James Haggard, an infantryman, has yet to tell his family about having to sort through the severed body parts of fellow soldiers. George Duggins waited 14 years to tell his wife he had even served in Vietnam. War has always forced men to commit and witness terrible acts. The memory of pulling the trigger on another human can gnaw at the guts or prey on the mind without warning. These are the secrets survivors carry, hidden from family and friends.
Every war engenders the burden of secrets.
It's as much a part of battle as bullets and death. Even in the era of memoir and Jerry Springer, these remain locked away. Unless you have a public life, like former Sen. Bob Kerrey. Prompted by a New York Times magazine story, Kerrey has acknowledged that in Vietnam he led a combat mission in which 13 to 20 unarmed women, children and old men were killed. He was awarded the Bronze Star for the mission.