Vietnam veterans need to stop being forgotten

by Chaplain Kathie

Kris Kristofferson introduces the song and video by Big and Rich, The 8th of November. This song is on my video Veterans Day Memories of Vietnam along with the song Some Gave All.




In the video there are men and women putting together a replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall, built by Tom and Dee Twigg of Rolling Thunder. Bringing Home The Wall was built so that it could be taken into hospitals and nursing homes so that veterans unable to go to the Wall would be able to see it, touch it and be touched by it. The video was shot in Lakeland Florida a few years ago when my husband and I were members of the Orlando Chapter. What most people don't understand when they see things like this in the newspaper is why anyone does things like this. It's called devotion.

1.6 million served in what was considered hot zones in Vietnam. There are 60 surviving Medal of Honor Recipients out of 246.

A complete and official catalog of the 246 Medal of Honor citations issued for combat actions during the Vietnam War
http://www.mishalov.com/Citations.html

There is Sammy Davis, out of the 60, attending the memorial dedication at the Nam Knights club house in Orlando on Saturday, February 28th. He is a member of the Nam Knights. I am really excited about having the chance to shake his hand.

Think about the fact we are a nation of over 300 million people and there are only about 24 million veterans, even less, combat veterans still living today. We pass them by on the street everyday and never know it until there is some kind of event to honor them. They appear when men and women that served this nation are buried from past wars and from today's wars. They never forget the fact these rare people were among the few willing to lay down their lives for this nation. "All gave some, some gave all," as the slogan goes but their giving never really seems to end.

Think about the groups across the nation headed by Vietnam veterans. The Disabled American Veterans National Commanders in recent years, veterans of Vietnam, along with many other groups. The Vietnam Veterans of America, Rolling Thunder, Patriot Guard Riders, Nam Knights along with many more were begun by Vietnam Veterans. Because of them, the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are coming home now to a lot more support than the Vietnam veterans ever dreamt of receiving. For all the complaining I do about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder not being taken care of none of what has been done would have happened had it not been for the courage and dedication to others of the Vietnam veterans coming back and fighting for it. Some view their fight to have PTSD recognized as a fight just for them, but they are missing the point these men and women continued to fight for the country because they were fighting for all generations of veterans. PTSD was not just a wound from Vietnam and has been documented throughout history but no one took it seriously until they stood up and said no more suffering in silence.

We see them marching in parades and bowing their heads with their hands over their hearts at memorial ceremonies but never stop to think what is in their head or their heart. They see what they went through and friends no longer here. They see the struggle they went through when they came home and for some, they see it as a never ending battle for justice. A justice that has eluded far too many while others seem to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Media and bloggers focus on the new veterans coming home and the struggles they have with the VA and the DOD for justice with their claims of service related injuries and illnesses, backlogged claims, suicides and everything else going on with them but yet again, the Vietnam veterans are forgotten, pushed aside and told, there just isn't enough time for them anymore. Many of the Vietnam veterans are still trying to receive the compensation for their own wounds at the same time they fight for the newer veterans, but the media, well they don't have much time for the Vietnam veterans either.

At the same time people across the country are raising the awareness of PTSD, these veterans are finally discovering what they brought home with them, finally feeling a sense of relief it is not something "wrong" with them and seeking help to heal, yet being turned away, having their claims trapped behind the newer veterans they system cannot handle and told they have to wait. Haven't they waited long enough? The information we have now was not available to them. Two thirds of the American public have no clue what PTSD is and that percentage includes many of the Vietnam veterans we sent into combat. We raise the awareness so they are able to get help but the help that they should be getting is not waiting for them. This makes no sense at all.

Max Cleland is a Vietnam vet, an amputee, became a US Senator and headed the VA but he was treated for simple depression instead of PTSD until a few years ago when he was finally rightly diagnosed. If someone in the position of Cleland could have PTSD and not even know it do you really think it's that hard to understand how your own neighbor, friend or coworker would not know?

I still wonder when we are ever going to get it right for the sake of the Vietnam veterans? Will we ever? Will the media ever understand that as bad as it is for the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, it's ten times worse for the Vietnam veterans?

We lost over 58,000 men and women during the Vietnam war but have deployed more men and women into Iraq and Afghanistan as of today with a combat death count of 4,251 in Iraq and 660 in Afghanistan according to iCasualties.org as of today. Think of those numbers. Think of the kinds of traumatic events the vast majority of the 1.6 million Vietnam veterans deployed into "hot zones" endured and then finally understand the kinds of numbers we're talking about when it comes to them.

By 1978 there were 500,000 diagnosed cases of PTSD according to a study commission by the DAV. By 1986 117,000 had committed suicide and two later studies put the numbers between 150,000 and 200,000. Over 300,000 ended up homeless with untreated PTSD being the predominate factor contributing to their plight along with self-medicating. Until every family member of Vietnam veterans fully understands what PTSD is, we will never know the final count of what the Vietnam War cost them. If they do not know what it is, they never make the connection between Vietnam and what ended up happening to their veteran. To this day there are still children of Vietnam veterans discovering why their father acted the way they did and many, many more will never understand.

It's time the media started to pay attention to this generation of American warriors and render unto them the justice they deserved so long ago. They need to bring them back into the minds of the American people so they fully understand that their sacrifice did not end when they took off their uniforms but continues to this day. Watch my video below and then know what it takes to be a hero because as of today, Vietnam veterans are still paying back with very little being asked in return.

Veterans Day Memories of Vietnam - watch more videos

We face a tsunami of veterans needing care. With the fact each redeployment increases the risk of PTSD by 50% and the numbers we already saw coming out of Vietnam, there will be at least a million new generation of veterans with PTSD and needing help. Wait, it'll get worse because while this is going on I'm doing everything in my power to make sure the Vietnam veterans know what PTSD and start to bang on the doors to have their own wounds taken care of as well. After all, they fought for it!