Veterans, sams etc.

[CollinMacD]

I am sure with the recent airing of Ken Burn's production of "Viet Nam", we will have many more war heroes who come forward with dramatic tales of glory and valor. I served my time in that war, and no television series, tales of glory, or talk can make me feel at peace or just feel better of what I went through at a very young age. Like everything else, a positive that came from this was a matured faster, got smarter at a younger age, learned how to become self reliant and most of all thank the Lord for being one who returned physically unharmed, and not being a name on a black wall.

One lesson I learned "seeing the elephant", discretion is the better part of valor. Keep you mouth shut, head down, follow orders, and help you shipmate or pard, as much as you can to survive. I find solace with my fellow Vets who went through the same, I respect organizations like SAMS, and hope to join to bring us together. I don't like being singled out as a Viet Nam veteran, nor do I talk about my wartime exploits, express my feeling or talk what I did in detail, to me this serves no purpose, as it certainly is not educational, as we as the US just seem to repeat a lesson we should have already learned from Viet Nam, sorry for getting political.

Like others, I have heard these hero people, I hear so much from Viet Nam "vets" who single handed fought off a battalion of NVR. I kno enough to listen and forget just as fast as they talk of the glorious deeds on the battlefield. Just not worth it to me to confront.


I live everyday knowing how luck I am, I am a recovered Agent Orange survivor, a rare cancer diangonsed in 2006, gave me a 3% chance to survive and I made it, cancer free now for 7 years, and formally discharge from my oncologist.
I hope to join SAMS in the near future, just as a veteran to honor my branch of the service, U.S. Coast Guard, as there on not many of us. All this war stuff is behind me, I rather not go into it, as when I came home in 1970, I was treated worse by the people my friends and yes even family members because I served, then I was in Viet Nam. Unless you lived through this time you have no idea what it was like. Even the American Legion and VFW, did nothing then to help the Viet Nam vet, many of the members were WWII and Korean War members who that we all were druggies Hippies, and lost the war. Over the years many feelings have changed, and slowiy the Viet Nam Vet is looked upon legitimately but still with reserve. I make it a point when I see another fellow Viet Nam vet to say, "Welcome home brother or sister", which means more to me then any other recognition from those same people who neglected and scorned us in the 70's. Sorry on getting heavy here, but when I read the above posts, of the "HEROES", the real ones are the ones who listen and keep much to themselves, because the real Viet Nam Vet understands what we did was honorable, what we went through upon our return was despicable and what we have to live with is not our fault, as we have been lead to believe, we have surviced, matured, and most prospered without our tales of valor.... We did it by forgiving but not forgetting, not by telling tales.