It is extremely sad. My parents best friends from when we lived in a different state are still dealing with the aftermath of Vietnam. I can remember the first time we visited them, my mom told me to be nice to Uncle Art and to not make loud noised. The entire weekend him and my dad would sit in the other room drinking beers and my dad would just listen as he told story after story. My mom tried to keep me busy in the other room, but I could still hear what they were talking about. Some of the stories were funny about random mishaps and stuff, but I remember some of them were the bloodiest most horrific stories. The worst part was as much as he tried to be normal, you could see his mind was still wrapped up in the war.
To this day some people would describe him as "off", but when I think of him it makes me appreciate the sacrifices that the military men and woman make even more. He saw some of the most horrific things in that war and even though he lived to tell about it, you can see the scars run much deeper than what is visible. I just pray that the military finds better and more effective ways to help the veterans that make it back to deal with what they saw and did. I think its sad that sometimes we forget that just because they made it back alive doesn't mean they made it back whole.
Very well put. When my brother talks about his shipmates, there are negatives and positives. But, I didn't serve, so he knows, I don't REALLY understand what he saw. He tells us the big stories, but the stuff that he really needs to talk about he only says to other vets. He spends a lot of time at the VFW, and is very active with the Colorguard. It keeps him busy and he feels good about himself when he does that, so it's as good as we can expect right now.
I wish there wasn't a need for anyone to experience war. But as long as there is a need, I wish the returning vets got better care than they currently do.