# Things brought home from Vietnam.



## squatting dog (Jul 25, 2020)

There were things seen here that none should ever need see. Demons were spawned here. Silent movies that played on a screen that never closed. Things that haunt dreams, crippled lives. Bad things happened here. There were things heard here that none should ever need hear. Things none had ever heard before, Things heard still... Awake and walking. Asleep and talking.
Bad things. Terrible things. Gruesome things. Vile things. Heroic things. Unforgettable things. Things felt here that would never be felt again. Things felt that never should be. Things felt that shouldn't ... but were... Love, Hate, Fear, Rage, and Hope the least of all.
Missing things. Broken things. Unforgotten things.

In the end we were left with memories, words, bits and pieces, sounds and visions. Memories that come to us unwanted, unbidden, yet come to us still. No accounting, no wage that wants paying that we would not gladly pay, have paid, pay still.  Visions that we would surely, as surely as sin, be rid of.
Memories of that far off Valley in that far off time.


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## JaniceM (Jul 25, 2020)

squatting dog said:


> There were things seen here that none should ever need see. Demons were spawned here. Silent movies that played on a screen that never closed. Things that haunt dreams, crippled lives. Bad things happened here. There were things heard here that none should ever need hear. Things none had ever heard before, Things heard still... Awake and walking. Asleep and talking.
> Bad things. Terrible things. Gruesome things. Vile things. Heroic things. Unforgettable things. Things felt here that would never be felt again. Things felt that never should be. Things felt that shouldn't ... but were... Love, Hate, Fear, Rage, and Hope the least of all.
> Missing things. Broken things. Unforgotten things.
> 
> ...


((((((HUGS))))))


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## jerry old (Jul 25, 2020)

Excellent, just excellent!!!
One of those post that took decades to birth, with the lexicon, the balm of words that
splatter, laying with  dead things that should not have been...

Have to bookmark that post

Have you read, 'The Things they Carried ' by Tim O'Brien-has a haunt to it.


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## Aneeda72 (Jul 25, 2020)

Well written, but I think you might consider a post called “the things we didn’t bring home from Vietnam“ as well.  I saw so many vets who returned and the changes that occurred in them.  Changes that stuck.  And the young wives (I was one) who had to cope with the aftermath, and still cope with the aftermath.

And the children, the children of war who found no mercy and little peace-our children and their children.

You, of course, are right-demons were spawned there.  Unfortunately some of those demons were our returning Veterans.  As was then, as is now-war is never ending in it’s reprisals.  I hope you find peace, but I don't think you will, not in this life.


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## Pecos (Jul 25, 2020)

Beautifully expressed!


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## Butterfly (Jul 26, 2020)

My husband brought back many of those things from Vietnam, and they haunted and distorted the rest of his life.  He was never free of them.


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## Butterfly (Jul 26, 2020)

Aneeda72 said:


> Well written, but I think you might consider a post called “the things we didn’t bring home from Vietnam“ as well.  I saw so many vets who returned and the changes that occurred in them.  Changes that stuck.  And the young wives (I was one) who had to cope with the aftermath, and still cope with the aftermath.
> 
> And the children, the children of war who found no mercy and little peace-our children and their children.
> 
> You, of course, are right-demons were spawned there.  *Unfortunately some of those demons were our returning Veterans.*  As was then, as is now-war is never ending in it’s reprisals.  I hope you find peace, but I don't think you will, not in this life.



I think it is wrong to cast our returning veterans as demons.  They may have come back with demons, but THEY were not demons.  Those who returned with psychological damage were no less casualties of war than those who came back missing limbs.


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## Aneeda72 (Jul 26, 2020)

Butterfly said:


> I think it is wrong to cast our returning veterans as demons.  They may have come back with demons, but THEY were not demons.  Those who returned with psychological damage were no less casualties of war than those who came back missing limbs.


I, myself, am a  Vietnam era veteran.  I saw and heard a lot.  I helped other wives deal with their demons and I dealt with mine.

Any veteran who takes the training, weapons, and knowledge he learned in service and applies it to terrorize his family is a demon.  The family is left in a untenable situation-wanting to support the the vet but needing  safety and security from the vet.

The veterans administration and the American people failed the Vietnam vets and their families.

Still any veteran of any war who takes a gun and kills his family is a demon.  Any active military person who takes a gun and kills multiple people is a demon.  Or perhaps I should say these people are possessed by a demon if you like that phrase better.  Any vet who terrorizes anyone is a demon.

If you prefer to use the term psychologically damage, a more politically correct term for sure, I have no objection.

While driving my friend, and her psychologically damaged husband, to the naval base hospital in Long Beach, California, I wondered if we would make it there alive.

Us girls were in our nightgowns, he was in his PJ,s, raging.  I don’t know how we got him to agree or how we got him in the car.  I don’t remember anything but the fear, the darkness of the night, and the fear.  I was, hmm, 20 years old.

He remained in the hospital for at least 90 days.  I took her to visit.  He was on a locked ward.  After that Idk.  She left.  I never heard from her, but I was glad she left.  Those visits were scary.  He was scary.  They all were scary.  We were not even friends, our husbands were not friends.  We just lived in the same apartment building, and you have to do what you have to do.

In any event, we are all entitled to our opinions and this is mine.


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## jerry old (Jul 26, 2020)

Aneeda72 said:


> And the young wives (I was one) who had to cope with the aftermath, and still cope with the aftermath....
> And the children, the children of war who found no mercy and little peace-our children and their children....
> -demons were spawned there... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> (I was not in that strange land, but I know of demons.)
> ...


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## Knight (Jul 26, 2020)

I had a excellent mechanic on the crew I supervised when I was a 1st line supervisor. He was the best at any job assigned. But other mechanics had a tough time working with him. We sat down one day to discuss why the crew was not on the same page as him.

He was a marine that served in Viet Nam not one of the crew was in the service. His life experiences set him apart when the crew did as people whined about a job assignment. He had pics of his fellow marines/ people he served with laid out for identification. Parts of their bodies missing or barely recognizable due to the horrors of war. He said he couldn't take the whiners so he would ignore their petty complaints.  

That was my 1st. understanding not everyone returning from life changing experiences can meld back into society easily.


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## squatting dog (Jul 26, 2020)

Knight said:


> That was my 1st. understanding not everyone returning from life changing experiences can meld back into society easily.



You got that part right. I'm here to tell you. Took me a long time to try to explain some of my actions to the wife. When I finally broke down and was able to communicate with her, and show her some pictures that I had saved from there, she was horrified at first. (of  course) However, I've been blessed in that she finally understood me and without her, I doubt I'd still be around.


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## RadishRose (Jul 26, 2020)

squatting dog said:


> You got that part right. I'm here to tell you. Took me a long time to try to explain some of my actions to the wife. When I finally broke down and was able to communicate with her, and show her some pictures that I had saved from there, she was horrified at first. (of  course) However, I've been blessed in that she finally understood me and without her, I doubt I'd still be around.


Oh, the pictures! My husband had some too. I wish I hadn't looked when he was getting ready to get rid of them,


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## cdestroyer (Jul 30, 2020)

I came home from the 'Nam with a little more baggage than when I went. In civilian jobs I could not stand you people for very long. Whiny, snotty azz......yall had not a clue!! Took another 17 years to get it straight after spending 8 months in VA counselling. Photographs? I destroyed them all and the ones in my head have dimmed to the point of just being a reference...except for one! and I will never relate that one,,,,,,again!!!


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## squatting dog (Jul 30, 2020)

cdestroyer said:


> I came home from the 'Nam with a little more baggage than when I went. In civilian jobs I could not stand you people for very long. Whiny, snotty azz......yall had not a clue!! Took another 17 years to get it straight after spending 8 months in VA counselling. Photographs? I destroyed them all and the ones in my head have dimmed to the point of just being a reference...except for one! and I will never relate that one,,,,,,again!!!



Welcome home brother.   Glad to hear you can now keep the demons at bay.


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