From: jewell@mace.cc.purdue.edu (Larry Jewell)
Subject: 'NamVet Newsletter, Vol.5, no.1 (5/7)
Followup-To: soc.veterans
Organization: Purdue University
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 11:19:54 GMT


     [0] [1] [2] [3] Heavy use of alcohol or drugs
     [0] [1] [2] [3] Alcohol or drugs that are used primarily to numb 
                     the "pain", the "memory", the guilt
     [0] [1] [2] [3] Uncomfortable when people walk close behind them, 
                     or sit behind them
     [0] [1] [2] [3] Self-inflicted injuries to "feel" pain --- many
                     accidents with power tools
     [0] [1] [2] [3] Financial suicide. As soon as things are well off,
                     doing something to lose it all, or walk away from 
                     it
     [0] [1] [2] [3] Quiet, masked rage which is frightening to the 
                     veteran and to those around him
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                        Page 61
     Volume  5, Number  1                             January 21, 1991

     [0] [1] [2] [3] Unexplainable, inappropriate anger
     [0] [1] [2] [3] Constant fear of "losing control", I may never 
                     stop "crying....."
     [0] [1] [2] [3] Flashbacks triggered by everyday experiences: 
                     helicopters, the smell of urine, the smell of 
                     diesel fuel, the smell mold, the smell of Asian 
                     food cooking, green tree lines, popcorn popping, 
                     rainy days and refugees, rice, smell of 
                     antiseptics, blood, .... death
     [0] [1] [2] [3] Conditioned suspicion, he trusts no one
     [0] [1] [2] [3] Survivor's guilt --- when others died around them 
                     ask, "how is it that I survived when others more
                     worthy than I did not?" (Pertains especially to
                     medical personnel)
     [0] [1] [2] [3] Avoidance of activities that arouse memories of
                     traumas in war zone
     [0] [1] [2] [3] Cynicism and distrust of government and authority
     [0] [1] [2] [3] Unable to hold a steady job
     
                           OPERATION SELF- HELP
                             PTSD QUESTIONNAIRE
                               "COMING HOME"
     
     SECTION III.
     The questions on this Questionnaire may be difficult for you to 
     have to think about or answer. However, these are the kinds of 
     Vietnam and other life experiences that you MUST look at closely 
     if you are to overcome and understand your symptoms of PTSD. Try 
     and answer all of these questions as HONESTLY and ACCURATE as 
     possible.
     
     1.  It's all over. You made it through one of the most terrifying 
         and worst periods of your life. What was going through your 
         mind as that airplane lifted off the runway and you were 
         finally leaving Vietnam?
     
     2.  What were your feelings as you approached your final 
         destination and you were finally back in the US?
     
     3.  What were your expectations as to how you would be received by
         family, friends and community on your return?
     
     4.  How would you describe your condition upon returning?
         Physically-
         Mentally-
         Emotionally-
     
     5.  How were you treated when you came home by other military 
         personnel?
     
     6.  What do remember about your first contacts with civilians?
     
     7.  How were you received by family and friends, and what do you
         remember as being significant about those meetings?
     
     8.  Prior to coming home, what were your plans regarding 
         occupational goals, educational goals, family plans, etc.?
     
     9.  What things became obstacles in carrying out these plans?
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                        Page 62
     Volume  5, Number  1                             January 21, 1991

     
     10. What were the first problems that your remember experiencing 
         upon returning home? That is, relating to your first 
         recollection when you felt different, or that you didn't fit
         anymore, or began using excessive amounts of alcohol or other 
         drugs?
     
     11. Describe your feelings when you realized that your 
         expectations regarding your reception, your family, your 
         goals, and your own feelings, were much different than you had 
         anticipated. What was your reaction to this realization and 
         how did it effect you from then til now?
     
     12. What are the things about "homecoming" you recall as being 
         most significant?
     
                            OPERATION SELF-HELP
                                 "THE LAW"
     
     SECTION IV.
     RULE 1. CONFIDENTIALITY - Due to the personal and emotional nature 
             of the material that could be uncovered, any disclosures 
             that might be made by a participating group member, are 
             strictly confidential and are not to be revealed to any 
             non-participant. To protect a group members right to 
             confidentially, any member who shall violate this rule 
             will be removed from the group.
     
     RULE 2. CONFIDENTIALITY  - No record or disclosure of your 
             participation in this group will be available to any Staff 
             member of the Department of Corrections or Administrative 
             Agency, such as the Parole Board etc., without your 
             specific authorization.
     
     RULE 3. CONFIDENTIALITY - The Peer Counselor will ensure that all 
             personal information and any other material collected, is 
             held in the strict confidence except in situations of 
             threat of bodily harm to self or others, or threat of 
             significant property damage. The Peer Counselor 
             Coordinator is responsible for informing all participating 
             inmates of the limits to confidentiality.
     
     RULE 4. SCREENING - A screening evaluation procedure, including 
             psychological testing and interview, will be used to 
             assess presence and degree of PTSD and motivation for 
             Awareness of Self-Help participation. Evaluation 
             procedures will include the Minnesota Multiphasic 
             Personality Inventory, and the Operation Self-Help Post- 
             Traumatic Stress Disorder Background and Referral 
             Checklist. As part of the screening procedure, 
             participants will be required to provide proof of military  
             service (Form DD 214) to the Peer Counselor Coordinator.
     
     RULE 5. LITIGATION - Operation Self-Help is not intended to be 
             used for diagnostic purposes, other than is necessary to 
             determine appropriateness of including an individual to 
             participate. The group will not be used for diagnosis of 
             PTSD for sentenced inmates preparing litigation, or as a 
             mitigating circumstance for criminal offenses or sentences 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                        Page 63
     Volume  5, Number  1                             January 21, 1991

             rendered.
     
     RULE 6. CONDUCT - Inmates participating in this group will be 
             expected to follow ALL Rules regulating conduct in the 
             Department of Corrections OPERATION SELF-HELP is an 
             essential component of the Self-Help improvement process, 
             encouraging development of a group identity and providing 
             an area for maintaining information about PTSD, Substance 
             Abuse and Veterans' Issues. Any other conduct by a group 
             member is strictly prohibited.
     
     OPERATION Self-Help is a Self-Help Program designed to effectively 
     improve upon the symptoms that are directly related to PTSD and 
     Substance Abuse among Incarcerated Vietnam Veterans. This program 
     was created for Vietnam Veterans by Vietnam Veterans and should 
     not be interpreted as to be receiving a professional diagnosis or 
     professional treatment. This program falls under the direction and 
     guidelines established for Inmate Self-Help Programs by the 
     Michigan Department of Corrections.
     
     Ronald G. Triplett              Thomas W. Siemoneit
     #132615                         #179536
     Peer Counselor Coordinator      Peer Counselor Co-Coordinator
     VVA Chapter #31                 VVA Chapter #31
     2400 South Sheridan Road        2400 South Sheridan Road
     Muskegon, MI 49442              Muskegon, MI 49442
     
                                     Danny D. McKay
                                     #147064
                                     Peer Counselor Co-Coordinator
                                     VVA Chapter #31
                                     2400 South Sheridan Road
                                     Muskegon, MI 49442
     

























     NAM VET Newsletter                                        Page 64
     Volume  5, Number  1                             January 21, 1991

       XXXXX           XXXXX                XXXXX                 XXXX
       XXXXX           XXXXX                XXXXX   \   \   \  \ \XXXX
       XXXXX           XXXXX.::::::::::::::.XXXXX  INCARCERATED   XXXX
       XXXXX           XXXXX   ---------    XXXXX \ \ \  \  \  \ \XXXX
       XXXXX          .XXXXX   W W   I I    XXXXX.   VETERANS \  \XXXX
       XXXXX         ::XXXXX   ---------    XXXXX::.  \  \  \   \ XXXX
       XXXXX        :::XXXXX -------------  XXXXX:::.             XXXX
       XXXXX       ::::XXXXX K  O  R  E  A  XXXXX::::             XXXX
       XXXXX       ::::XXXXX -------------  XXXXX::::             XXXX
       XXXXX       ::::XXXXX -------------  XXXXX::::             XXXX
       XXXXX       ::::XXXXX V I E T N A M  XXXXX::::             XXXX
       XXXXX       ::::XXXXX -------------  XXXXX::::             XXXX
       XXXXX       ::::XXXXX::::::::::::::::XXXXX::::             XXXX
       XXXXX       ::::XXXXX::::::::::::::::XXXXX::::             XXXX
       XXXXX       ::::XXXXX::'          `::XXXXX::::             XXXX
       XXXXX       ::::XXXXX::            ::XXXXX::::             XXXX
       XXXXX       ::::XXXXX  `..........''`XXXXX::::             XXXX
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       XXXXX      .:'  XXXXX     . ..       XXXXX:                XXXX
       XXXXX      ::   XXXXX    .  ..   `   XXXXX                 XXXX
       XXXXX      ::   XXXXX  '    '..   `  XXXXX.                XXXX
       XXXXX      ::   XXXXX"  '        `   XXXXX .               XXXX
       XXXXX      ``.  XXXXX  '  . . .    ` XXXXX  '. .........,  XXXX
       XXXXX       ::  XXXXX''  ..''.'''.   XXXXX    .'         '.XXXX
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       XXXXX       ::  XXXXX   '..     ..:' XXXXX    ..:' .  .:::'XXXX
       XXXXX    ....::'XXXXX     ':::::;'   XXXXX  .:''. .:::'    XXXX
       XXXXX  .:::::'  XXXXX     .:         XXXXX :'. ..:...      XXXX
       XXXXX.::'   ::  XXXXX: PREPARED TO   XXXXX  .''      ''..  XXXX
       XXXXX::'    ::  XXXXX`:   FIGHT      XXXXX.'             '.XXXX
       XXXXX'      ::  XXXXX ``.            XXXXX                 XXXX
       XXXXX       ''  XXXXX  PREPARED TO   XXXXX                 XXXX
       XXXXX      ::   XXXXX      DIE   ...'XXXXX                 XXXX
       XXXXX      ::   XXXXX       `...'    XXXXX                 XXXX
       XXXXX     `..'  XXXXX        .'      XXXXX                 XXXX
       XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
       XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
       XXXXX           /\     .'         .'                       XXXX
       XXXXX         /\  \     .        .                         XXXX
       XXXXX        /  \  \...' `.     .'                         XXXX
       XXXXX       /     NOT PREPARED TO BE DESERTED              XXXX
       XXXXX      /       .'.' .  .`.'                            XXXX
       XXXXX     /    ~   | :  :  :    .                          XXXX
       XXXXX    /         |`.  :  :  .  .__________               XXXX
       XXXXX   /    ~   ~ ||.` `  : ||  \         /               XXXX
       XXXXX  /  WRITE OR VISIT AN INCARCERATED VETERAN SOON !    XXXX
       XXXXX /        ~   ||  . .'.    /          /               XXXX
       XXXXX/    ~   ~   ~||        ||/          /                XXXX
       XXXXX    ~   ~   ~ ||        ||          /                 XXXX
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       XXXXX           XXXXX                XXXXX                 XXXX
     


     NAM VET Newsletter                                        Page 65
     Volume  5, Number  1                             January 21, 1991

                   List of Incarcerated Veteran PenPals
                           Input by: Joyce Flory
               NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor
                    Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM
                                   (305)
     
                          Whitmarsh Bailey #56715           
                          Chris S.Crespin  #45523
                          Dennis E.Prentis #43497
                          Jerry Baack      #57098           
                                 PO Box R
                          Buena Vista,Colo 81211
     
      Thomas Adams (don't write unless single female I'm told <Grin>)
                              Dwight L.Lyons
                              Donald E. Head                    
                          EG 172282 RCI Box 98409
                             Columbus,Ga 31907
     
               George Herbert (not a Namvet,but good people)
                            Ron Gohn T2-rm 273
            Lance Koren now at PO Box 1069 Concord, Mass. 01472
                                Arthur Coy
                               Richard Ortiz                    
                               Tyrone Smith                     
                              Kevin M Pennell
                              Robert Thompson
           Leslie Gomes now at PO Box 565 Billeria, Mass. 01821
                              Frank Komnenus
                                PO Box 466
                             Gardner,Ma 01440
     
     Billy Borkman #125740 (O-221)(not seeking penpal but will answer)
                       Van Burton    #108483 (A-120)
                       M Davenport   #155165 (N-321)
                       M Donati      #150219 (D-71)
                       Joe Grace     #136189 (B-108)
        M Glennon     #140901 (O-101) (non-vet that likes to write)
                       J Heidinger   #102513 (O-421)
                      Charles Ladison #138228 (O-330)
                        G Magno     #112810 (N-418)
                     William Merriman  #131789 (A-66)
                        L Rainsford #126380 (B-108)
                        Abdul Shah  #101250 (O-417)
                     Gerald Stovall Jr. #98899 (O-328)
                        R Sutton    #141041 (O-317)
                                PO Box 488
                           Burkeville,Va. 23922
     
                        Jamal R Rashid  #110781 D-2
                        Joseph Huggins  #99433  D-6
                        Preston Parker  #118311 D-5
                        William Moran   #131271 D-2
                        Le'roi Mason    #104969 D-5
                        David Bailey    #153526 D-2
                       Oliver Mayfield #106330 HA-2
                        John Harris     #133342 HA
                        Robert Hall     #148001 HA
                        James Moody     #160399 D-4
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                        Page 66
     Volume  5, Number  1                             January 21, 1991

                        William Simmons #106399 D-4
                        Charlie Sherman #128403 D-6
                        Carlton Heflin  #170297 D-5
                        Matthew Sanders #166545 D-4
                        Micheal Kay     #136567 D-5
                        David Swink     #157682 D-6
                        Gordon Cawthron #135734 D-6
                        Curtis Wright   #125330 HA
                        Roger Baxter    #157594 D-2
                        Thomas Hawley   #139294 D-1
                       Luther C Beasley #110375 D-2
                          James River Corr. Ctr.
                           State Farm,Va. 23160
     
                        George W. Burd       AJ2110
                        Vernon E. Miller Sr. AJ1004
                        Darryl Houseman      AJ1063
                           Drawer A Old Route 22
                         Cresson,Penn. 16630-0010
     
                         David M. McCook (DA-118)
                                 EF 183542
                          Jack T. Ruthledge C.I.
                                PO Box 8409
                            Columbus,Ga. 31907
     
                        Willi Henderson-Bey 128457
                        Richard Sheff       180946
                        Tony Slusarski      131661
                        Ronald Kramer       181007
                        Ronald Triplett     132615
                        Teddy Stephens      182636
                        Danny McKay         147064
                        Edwin Zimmerman     184779
                        Boyd Blair          156418
                        William Letzgus     187075
                        Herschel Davis      163765
                        David Oates         190210
                        Thomas Siemoneit    179536
                        David Prieto        193367
                        Leonard Pikaart     179858
                        Wendell Neview      196387
                        David Martin        180065
                        Teddy McCray        200255
                        James Wilson        180186
                        Tim Shagen          203886
                          2400 South Sheridan Rd.
                            Muskegon,MI. 49442
     
                           A. David Baez #57020
                                  Box 100
                            Somers,Conn. 06071
     
                            Harold Mize 863934
                            Cory Naples 901359
                       Westville Correctional Center
                                P.O.Box 473
                         Westville,Ind. 46391-0473
     
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                        Page 67
     Volume  5, Number  1                             January 21, 1991

                              Jeff Weil 28242
                           Cecil Williams 23818
                             James McGee 31489
                            Earl Grissom 27536
                              Roy Fudge 29966
                            Eddie Sanchez 26895
                           George McIntyre 25124
                            Eddie Romero 22115
                            Eugene Perry 29647
                           Brook De Nault 29594
                            Harold Weaver 17624
                             Harry Lilly 29894
                          Claude Theriault 11872
                            Dan Richmond 15601
                            Ken Jezierski 30790
                            James Raines 31445
                             John Doane 14686
                            Robert Turner 30473
                            James Bishop 31347
                             Brain Hern 14535
                            Nevada State Prison
                                PO Box 607
                         Carson City,Nevada 89702
     
                             Sam Howard 18329
                            Pete Huertas 15239
                            Jake Reynolds 21763
                          Paul Stadtlander 23389
                             Ely State Prison
                                PO Box 1989
                             Ely,Nevada 89301
     
                          Johnny Chadwick 110520
                             Holman Unit 5-U-5
                                 Holman 37
                          Atmore,Ala. 36503-0037
     
                Alexander Micheal Marathon 79-D-0127 B-2-7
                     Ron Chamberlain 81-C-0459 C-17-41
                   Giacomo A. Frascone 89-A-3512 A-6-22
                    William L. Hargrove 83-A4292 D-8-18
                    Andrews S. Tenny 81-B-2137 E-10-19
                       PO Box 618-135  135 State St.
                        Auburn,New York 13024-9000 
     














     NAM VET Newsletter                                        Page 68
     Volume  5, Number  1                             January 21, 1991



     =================================================================
                       H e a r t s   n '   M i n d s
     =================================================================

                             Christmas in 'Nam
           By Rod Fewster in the Vietnam_Vets International Echo
            The Edge of Reality BBS - Brisbane, Qld, Australia
                               61-7-886-1886
         Lightly Edited by Gjoseph Peck - NamVet's Managing Editor
     
     No incoming in this echo for a coupla weeks, so I dunno if this 
     will make it through to ya.  It's just something I wrote in 
     another life .... I guess you'll know where I was coming from.
     
                          Merry Christmas, mate.
     
                                  --Rod--
     ----------------------------------------------------------------
     Christmas Morning.  Viet Nam.  Dust and heat and sweat.
     Quietest day you've seen for years.  Except maybe for Tet.
     The camp is new.  The grunts are green.
     You ghost in without being seen.
     You scope it out.  It don't look right.
     No sentries anywhere in sight.
     You grab the Loot.  You bend his ear.
     He tells you "Man, you're safe up here."
     "Light up a joint and drift away."
     "The Gooks won't hit us Christmas Day."
     You say the camp's wide open.  No-one noticed when you came.
     He says "You bloody mercenaries are all the f*ckin same."
     "Vietnamese are civilized.  We've got us a Cease-Fire."
     Then someone yells "We're being hit!  Gooks in the f*ckin wire!"
     The grunts are mostly cherryboys.  They haven't got a clue.
     Thank Christ you came with fifteen Nungs who know just what to do.
     Ten minutes and it's over and the gooks are on their knees.
     You and the Nungs load up with mags and didi for the trees.
     You track the blood-trail all the way.  A harmless-looking ville.
     You hit the bastards hard and fast.  The ones who run, you kill.
     The ville's damn near deserted.  Hardly anyone around.
     Fire in the hole.  An ammo dump.  Rips fifty yards of ground.
     One of your faithful Nungs goes down.  A bullet through his arm.
     If that's the way they want to play we'll waste the f*ckin farm.
     You pop the hooches one by one 'til you run right out of frags.
     Last hooch.  A girl.  Three Buddhist monks.  A baby-san in rags.
     Three wise men. Mom. A new-born child. God help you if you're 
     wrong.
     It can't be true.  No f*ckin way.  They're f*ckin Viet Cong.
     They watch you without moving with a calmness born of Zen.
     A voice inside your head says "Peace on Earth.  Goodwill to men."
     You lower your gun.  The baby smiles.  You turn and walk away.
     Remembering another kid wrapped in rags, born on this very day.
     







     NAM VET Newsletter                                        Page 69
     Volume  5, Number  1                             January 21, 1991

                   Combat Stress--The Forgotten Warrior
                          By: Major Craig Roberts
                   2812 S. Hudson Pl. - Tulsa, OK  74114
                        VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA
                              (413) 443-6313
     
        Twenty-two  year-old Lieutenant Robert Lawrence led his platoon 
     up the gully toward the objective.  Ahead,  below the crestline of 
     the  hill  that faced them,  the enemy  waited.   Machinegun  fire 
     poured  down  and ricocheted off the rocks surrounding the  gully.  
     The mission of Lawrence's platoon was to silence the guns.
        Another  platoon  on  Lawrence's flank opened fire  toward  the 
     hilltop,  giving  the young lieutenants men a chance to leave  the 
     gully and maneuver closer to the enemy.
        Lawrence  stood up.   His machinegunner began firing his weapon 
     from the hip and two rocket gunners launched their missiles at the 
     enemy.   The  projectiles arced forward,  leaving trails of  smoke 
     behind as they found their mark.
        The night was dark.  Only silhouettes could be seen.  Sounds of 
     boots  scraping  on rocks marked the movement of men,  and  muzzle 
     flashes  briefly lit their faces.   More bullets struck around the 
     attackers, pinging off rocks, again forcing them down.
        Each man struggled forward under the burden of his combat load.  
     Weapons,  ammunition  and  pack that weighed more than  a  hundred 
     pounds pressed each man to earth.  The uphill climb would be tough 
     enough without the equipment;  with it,  it was nearly impossible.  
     But once at the top, they would need the equipment to survive.
        Survive.   In each man's mind,  the word burned brightly.   The 
     mission was important to the unit, but survival was more important 
     to  each individual soldier.   There were always more  objectives.  
     One had to survive each one.
        "Come on, boys!" Robert yelled as he stood and threw a grenade.  
     The  platoon scrambled forward on line,  firing their weapons  and 
     dodging between the rocks and strings of bright red tracers.
        Within  minutes,  the platoon was in the enemy positions.   The 
     struggle  was  furious but brief.   Prisoners were taken  and  the 
     platoon settled in for the night.
        Day dawned bright and Lawrence scanned the surrounding terrain.  
     There  would  be  another mission assigned soon,  but for  now  he 
     mentally  removed  the  war from his mind and tried to  enjoy  the 
     view.  He was still alive.  He had survived his first real battle.
        The  enemy sniper saw the movement on the mountain.   He slowly 
     brought his telescopic sight to his eye and settled the crosshairs 
     on his target.   Taking the slack out of the trigger,  he held his 
     breath.
        A  great  blow  struck Lieutenant Lawrence in the back  of  his 
     head,  driving him down.   Sky.   Clouds.   The sound of the wind.  
     The  crackle  of radio transmissions.   Voices.   The sound  of  a 
     helicopter.
     
        Vietnam  1968?   No,  the  year was 1982 and the place was  the 
     Falkland  islands.   On June 14th of that year,  Lieutenant Robert 
     Lawrence  led  a  platoon of the Scots Guards up  a  place  called 
     Tumbledown  Mountain.   The enemy were not Viet Cong guerrillas or 
     North Vietnamese regulars.   They were Argentinean Naval Infantry.  
     They  were  well trained and disciplined troops who fought on  the 
     same terms as the British, some even trained by the British.  They 
     carried the same weapons and used the same tactics.
        Could the British forces, who were sent to war with brass bands 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                        Page 70
     Volume  5, Number  1                             January 21, 1991

     and  hearty  farewells --  and returned with a hero's  welcome  --
     suffer  the  readjustment problems our Vietnam  vets  encountered?  
     Many claim they do.
     
        Russian  soldiers who returned home from Afghanistan claim many 
     of  the  same bitter feelings and social  rehabilitation  problems 
     associated  with PTSD --  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder  --  that 
     other  veterans of recent wars have identified with.   Unlike  the 
     Falkland's,  Afghanistan  was a war similar to Vietnam.   It was a 
     confrontation  between  a conventional army and a guerilla  force.  
     It  was a war of shadows and uncertainty.   Like Vietnam,  many of 
     the  soldiers became rapidly disillusioned as to their purpose and 
     impact  on  the  situation.   Afghanistan also became a  trial  of 
     survival for the individual.  Warfare, by its very nature, changes 
     the  mental outlook of each person who lives through it.   It ages 
     people beyond their years.  They return as different people.   The 
     Falklands, Afghanistan, Central America, and Vietnam have all been 
     an influence on those who participated in life on the razor's edge 
     of death.
     
        Almost  everyone knows a Vietnam veteran.   They are neighbors, 
     friends,  relatives,  husbands,  wives  and  children.   Hollywood 
     portrays  them  in  stereotype as  misfits,  psychos,  time  bombs 
     waiting to go off, and potential suicide victims.
        With movies like The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now,  and Platoon, 
     it is no wonder the media sensationalizes any incident that occurs 
     when a Vietnam veteran is involved.
        How many times have we heard:  "Yeah,  that guy is kinda messed 
     up.  He was in Vietnam, you know."
        If your neighbor was in Vietnam,  are you afraid he is going to 
     have  a "flashback"  at some unforeseeable time and begin shooting 
     up the neighborhood?
        First, let's clarify what a Vietnam Veteran really is, and then 
     narrow  down  exactly  who might be a candidate to  actual  combat 
     stress related problems.
        There  is  a distinction between the people who served  in  the 
     Vietnam  years  between 1964-1973:  those who served in the  armed 
     forces  during that time frame,  and those who served in Southeast 
     Asia.   More  than  8.5 million men and women served in  the  U.S. 
     armed  forces during the Vietnam era.   Out of that,  2.8  million 
     served  in  Southeast Asia.   But only about one million  actually 
     "saw" combat.
        Of that last figure,  there is a drastic difference between the 
     supply  sergeant  or finance clerk who served in a rear  area  and 
     witnessed  sporadic  rocket or mortar attacks from the  safety  of 
     bunkers,  and  the  infantrymen in the field who  participated  in 
     endless patrols,  sweeps,  search-and-clear missions and ambushes.  
     The  fact  that a man served in Vietnam does not necessarily  mean 
     that he is a candidate for PTSD.
        Even  many of the men who served in the "field"  adjusted quite 
     normally  to civilian life after their return.   And for those who 
     did  have readjustment problems,  it was not always the horrors of 
     combat  that effected them most.   It was a kaleidoscope of events 
     that  transpired  upon  and  after their  return  that  built  the 
     bitterness,   depression   and  self-imposed  isolation  in  those 
     sensitive to their surroundings.
        The rapid transportation capabilities provided by jet airplanes 
     brought  men  and  women  out of the high intensity  of  a  combat 
     situation  to the quiet peacefulness of home in a matter of hours.  
     
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     Volume  5, Number  1                             January 21, 1991

     There was little time to "wind down"  or readjust to the change of 
     cultures.  The change was a shock.  One night found the soldier in 
     a  war zone marked with death and destruction,  tracers and flares 
     marking  the  night  sky and the sound of  artillery  being  fired 
     overhead,  and  the  next  found him stepping off an  airplane  in 
     California with the only sound being that of cars on a freeway.
        Now he was home.  But did he accomplish what he was sent to do?  
     Did he finish the job?
        Those  of  us  who  grew up in the 1950's  and  early  sixties, 
        developed  our attitudes and expectations on our experiences of 
     childhood.   Movies  depicting  John Wayne gallantly taking  Mount 
     Suribachi in The Sands Of Iwo Jima,  shooting down zeros in Flying 
     Leathernecks;  watching  Victory  at  Sea and other World  War  II 
     documentaries;  seeing  B-17s return from the flak-filled skies of 
     Germany  in  12 o'clock High,  Gary Cooper winning the hearts  and 
     minds  of Tennesseans in Sergeant York,  and many other  patriotic 
     depictions  of the war that Dad or Grandfather  fought,  developed 
     our  characters and perceptions of idealism.   The same  Hollywood 
     that  built  our patriotic mentalities later turned on us  like  a 
     rabid dog.
        When  our  fathers and grandfathers came home  victorious  from 
     "their" war,  the bands played,  the parades marched and the signs 
     said "Welcome Home, Johnny".
        When  the  Vietnam veterans came home,  the signs  said:  "Baby 
     Killer", "Hooch Burner"  and "War Monger".   They were spit on and 
     protested against--by their peers and the media alike.  Terms like 
     "depraved  fiends"   and  "psychopathic  killers"   inundated  the 
     airwaves  and headlines in coverage of demonstrations seen by  all 
     on  the 6 o'clock news.   Where was the welcome?   The war did not 
     end when the vet left Vietnam. 
        The  very  nature of guerrilla warfare was a shock to the  sane 
     young  Americans  sent into an insane situation.   Headless  women 
     suspended in trees by their heels in the middle of a village as an 
     "example" left by the "Peoples Liberation Front",  poisoned bamboo 
     stakes known as "punji stakes" -- designed to wound any victim who 
     struck  one,  man-trap pits large enough to swallow a jeep,  mines 
     and booby-traps that proliferated the entire country, and an enemy 
     who  wore no uniform and blended into the population --  giving no 
     sense of a safe area to the soldier -- greeted the young idealists 
     and  shaped their attitudes.   Never before had American  fighting 
     men and women been thrust into a situation like this.
        Though  never  "declared",  Vietnam  was  a  war.    The  young 
     Americans -- the average age was nineteen--adjusted.   They became 
     hardened.   They  beheld sights that their non-veteran peers would 
     never believe--or understand.  They fought, and fought well.  They 
     did  the job they were sent to do.   Incidents such as My Lai were 
     the  exception  and  not the rule.   Most  units  participated  in 
     civilian  pacification programs and assisted the Vietnamese people 
     with  medical  aid,  harvesting crops and securing their  villages 
     against  Viet  Cong  reprisals.   The American news  media  seldom 
     showed this aspect.  It was simply not "sensational" enough.   The 
     three  main  elements to a "good"  news story during the  war  was 
     "Blood,  Bullets and Bandages".   Without these things,  the story 
     was dead.
        Vietnam  was brought to every American family in color right in 
     their own living rooms.  The blood, the fear,  the bravery and the 
     horror of combat,  and the slanted coverage by the reporters,  was 
     an everyday affair -- for ten years!
        In  the Falkland Islands campaign,  the conflict was  extremely 
     
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     short.   Less  than  a month after the British forces sailed  from 
     England,   the  battle  was  over.    The  media  was  effectively 
     restrained  and  censored --  after Britain's observation  of  the 
     American media's treatment of Vietnam -- and the soldiers returned 
     as heroes.
        Yet,  today  there is bitterness on the part of the veterans of 
     the "South Atlantic Campaign".  Many feel that their "welcome" was 
     short  and then forgotten.   Wounded veterans feel that they  were 
     shuffled  off to obscure military hospitals and "hidden"  from the 
     public.   Others  feel  that their friends died in vain for a  few 
     pieces  of  worthless rock.   In all,  the recognition that  their 
     fathers  received for their part in World War II was not  realized 
     by the men of the Falklands Force upon their return to Britain.
        Could this also be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
     
        When the British landed in the Falkland Islands, they landed as 
     intact regiments.   Each man had trained with his friends and knew 
     them  as  equals.   There  was  pride in  regiment  and  pride  in 
     tradition.  There was esprit de corps.   The campaign lasted a few 
     short weeks and was over.  The regiments returned together -- less 
     the occupation troops.
        In the early days of Vietnam,  the American divisions landed in 
     total  just like the British.   They had trained together,  worked 
     together and played together.   Each man knew who to trust and who 
     could be depended upon.  As the war progressed and the draft began 
     sending  replacements,  the  system broke down.   Now a  situation 
     developed  that would devastate the morale of the American soldier 
     for the remainder of the conflict.   Cliques and groups developed.  
     A pecking order was established.  The "new guys" or "boots" didn't 
     fit in.  They hadn't earned the right.
        Instead of a team with each man depending on the other,  it now 
     became a matter of individual survival.  The term "DEROS" --  Date 
     of  Expected  Return from Overseas--became the supreme  factor  in 
     each  man's  mind.   If he could just survive until his  "rotation 
     date",  his  war would be over.   The regimental system had broken 
     down.  The Esprit de Corps was gone.
        Instead  of "God,  Country and Cause",  the survival motivators 
     changed  to  other things important to the individual.   His  girl 
     friend, his car, his life before the war,  pleasurable events such 
     as "cruising the strip" and drinking beer with his friends, became 
     the  things  that he would live for.   All the values that he  had 
     grown  up  with  had  disappeared.   The  combat  soldiers  became 
     confused.  Nothing made sense.   They felt cheated,  lied to,  and 
     taken advantage of.   They didn't trust politicians,  leaders,  or 
     any other authority figure.
        After  their  return,  some  withdrew  into  themselves.   They 
     couldn't  talk about what they had gone through.   They felt  most 
     people   didn't  want  to  know--and  those  that  did  would  not 
     understand.   They  could  only find solace in talking with  other 
     veterans.    Others  who  had  "been  there".    Only  they  could 
     understand and identify.
        Was   Vietnam  unique  in  having  it's  own  traumatic  mental 
     condition?  Not really.
        Policemen  have encountered a type of Post Traumatic Stress for 
     years.   The  blood  and gore of a serious traffic  accident,  the 
     horror  of a violent killing or suicide,  the witnessing of  death 
     soon  after  a  violent crime,  and most  of  all,  the  officer's 
     participation in the killing of a suspect in the line of duty, all 
     can  lead  to  the  same  mental  anguish  experienced  by  combat 
     
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     Volume  5, Number  1                             January 21, 1991

     veterans.
        Only   recently   have  police  departments   recognized   this 
     condition.    Many   have  established  assistance  programs   and 
     psychological  services for their employees.   One did not have to 
     spend  a year in combat to have the memories and experiences  that 
     would  effect  the  human  mind  in  the  manner  discussed.   The 
     experience might only take a few seconds.  The memory might last a 
     life time.
        At an early age we learn that it is wrong to kill another human 
     being.  But when we send our youth off to war, we justify it.   In 
     Vietnam,  we  did not kill people.   We killed "dinks",  "slopes", 
     "gooks" and "Charlies".   That was different.   They were not real 
     people.
        In wars of the past, we killed "the enemy".  It was a matter of 
     survival  for  an  entire country,  and the  defense  of  freedom.  
     Everyone got involved.   Civilians participated in defense plants, 
     food rationing, gas rationing, and war bond drives.  Everybody had 
     relatives in the service,  and all supported them.   There were no 
     Jane  Fonda's  in World War I or II.   During  Vietnam,  the  only 
     indication  of  war  on  the home front  was  in  the  newspapers, 
     television coverage or casualty lists.   The link between home and 
     battlefield was almost nonexistent.
        In  combat,  a soldier justifies his actions.   It is a  mental 
     defense mechanism.  The same man who stacked up a "body count"  in 
     Vietnam  may  not go hunting today with his friends.   "That  poor 
     little deer didn't do anything to me. He doesn't carry an AK-47!"
        Mentally,  this  mind-set can be construed to be somewhat of an 
     apology.   "I killed before because I had to.   I don't have to do 
     it now, and I won't."
        Once  again,  life becomes sacred,  and the man redeems himself 
     with his current actions.
        But the memories linger.   Even though "time heals all wounds", 
     as the saying goes, some memories refuse to fade away.
        Few  combat veterans are apologetic for their actions overseas.  
     For  them,  there is nothing to justify.   They did what they were 
     sent to do -- for whatever motivation.
        For  others --  a small minority--Vietnam is a "cop-out".  They 
     blame  all the problems in life on Vietnam.   Each of these people 
     would  have  to be investigated individually to determine if  they 
     really did suffer from PTSD.  Under scrutiny, one often finds that 
     the  "victim"  saw little if any combat,  killed no one,  was  not 
     wounded, and really can't pin down what the problem is.  In actual 
     fact,  he is a loser now and was a loser before the war.   Vietnam 
     only provides a convenient excuse for his shortcomings.
        Hollywood  and the media focuses in on this type of  individual 
     for  their stereotype.   It makes news.   It stirs  emotions.   It 
     sells  newspapers  and commercials.   The "Vietnam Vet"  in  faded 
     field  jacket  and combat boots,  beard and  long  hair,  spouting 
     bitter rhetoric and carrying a chip on his shoulder, is now in his 
     forties.   For  twenty  years,  he was a tool used to make  money.  
     Now,  we  are  beginning to see him less and less.   The truth  is 
     slowly  beginning  to  surface.  Like  the  "silent  majority"  of 
     civilians  before them,  the "silent majority"  of Vietnam  combat 
     veterans  are  beginning to surface as something  quite  different 
     from the media stereotype.
        Typically,  he  or  she  is  in their late  thirties  or  early 
     forties, has a family, owns their own home, has college and earned 
     varying degrees, and covers the spectrum of jobs from construction 
     workers to lawyers, plumbers to politicians,  owners of businesses 
     
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     to  doctors.   The  same  companies that refused to  hire  Vietnam 
     veterans after the war often are now run by them.  
        This  is not to say that many of the people that fit into  this 
     category do not have some symptoms of PTSD.   Many do.   How could 
     anyone  spend a year of their life in combat and not have memories 
     that will stay with them the rest of their lives?
        In  World  War I,  the soldiers who fought in the  trenches  of 
     France encountered "shell shock".  In World War II, it was "battle 
     fatigue".   The  human  mind  has various levels of  tolerance  in 
     relation to trauma and stress.   Some people handle it better than 
     others.  Policemen who spend years on the job become "hardened" to 
     the  things  they  see that are inherent to their  line  of  work.  
     Firefighters do the same, as do ambulance attendants,  doctors and 
     nurses.
        These people, however, are working in a chosen field.   Many of 
     the soldiers who served in combat were not.  Of the interviews and 
     research  I  have conducted,  the actual cases of PTSD  that  were 
     readily  apparent were primarily draftees who were sent to Vietnam 
     as a replacement -- an individual, not a member of a unit, and not 
     a volunteer.   Their mental structure was not "self-prepared"  for 
     the scenario that would unfold.
        Another  huge factor in the mental attitude of the  Vietnam-era 
     veterans  is  the  media's contention that we "lost  the  war"  in 
     Vietnam.   This  leaves  a  bitter feeling that  they  fought  for 
     nothing, their friends died for nothing, and the whole thing was a 
     lost cause from the beginning.
        Nothing could be less true.  We did not lose a war. War, as the 
     media  loves to remind us,  was never declared.   Therefore it was 
     not a "war"  in the traditional sense of the word.   How could one 
     lose a war that did not exist?  In fact, American forces --  along 
     with  their  allies  --  did everything that they set out  to  do.  
     North Vietnam was only too happy to go to the peace table in Paris 
     and  sign  the  peace accords --  recognizing the right  of  South 
     Vietnam to govern itself as a country and delineating the DMZ as a 
     border.  The last American combat troops left in 1973.
        Over a year later,  the North broke the Accords and invaded the 
     south.   One must ask himself:  "what is the time limit before one 
     is no longer responsible for a country?"
        If we "lost"  Vietnam,  we also lost World War II and World War 
     I.  Today,  we neither govern nor control either Germany or Japan.  
     This  not  withstanding,  the  media has not --  or  will  not  --
     recognize this fact.   This omnipresent attitude still infects the 
     thinking  of those who served in Southeast Asia.   It is a  bitter 
     suggestion  of constantly --  albeit latently --  being accused of 
     failure.
        When Carter gave a blanket pardon to the draft evaders who fled 
     to Canada,  insult was added to injury.   It was not acceptable to 
     fight for your country but it was acceptable to run away and avoid 
     duty.  It was also perfectly acceptable to give aid and comfort to 
     the  enemy  by  visiting  Hanoi and sympathizing  with  the  North 
     Vietnamese,   while   American  P.O.W.s  languished  in   solitary 
     confinement a few blocks away.
        All  of  these  things have shaped the mental attitude  of  the 
     people  who now often find themselves in the driver's seat of this 
     country's corporations, communities and governments.
     
        Tumbledown, the story of Robert Lawrence, has recently aired on 
     the  BBC  in  Britain.   It has become a matter of  great  debate.  
     Lieutenant  Lawrence  was  evacuated to England and  placed  in  a 
     
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     Volume  5, Number  1                             January 21, 1991

     military  hospital.   He suffered brain damage due to trauma  from 
     the  high-velocity  bullet  that struck his head.   He  has  since 
     regained  enough  use  of his body to drive  a  car.   The  "South 
     Atlantic  Fund"  gave  him almost a quarter of a million  dollars.  
     Her majesty's government pays him a pension of almost $23,000.00 a 
     year.
        Yet he feels that this is not enough for his sacrifice.   Other 
     men who served in the South Atlantic feel the same way about their 
     situations.   In  comparison  to the disability pensions  paid  to 
     Vietnam  veterans,  the  British  soldiers  come  out  far  ahead.  
     Obviously,  the  money  is not what the combat veteran looks  for.  
     The  reward  is simple recognition by his fellow man  --  and  his 
     country.
        Perhaps  the British have identified the missing answer to  the 
     question.  A very complex question -- a very simple answer.
     











































     NAM VET Newsletter                                        Page 76
     Volume  5, Number  1                             January 21, 1991

                           VC are Experts at the 'Sick War"
                      By: Tom Tiede in the 9/65 Stars & Stripes
                               Input by: Gordon Giroux
                        Berkshire Estates BBS - Pittsfield, MA
                                    (413) 499-1327
     
     Da Nang, Vietnam - The Marines called her the soda water girl.   
       Each  afternoon  she  was  there peddling  cold  drinks  to  the 
     soldiers  near her village.  She'd giggle and blush and steer  her 
     way into a group saying,"You buy? You buy?"
        About nine years old, they figured. and such a cute kid.
        One  hot day,  as eight thirsty men clustered about,  the child 
     tossed  her rich tresses and began to finger something tied to her 
     waist.
        It was a homemade bomb.
        She purposely blew herself up. And six Americans went with her.
        They  die daily like that here.  In jungles.  In bars.  And  in 
     vain.
        It  is  a  cruel death,  without chance to defend  and  without 
     dignity.
        A  bottle  of Coca Cola may contain acid.  Fresh fruits may  be 
     injected  with  snake venom.  Ice from drinks may be  filled  with 
     slivers of glass. A babe in arms may be roped up with TNT.
        The men call it "sick war." Sadistic. Sneaky. but effective.
        Not long ago,  a Marine walking on a footpath near here was cut 
     down by the steel jaws of a giant bear-trap. It was two feet wide, 
     the  teeth were three inches long.  Four companions were unable to 
     open the rusted and rancid pincers.
        Another  time a trooper was shot in the stomach by a common rat 
     trap.  A  thin  trip wire was the trigger and the snapping of  the 
     spring struck the head of a .30-caliber shell aimed hip high.
        No one is safe. No time is safe. Even the cautious can die.
        And they do.
        An infantryman walking into a cave in the central highlands was 
     feeling his footsteps,  wary of the variety of dirt traps the Viet 
     Cong  plant.  Suddenly,  something from above lashed at his cheek. 
     Something  else lashed at his shoulder.  a third something at  his 
     neck.
        He  had  walked into a curtain of snakes  tied,  like  sinister 
     stalactites, from the caves ceiling.  hungry,  angry,  frustrated, 
     they  bit the soldier furiously.  Bamboo kraits,  they call  them. 
     deadly poisonous.
-- 
#L.W. Jewell Moderator at the Veterans Information Site (veteran@cc.purdue.edu)#
#& WWII-L Listowner: "Sunday's horoscope is note worthy because of its strange,#
#sudden and wholly unpredictable and inexplicable occurrences, affecting all   #
#phases of life." "Your Horoscope" L.A. Evening Herald Express, Sat, 12/06/41  #