War and warriors are rarely pretty. Even tales of youthful valor cannot sugarcoat the wretched truths of battle. Hollywood special effects arouse consumerism rather than proper patriotism and will never capture the finite atrocities of battle. Popcorn wars make Rambos of us all. Movies invent luxurious fantasies for people who never had to shoot or take fire in the first place.
Reality is always worse.
Some Vietnam vets can't seem to shake yesterday because that jungle chaos shaped their lives. Vietnam defined their existence. Both blessing and curse, their military service will distinguish their identities until the day they die. Not all Vietnam veterans embrace the peculiar persona embodied by their grizzled brothers who straddle Harleys, dress in camouflaged fatigues, leather and greasy denim and appear like ghost riders on Memorial Day. Not all Vietnam vets make their pilgrimages to this wall or that monument to weep, grit their teeth in anger or become depressed by the emotional impact of yesteryear.