army jeeps
Waddaya gonna do this weekend Wilbur?
“lets tale this willy jeep to the peak of tip top”
Lets fly these hang gliders off tip top, Wilbur cut a road and jimbo built a camp
I can identify with much in the article. Many PTSD’d vets have the distinction of having earned the CIB, Purple Heart or valor medal which does much explaining. They can get together with their fellow vets at Vet Center group gatherings, vet clubs or whatever and talk shop if they want to.
But there are those few that worked special ops and intelligence missions that have zero record of their activities. Imagine, some puny little guy comes home from war, tells dad “I was special ops”, and dad looks him square in the eye and says “your full of shit!”. Their mere mentioning of it brings out disbelief and sometimes outright laughter from others as such men do not have that Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Swarzenegger look. Rather, they have that small framed skinny look of Martin Sheen when he was a kid. And if anyone did believe him or he talked too much he’d be in violation of non-disclosure agreements.
So in addition to the typical symptoms of PTSD, they get that double dose of loneliness spiced with paranoia.
The list below is very interesting and has some incredible deals for vets!
https://militarybenefits.info/miscellaneous-discounts-veterans-day-deals-veterans/