Vietnam - What They Carried

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[SAMWolf]

The Things They Carried...

They carried P-38 can openers and heat tabs, watches and dog tags, insect repellent, gum, cigarettes, Zippo lighters, salt tablets, compress bandages, ponchos, Kool-Aid, two or three canteens of water, iodine tablets, sterno, LRRP- rations, and C-rations stuffed in socks.

They carried standard fatigues, jungle boots, bush hats, flak jackets and steel pots.

They carried the M-16 assault rifle. They carried trip flares and Claymore mines, M-60 machine guns, the M-70 grenade launcher, M-14's, CAR-15's, Stoners, Swedish K's, 66mm Laws, shotguns,45 caliber pistols, silencers, the sound of bullets, rockets, and choppers, and sometimes the sound of silence.

They carried C-4 plastic explosives, an assortment of hand grenades, PRC-25 radios, knives and machetes. Some carried napalm, CBU's and large bombs; some risked their lives to rescue others. Some escaped the fear, but dealt with the death and damage. Some made very hard decisions, and some just tried to survive. They carried malaria, dysentery, ringworms and leaches.

They carried the land itself as it hardened on their boots.

They carried stationery, pencils, and pictures of their loved ones - real and imagined. They carried love for people in the real world and love for one another.
And sometimes they disguised that love: "Don't Mean Nothin'!"

They carried Memories for the most part, they carried themselves with poise and a kind of dignity. Now and then, there were times when panic set in, and people squealed or wanted to, but couldn't; when they twitched and made moaning sounds and covered their heads and said "Dear God" and hugged the earth and fired their weapons blindly and cringed and begged for the noise to stop and went wild and made stupid promises to themselves and God and their parents, hoping not to die.

They carried the Traditions of the United States military, and memories and images of those who served before them.

They carried Grief, Terror, Longing and their Reputations.

They carried the soldier's greatest fear: The Embarrassment of Dishonor.

They crawled into tunnels, walked point, and advanced under fire, so as not to die of embarrassment.

They were afraid of dying, but too afraid to show it.

They carried the emotional baggage of men and women who might die at any moment.

They carried the weight of the world.



THEY CARRIED EACH OTHER

[Light Speed]

3rd Bat/9th Marine in the A'shau Valley

1st Marine airwing [VMFAW-316] putting it down on Victor Charlie...1966

[leadpenny]

You're in my thoughts, SB. Especially when I remember how the 'Donut Dollies' and USO Tours lifted the spirits of hundreds of thousands of GI's in country.

[Ax]

I was going through security at Logan last month. I had been selected for the throrough search. The lady saw my P-38 on my keychain and asked what it was, concerned that it might be a WMD. One of her male colleagues set her straight.

[onedoug]

[Light Speed]

In someways...the internet has helped untold numbers of vets find lost friends..and contact points to memories.
I would not venture to make a comment regarding thier view of government...but this is true...they have found healing amongst each other.
I would like to think that we here at Free Republic join with them in that healing process...
An outstretched hand and a smile is a good beginning.

[HiJinx]

My Father-in-Law, a WWII vet, went through the same struggle, but he never let anyone else help him. All he would ever say was that he was an ambulance driver, he was promoted to PFC so many times he lost count, and that was it. Any questions beyond that were met with an icy stare and silence.

Whatever demons possessed him remained until the day he died. What a tragedy...

[Jaxter]

[MistyCA]

I know. You are very right about that. My uncle is one of those people who has stayed in touch and gone to all the reunions over the years, and there is much healing to be done through that. My brother and husband have been very involved in the Vietnam Vets organization, doing what they can to provide avenues and outlets for all of those who do not have access to the internet. There are many who do not. But I sure do agree with you. There are always those who simply can not touch their deep grief in the midst of a crowd, or even with another person, but they can turn on their computer and type away to their heart's content. God Bless all of those who have helped provide yet another way to find peace.

[MistyCA]

Oh, HIJinx, I am saddened by that. I know it is true. I know many people who talk around their experiences but never really tell about them. My uncle is very different. He sits for hours and recounts things to great detail. He remembers dates, times, names, places....as though they were yesterday. And, for him, it was.....just yesterday. But even so, it doesn't erase the memory or make it any lighter to bear. War is hell.

[SAMWolf]

You got it Tom.

[SAMWolf]

My dad never talked much about WWII either. As kids we had hints, but not until after I came home on leave from Basic Training after enlisting di dhe give me details.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the pictures Light Speed.

There are Fifty Eight Thousand, Two Hundred and Nine ( 58,209 ) names inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., one hundred and three (103) of those names are of known Canadians who served and did not return from the Vietnam war.

[Aquamarine]

Interesting post SAM. Thank you.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the bump aquamarine.

[HiJinx]

Interesting how that works...

I know I can only guess, but you've told some of your Dad's story, before. He must have seen things in Warsaw that would make your hair stand on end. I wonder if he didn't think you had to have some kind of military background before you'd understand those things...

I know my F-i-L was very old fashioned in his thinking...his experiences were compartmentalized, and nobody in the family needed to know what he knew.

[300winmag]

There are Fifty Eight Thousand, Two Hundred and Nine ( 58,209 ) names inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., one hundred and three (103) of those names are of known Canadians who served and did not return from the Vietnam war.

There were approximately 5000 Americans who dodged the draft by running to Canada. But there were over 50,000 Canadians who volunteered for the American military during Vietnam. On the basis of population, for every draft dodger than ran to Canada, 100 Canadian men served in the US military.

Thank you, Canada, for your brave men, and my sympathies for having to put up with our cowards.

[radu]

Beautiful thread, SAM,....sad but beautiful.

They carried the weight of the world.

And sadly, so many still carry a heavy burden. Memories that haunt them. I have a dear friend who was a medic in the late 60's in Vietnam and for years never shared his pain with anyone. One night, we watched "Apocolypse Now" on tv together and he was crying at the end of the movie. He said it brought back so many memories and he told me a few. After that, he would occassionally tell me more.

One night he gave me a big hug and thanked me for "suffering through" his ramblings. I was shocked. I told him I'd suffered nothing, that he was more than welcome to unburden himself any time. He thanked me and said he'd never told anyone the things he'd told me. He said it had helped him so much emotionally, it was like a purging of demons.

I only hope that if there are any Vietnam Vets reading this who have never shared their painful memories with anyone, purged those demons, they'll do so soon. Don't carry that weight alone and let it eat you like a cancer. There are others who will gladly do what they can to lighten your load, share your pain even if maybe we didn't actually experience it first hand.

Sorry I rambled but this has been a painful issue with me for a long time. I've been disgusted by the treatment our Vietnam vets suffered after they came back. That so many still feel no one cares breaks my heart. I care and always have. I know I'm not the only one.

Thank you for answering the call to duty and "Welcome home".

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for sharing Radu.

I spent a a little over a year with a "rap" group made up of Vietnam Vets. We got together one night a week and just "rapped" abuot whatever we felt about that night. It was run by a Family Counsler who was also a Vietnam Vet.
You're right, it was a purging and it helped because we had a common bond as a basis for discussion.

[SpookBrat]

Yesterday at the cemetery, when we were putting up flags on the vets graves, the children were breaking acorns in half and putting them on top of the stick of the flag. They told me they were "helmets". Kids are so sweet and compassionate. I can't wait to get my pictures developed and posted here.

Souris, your pictures were wonderful. Thanks for finding them.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Spooky, Good to see you.