A Forgotten Veteran

Many vets served in a war or conflict and those of us that are not veterans really cannot relate to their experiences. Things that ripped their psyches apart and left everlasting scars behind.

When fighting for your survival there are many things that you’ll do that in day-to-day life you wouldn’t dream of doing. And the actions of these veterans, and current service members, are carried out because the orders are given from higher ranks to do them.

I have seen the affects of war for myself.

When I was a teenager there was a Vietnam veteran that lived in our community. He was normally a calm and loving man. However, during a bad storm one evening we found him sitting motionless in the middle of a small field with an assault rifle laying on his lap. A few of my friends and I were taking shelter in the post office with a direct view of this man.

Concerned one of my friends asked if we thought we ought to go to him and make sure he was all right.
I answered him with a “No” and pointed out to my friend that in that moment that in this man’s mind he was not where we were. In his mind he was in the jungle waiting to be attacked.
I’m not sure exactly how I knew this but somehow I knew that it was true.

The man remained in the field even after the storm had worn itself out. My friends and I went to our destination and honestly thought nothing more about it. When we were returning home that night, the man was no longer in the field.

The next day I happened to be in the local store when this man came in for cigarettes and a six pack of beer.
We greeted each other and I asked him how he was doing. He replied that he was doing well. We talked for a few minutes longer and he took his purchases and left. From his demeaner I could tell that he had no memory of the night before. This was when I realized that many people don’t give our veterans or active service members the respect that they deserve.

Since this time, we have learned more about PTSD and have developed specific therapies to help them. The unfortunate thing is that for some of these veterans help has come too late, and the trauma has become a permanent scar in their mind.

Contest Entry: Honoring Our Veterans