I recently came into contact with a vietnam veteran who is encountering some problems dealing with the some of the things he did. He is drinking to try to cover the emotional pain. I offered to talk to him about it if he thought it would help. we have talked a little about it and i realize that he is a good man who has done some aweful things. That being said if you know a veteran of any conflict that is having emotional or spiritual problems offer to talk to them, it could literally be the differnce between life and death.
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can you do me a favor
- Thread starter freekforge
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I think it's great that you took the time to talk to him. I can't imagine what he is going through. Do you know if there is professional counseling available to veterans?
Im not sure if they have professional counseling but i am sure there is something out their. I think the IGR does som counseling to returning vets I can find out if they do for sure wheb i talk to the igr recruiter. I think a lot of them are hesitant to talk to a counselor or doctor and would rather have a friend to talk to.
Yeah, I get that too. Sometimes people just need to talk to someone.
I had 2 different Uncles who fought in Nam several tours.......them guys carry a lot of guilt even though they shouldnt. My one Uncle did 4 tours in Nam as a chopper pilot in 101st Airborne, he was a POW in 2nd tour, escaped got sent home and begged to go back. I always wanted to hear his stories and he would never talk about it. He would get drunk and I would try to get him to talk and he never would. As he got older and retired from military he got sober and became the best family man you could imagine. He told me a lot of stories when sober and older......and I then understood why he didnt want me to know them when I was younger and why he didnt want to talk about it....he was trying to forget and I always reminded him. Some of the things they were forced to do is enough to haunt you forever. I have nothing but respect for them guys. They didnt ask to go to Nam, they were forced to go....then they didnt want to kill and see all the killing, again they were made to...just think how you felt when you lost the closest person you ever had in your life, now times it by 100's if not 1000's. I wish him the best and think they need to know that people understand what they are going thru.
The poor guy i am talking to made some horrible mistakes i wont go into it but he was cleared by the military but that didn't clear his conscience. He believes he should be locked up. After talking with him some i dont see how he has made it this long I wasn't there and I feel horrible. I suggested he talk to returning vets and share experience and get things off their chest with some one who can relate to the experiences. That way not only could they counsel each other but him doing good things could prove that he is still a good person.
My papa (my grandma and him never married but he was still papa) was a ww2 vet And even when I was 3 or 4 i wanted to be a soldier. I would ask him about killing badguys and stuff and I remember his eyes would always tear up and he would tell me to never go to war and he would always start praying after i asked and i never knew what he was praying about. After he died and I got older my grandma told me he was terrified he was going to hell for the sins he committed during war (killing nazi soldiers not like outright murder) and that he was praying for forgiveness and that i would never go to war. Thinking about it makes me feel awful for awakening the burdens of war that haunted him so bad.
My papa (my grandma and him never married but he was still papa) was a ww2 vet And even when I was 3 or 4 i wanted to be a soldier. I would ask him about killing badguys and stuff and I remember his eyes would always tear up and he would tell me to never go to war and he would always start praying after i asked and i never knew what he was praying about. After he died and I got older my grandma told me he was terrified he was going to hell for the sins he committed during war (killing nazi soldiers not like outright murder) and that he was praying for forgiveness and that i would never go to war. Thinking about it makes me feel awful for awakening the burdens of war that haunted him so bad.
There's a service called military one source, I'm not certain they will be able help a vietnam vet or if it's just vets of these most recent conflicts, but they are a good resource for referral to services and counselling. There is no shame in seeking help! America has lost too many good men in outright war to lose their brethren after they come home. We lost a fellow marine, and a fine human being, to suicide and I'll be damned if i'll ever let anyone go through what he did if I can help it.
