Vietnam war 50 years on.

[Grm]

I'm not sure everyone will be able to play this vid as its on the BBC website, but its a poignant reminder.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-24992606

[watcher1]

Thanks, Grm.  You have just reminded me of how old I am.   

[Katiebee]

You and my dad, watcher.

[coacheric]

My Uncle and neighbor 

[Grm]

Thanks, Grm.  You have just reminded me of how old I am.   

I was thinking about you when I posted this. I was still at public school (not the American version) 1963-68, at that time I knew very little about the Vietnam war. While I was a school boy American boys my age were fighting and dying in a place they had never heard of.

[MissBarbara]

Thanks, Grm.  You have just reminded me of how old I am.   

I was thinking about you when I posted this. I was still at public school (not the American version) 1963-68, at that time I knew very little about the Vietnam war. While I was a school boy American boys my age were fighting and dying in a place they had never heard of.

I immediately thought of you as well, Watcher.

Not your age, but your service.





 

[watcher1]

Thank you.  I didn't know where it was either. Just that some of my older sister's friends came back from there and I heard snippets about it from them.  A little more than a year later, I was on an all expenses paid trip there. 

[vrkalak]

I did 2 tours in 'nam

[watcher1]

I did 2 tours in 'nam

One was enough for me. Welcome back.

[anvil]

me too

[Katiebee]

[vrkalak]

^  I still have my 'short-timers' lighter, in an old foot-locker, somewhere. 

[watcher1]

I still have a pair of Ho Chi Minh sandals somewhere in the basement.  And a well worn boonie hat. In 1971-72 I was in college and the councilors there were still trying to deprogram me from the jungles of Vietnam.  Now that was a sheer waste of time.  lol

[vrkalak]

de-programing = back then

severe PTSD = now

[watcher1]

de-programing = back then

severe PTSD = now

Tell me about it.  I know of guys who were in HQ company and they have applied for and gotten PTSD. Geez.  I don't know of any of us in the line companies that have applied for it.  I am happy and grateful that for one year of my time, an iffy one year at times I must admit, that I was able to obtain a college education.  Life is full of trade offs.

[gomez38555]

Not to knock anyone who has served (I did as well), but there is something I've always wanted to know about PTSD.  I saw some nasty shit, and it was nothing compared to what my father went through in the south pacific in WWII.

Why didn't 50% of those guys go wacky from the post stress?  They came home and got on with their lives.  Yes, some did have problems, but not like now.  I've seen Afghanistan, and it aint shit to what our guys did in WWII.

[Grm]

I don't think that's strictly true Gomez, battle fatigue as it was know in ww2 was just as prevalent as in more modern wars and according to
http://www.defense.gov/specials/stressawareness03/combat.html
there could be one stress casualty for every 2 wounded in the Pacific heavy fighting.
Also much of the stress casualties went undiagnosed and untreated because the sufferers were infused with the idea they should bite the bullet and not tell anyone.

My grandfather suffered with 'shell shock' in ww1, but after a week or two was sent back to the trenches. He suffered violent nightmares all his life, but not once did he speak to anyone about his experiences.
I doubt there is anyone who has experienced extended combat who is not affected to some degree with stress, but some deal with it better than others.

[gomez38555]

I don't think that's strictly true Gomez, battle fatigue as it was know in ww2 was just as prevalent as in more modern wars and according to
http://www.defense.gov/specials/stressawareness03/combat.html
there could be one stress casualty for every 2 wounded in the Pacific heavy fighting.
Also much of the stress casualties went undiagnosed and untreated because the sufferers were infused with the idea they should bite the bullet and not tell anyone.

My grandfather suffered with 'shell shock' in ww1, but after a week or two was sent back to the trenches. He suffered violent nightmares all his life, but not once did he speak to anyone about his experiences.
I doubt there is anyone who has experienced extended combat who is not affected to some degree with stress, but some deal with it better than others.

You do bring up a point. 
My father saw very heavy fighting (1st Marines), we were once discussing the case of Pvt. Eddie Slovik (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Slovik), who was executed for walking off the line.
My father told me all the guys he knew thought it was wrong, it was not uncommon for a man to walk off the combat line when he reached a certain point, then return a day or two later.  From what he told me, nobody every said anything about it, "we all had our breaking point" were his words.

[watcher1]

I doubt there is anyone who has experienced extended combat who is not affected to some degree with stress, but some deal with it better than others.

Gomez brings up a good point and you do too, Grm.  From other vets who I have talked to, if the people at the Veteran's Administration ask a combat vet if they ever dream about what they experienced during their tour, then they qualify for PTSD.  I think we all had but many of us can handle it.  Why many of us never talked about it for years after we came home.

[gomez38555]

I doubt there is anyone who has experienced extended combat who is not affected to some degree with stress, but some deal with it better than others.

Gomez brings up a good point and you do too, Grm.  From other vets who I have talked to, if the people at the Veteran's Administration ask a combat vet if they ever dream about what they experienced during their tour, then they qualify for PTSD.  I think we all had but many of us can handle it.  Why many of us never talked about it for years after we came home.

My personal thinking on it, and I could be completely wrong here, is that it comes down to today society.  As a boy I was raised to believe that males do not show their feelings openly, let alone share them.  The attitude was that a man walled those feelings off and didn't talk about them, chose not to feel them, put it behind you.  You learned to keep it under.

I know my father never talked about combat, and I've certainly never shared what I went through with him or any others who weren't there.  Not my wife, not anyone.

Now it's different, these people are encourage to "share" their feelings, get them out in the open.  For many I think this just keeps those feelings fresh and painful, like picking at a scab.