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Date Posted: Wed, February 23 2005, 11:19:01
Author: Harry Larsen
Author Host/IP: 130.76.32.144
Subject: Re: Concerning this Board
In reply to: Pat (Beanie) Camunes 's message, "Concerning this Board" on Tue, February 15 2005, 9:08:30

Pat, Wayne, and Larry,

I agree with all of you in spirit. The emphasis of this particular board should continue to be concentrated on the Vietnam experience.

I don't know how many more years I have left, but I'm definitely WAY past the midpoint of my life span. World conflicts will continue and young people will begin to remember the war in Iraq as being the more relevant war in their eyes.

I see little similarity between my Vietnam experience and the experiences I've read about WW1 or WW2. Few big battles, mostly hit-and-runs, enemy could be anywhere and you couldn't tell the difference between him and the local friendlies.

For example, because I grew up in an era, I can recall most cars from the '50s and even into the 60's, but nowadays they all look alike and unless it happens to be a model I own, I couldn't tell one from another without the nameplate on the trunk lid. Same same for the kids of today. They couldn't tell from a distance the differences between a '53 Oldsmobile from a '52 Chevy.

I guess what I'm saying is that I'm fast approaching geezer-hood. Guys like me shouldn't expect to hold the attention of someone under thirty for very much longer. Soon, a girl scout will offer me her hand to cross the street, or else I'll just be that gray head that drives too slow and takes too long to get his wallet out in the check-out line.

That said, I also see one major correlation between the war in Iraq and my own Vietnma experience. It always bothered me that I couldn't tell the "enemy" from the "friendly" if he wasn't wearing a South Vietnam uniform. I believe that was a major factor that triggered my PTSD for years afterward.

I fully expect that returning Iraq war veterans will also experience PTSD as a result of just "being there." I think more needs to be done and said to let the general population know about what to expect. I'd like to see them get some help while they're still in the military. I sure could have used some good information back then. I had no idea that I was affected. I didn't understand my sudden urges of rage. I thought I was slightly crazy. I tried really hard to control it, but my thoughts were explosive at times.

I think we need to "be there" with our collective wisdom for this latest generation of war-fighters. We should not be like the WW2 vets who couldn't understand us and sometimes suggested that we "just get over it," and quit whining about it.

That's my 2 cents worth...

Semper fi,

Harry

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