Vietnam War Interview Forum

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>Did the envolvement one had in vietnam seem easier over time, if so, how?

I still think about Vietnam every day.  The pain isn't as bad after forty years.  I have learned many hard lessens getting to the place of peace I'm at today.  My wife and I didn't know what PTSD was for thirty years and I was in denial that memories from Vietnam could bother me.  After finally admitting I needed help the mental and spirtiual healing could begin.

>How were the relationships between soldiers in the same platoon?

We laughed and cried, lived and died together 24/7 for months.  We had to rely on each other to stay alive.  Those types of relationships can't exist here at home, the circumstances are entirely different.

Did they become like family?

Different.  I'd been in the hospital with a foot infection for about a week.  Helicopters would come in all times of the day and night bring wounded from a wide area containing many different battalians and divisions.  One morning before lunch the sound of one chopper a mile away caught my attention and I felt compeled to go out and see who was being brought in.  As I leaned on my crutches in front of the triage tent, the orderlies carried every member of my squad passed me.  We were more than close, we were connected.  

>How did different soldiers cope with the loss of a friend or fellow soldier in battle?

The war didn't stop because a friend got killed so we had to keep going the best we could.  It would have been nice to be able to raise your hand and ask to be excused for a few days so we could grieve, but that was impossible.  When we got the chance most of us either got drunk or smoked dope to excape the pain and the continual fear of being next.

>How did age or maturity make a difference in vietnam?

I was 23-24 and older than most.  I walked point for about ten months and finally couldn't force myself to go out into the jungle anymore.  The company commander understood and let me stay back in the fire base for my last two months.  I don't think a younger kid could have lasted that long on point.  The odds of becoming a casualty were about one in every six missions.

>What was the feeling one had when able to return to their home in the u.s. and why?

I snuck home from an R&R to Hawaii.  It was very hard to get back on the plane to return to Vietnam.  After my tour was over (365 days), I didn't feel safe until we landed back on US soil.  I hated to leave all the kids who were still fighting for their lives but I'd done the best I could and couldn't contribute anymore.  

Getting back to the world was our goal, our constant daydream and fantisy while in Vietnam.  Finally coming home didn't turn out the way I'd thought.  I tried to go back to the same life I had before going to Vietnam, but life back home seemed empty and shallow somehow.  I had flashes of anger, continous depression, survivor's guilt, numbed emotions and became very anti-social without realizing or admitting I couldn't handle the impact of the war on my life.

>How had society changed during and after the vietnam war?

Vietnam was a national embarrassment.  We lost the confidence we had during WWII.  V?ietnam lasted ten years and the media had coverage of the all the human errors and mistakes that occur in war.  People got tired of it all and just wanted it to end.  Soldiers were physical reminders of all that went wrong.  Many blamed us for not fighting hard enough to win.  Our politicians never took responsibility for tying our hands to the point we couldn't win the war.

War is used to totally defeat your enemy.  Politics is a tool used to create a compromise that can be accepted by a majority of the participants.  Mixing the two together got real confusing.  To win the war, we should have been sllowed to invade North Vietnam instead of just fighting their troops after the crossed the border.  They were willing to accept ten casualties to each of ours.  Our society was not willing to do whatever it took to win the war.

>thank you for your time, it is much appreciated,
>susan diaz