"When I retired...Vietnam came to my mind"

Vietnam veterans battle PTSD decades after war

News 13
Tori Gessner
March 29, 2019

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) - Dozens of Vietnam veterans gathered to celebrate National Vietnam Veterans Day on Friday, but for some vets, the battle didn't end following the war.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, eight out of every 100 veterans have post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD as a result of their experiences overseas.

"I started realizing all these things that happened to me over the years- I don't like crowds, noises bother me, and it all started coming back," George Bontay, who served as a civil engineer in the Vietnam War said.

Some experience the symptoms of PTSD immediately, but many vets say they didn't realize they had it until later on.

"When I retired in 2012 from the federal government, every day all of a sudden Vietnam came to my mind, and there wasn't a day that I didn't think about Vietnam," Air Force veteran, Jaime Lleras said.

Symptoms of PTSD vary, but veterans say after the war they had trouble sleeping, constantly felt on edge and avoided talking about their experiences altogether.

While there is no cure for PTSD, some Vietnam veterans have found a sense of relief with help from the Myrtle Beach Vet Center.
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Sergeant First Class Kevin Heins came home

Myrtle Beach police officer comes home after serving in Afghanistan for a year
WBTW 13 News
By Sina Gebre-Ab
Published: May 20, 2017

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Dozens of people filled Myrtle Beach International Airport to welcome a local hero home on Saturday.

Sergeant First Class Kevin Heins came home to Myrtle Beach, after serving in Afghanistan for a year with the Army Reserves. He’s served in the Reserves for a little over 27 years, and this was his last deployment overseas, much to the joy of his wife and two teenage children. 

Heins is also a Captain with the Myrtle Beach Police Department. He’s been a part of the force for 25 years, and many of his fellow officers were also at the airport to welcome him back.
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North Myrtle Beach Vietnam veteran sees service dog as ‘godsend’

North Myrtle Beach veteran sees service dog as ‘godsend’
By Janelle Frost - jfrost@thesunnews.com
Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012

Larry McMahan, a Marine who served two tours of duty in Vietnam gives a treat to Abby, a Canine Angels service dog, rescued from the North Myrtle Beach Humane Society, that will assist him in daily life. McMahan has partial paralysis of his right arm and leg related to his military service. 02/08/12 Photo by Charles Slate

The first day Larry McMahan met Abby, they became best friends. That night, in January, McMahan knew Abby was in bed with him, but she lay still and quiet until he turned his head.

That’s when she licked his nose and cemented their bond.

“She’s a godsend,” McMahan, a North Myrtle Beach disabled veteran, said about his new service dog, a 2 1/2-year-old white terrier mix. “She goes everywhere with me. She’s such a good dog.”

Abby is, in fact, an angel -- a Canine Angel -- one of a group of service dogs specially trained to help veterans like McMahan, who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, has a paralyzed right side since having two heart attacks and a stroke, and symptoms of Agent Orange poisoning.

An infantry platoon sergeant in the Marine Corps for 5 1/2 years, McMahan served 1 1/2 tours in Vietnam. Now 61, he and his wife, Piper Belanger, moved from Charleston to the Grand Strand area to help care for their 14-month-old granddaughter, Riley.
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