Back from Vietnam: WARNING (Explicit Images)

Warning: graphic war images. I'm back home from Vietnam after one of the most healing trips of my life. As I had briefly mentioned in Day 1 of my trip to Vietnam; throughout this trip I was mostly a spectator. Observing and documenting the reaction the Vietnam veterans in our group were having to being back to a country some men had not been back to since the war in the 1960's and 1970's. 

On one hand, this task did not prove difficult since the Vietnam veterans were open and willing to share their personal thoughts, feelings, and emotions. On the other hand, it was personally difficult for me to listen to some stories because they hit close to my own wounds. For instance, one evening after I was getting done interviewing a veteran he triggered emotions deep inside of me and I was almost moved to tears. It felt good sitting with a brother, a Marine at that, and find a comfort that only another veteran can provide. 

The first part of this blog is to give the reader, in particular civilians, an idea conveyed by pictures of what some of these men went throught during the war. The last part of my blog will focus on how they were able to overcome and learn to cope after the Vietnam war. It is important for me that the reader understands that by using the following images I am in no way justifying, glorifying or any other word that may come to mind other than attempting to paint a picture of the trauma endured by these men. 

Warning: graphic war images. 

The second part of my blog is about my experience in witnessing recovery in the group of men. Remember, this trip was about recovery. Also, this is only my personal opinion about what I observed and in no way reflects any sort of professional diagnosis. 

As stated in several of my other blog posts, I noticed a common bond quickly develop among the Vietnam veterans. As some veterans stated, "it's as if we are back with our units/platoon." Even for me, I felt I was back with my platoon of Marines and even assumed my role as a Corpman (medic) within the group. I felt every member in our group retrograded in a small way to who they had once been when they had been deployed to Vietnam. This was evident by the comraderrie developed in just a few days followed by laughter, jokes, and most importantly by the level of trust felt within the group. Another example of momentary retrogration was the day we visited one of the battlefields. One of the men in our group had been former special forces. Even now in his 80's he would not walk the path in the jungle and made his own path through the jungle. 

Below are pictures of some of the veterans in our group throughout the trip. 

The most important part of this trip was how these men had overcome the atrocities of war. Other than the brotherhood of being Vietnam veterans I quickly discovered they shared a deeper belief. They all shared the same belief in a higher power or entity they called Jesus Christ. 

In my observations, I noticed that without believing in something greater than themselves many of the men in the group would have been unable to make this trip and for some even to be alive. I learned that all of them had a different degree of faith but all of them seemed to believe that Jesus Christ could restore and individually heal them from their past, particularly from the war in Vietnam. As a matter of fact, I noticed some believed they had already been forgiven and  healed because of their faith. This belief was strong within the group and evidenced from the way the men carried themselves to how they spoke. For instance, the veterans made it a point to worship and pray to their higher power as a group everyday, even on the bus and hotel. As a result, I felt this lightened the load in the group. Spirits were lifted. Another example: I did not hear one single veteran use profanity at any time during the trip. I mean, these men believed to the core. On one occasion I even saw a veteran pray for a poor pregnant Vietnamese woman. I felt the group as a whole led by example on their beliefs and in that was the key to overcoming their own trauma from war. 

So, what does this all mean? That is for each reader to decide. But whatever these men have discovered is working for them and I witnessed every second of it. To me, the meaning I took from the men in this group is the following: trauma from war (or any other trauma) is a process. Sometimes the healing is slow and sometimes it's fast. However, it will always be part of your life but trauma does not have to be your life. The men in this group surrendered from their trauma by turning their will to a higher power, in this case Jesus Christ. Only when they ceased fighting did healing begin. Lastly, I noticed that in order for the Vietnam veterans to maintain their level of recovery they were willing to work and help others. In order to keep what they have they had to be willing to give it away. 

This allowed them to move from the darkness.......

Toward the Light as they understood it. 

I'm eternally gracious to the group of Vietnam veterans who allowed me to be part of this amazing trip of hope and recovery. A special thanks to Rupert Harrel for giving me his units coin with the names of all the men the lost in the war. To every member of the group for making me feel I was part of the group even thought my beliefs were different. Not once did I feel disrespected but felt embraced by the presence of the group. 

Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans!