As a mental health provider, working with Veteran’s through the VA, I met many survivors of war.  Many people I worked with were managing post trauma issues, that caused depression and anxiety, and so many other mental health issues that would make life difficult.  They struggled to manage relationships and basic needs like sleep.  As I learned more about the experience, I began to understand the difference between Veteran’s from World War II, Korean War Veterans, and Vietnam Veterans.  I have a real respect for all Veterans.  As a military spouse, I watched my husband return from deployments with the Navy changed and anxious.  As much as I respect what our Veterans experience when our country is at war, the way that Vietnam Veterans were treated when they returned home was an atrocity.  The issues that Vietnam Veterans had to overcome when they returned made finding happiness more difficult.

                There are many movies about the Vietnam War, which lasted from 1954 to 1975 (1).  There have been many documentaries that tried to tell the story, but hearing firsthand accounts of the trauma that many of the Veterans went through in Vietnam, both in country and when they returned home, changed me.   Some of the Veterans I worked with slept in the jungle, not knowing if they would be ambushed and killed where they slept.  They were witness to horrific sites and events, and then they returned to their own country.  They returned to people spitting on them, calling them baby killers, and a general lack of mental health services to manage the events, all of them.

                Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) hasn’t been around forever.  I think the belief prior to the 1980s was that the Veterans would get back to life and forget the events of war.  They couldn’t be further from the truth.  PTSD makes its debut in the Mental Health Diagnostic Manual in 1980 (2), after long research and previous references to stress reactions.  So Veterans from World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam came back to a country that was not prepared to help them.  They had to survive their trauma alone, and Vietnam Veterans came home to a country that didn’t seem to want them back.

                Many of the Veterans I worked with returned home, put their experiences away, often in a box, got married and had families and tried to forget.  They tried to manage, and eventually came for help to try to feel better.  Their courage over the years I think is legendary.  So many of our Vietnam Veterans struggled with relationship and mental health issues, but worked to create a life.  It wasn’t always perfect, but they pushed through.  Many credit their spouses for helping them through and keeping them grounded, but many experienced multiple divorces and ended up alone.

                Being happy for life doesn’t always come easy.  In fact, sometimes it is pretty hard, but it’s worth it.  I’m inspired by the Vietnam Veterans, and all Veterans, but the Vietnam Veterans hold a special place in my heart.  Their courage is legendary and they survived so much more than anyone should have to survive.  In spite of all they endured, they still tried to be happy, for life.

References:

1. Vietnam War: Wikipedia
2. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Wikipedia