I met Jenny at a local veteran’s event where she disclosed the loss of her husband Jack the last few months of his life. Jenny watched her husband struggling to try and deal with his past service in Vietnam. Not wanting to get into the details of her loss at the veteran’s event I offered to meet her for coffee. Jenny started discussing some situations that she had been through with her husband before his death. Jack struggled the last months of his life dealing with his feelings concerning the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. He routinely sat in front of the television glued to the shows about the Vietnam War and the fall of Saigon. According to Jenny watching the onslaught of documentaries and shows brought on by the 40th anniversary tormented Jack. These shows reminded him of things he had forgotten or tried to forget for all those years. The anniversary appeared to push him back into thoughts and feelings he had suppressed for so many years. Jenny felt she could see the demise of his spirit as the days went on and she could do nothing about it, Jack was in a deep depression.
With Vietnam being the first “Television War” there is allot of footage to be shown. Vietnam was the first time war coverage reached a point to where graphic and cynical reporting was the norm and aggressively reported. For the first time the media was given free range to cover the war. The media was allowed the freedom to make decisions about what to cover and who to interview in the field. Anyone from a private to a general could be interviewed on the battlefield without censorship. Journalist were given seats on military aircraft to anywhere within the war zone. This equated to the first time the savagery of war was shown on the nightly news to a national audience. This was also the first time the government had not censored the war coverage. The nonmilitary population had never seen the reality of war and were troubled by what they saw on the news. The media coverage was so intense that some politicians argued that the media was to blame for the protesting within the civilian population and the wars outcome. There are more images of the Vietnam conflicts than any previous war, including the recent wars where government has limited the media’s access. Our Vietnam veterans watch these shows and documentaries and struggle with the outcome of their efforts and the way they were treated upon their return home. With the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, many veterans struggle with the cost of a failed effort and what their friends died for sending some into a deep depression.
With the advent of cable television the shows and footage produced on past wars has become a mainstay, especially Vietnam. The History Channel, A&E, The Military Channel, Military History Channel, American Hero’s Channel, Discovery Channel, and many others continually show documentaries which bring back negative memories for our Vietnam veterans. According to Jenny, Jack sat in front of the TV mulling over his part and the cost of war. As Jack’s health, detreated sitting in front of the TV Jenny summonsed one of Jacks Marine buddies. It wasn’t until his buddy told him it was ok to get counseling that Jack started to attend mental health therapy sessions. Jack was told he needed to start physically moving and stop watching the Vietnam stories on TV for his sake and Jennies.
As our Vietnam Veterans age and lose their mobility there activities are limited. Many times they sit and watch TV shows about the history they lived and look back at choices they had to make. Some wonder how they will be perceived by God when they die. Some question their faith and ask themselves if they will go to heaven because of what they had to do for their survival. It is proven that we look back at our lives as we age and the legacy we leave. To many the Vietnam War is a defining part of their lives.
It was obvious Jenny intensely loved Jack. She wanted other families of veterans to understand there is help and sometimes it takes another veteran to help move the process forward. After talking to her I started to wonder, are we creating another set of veterans that will have to endure what the Vietnam veterans are feeling now. I already have seen the start of troubles that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is causing with our new troops. I have worked with a couple of Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF veterans that are struggling with what is happening in Iraq. Our new veterans are starting to feel a loss for of the land they and their friends fought and died for. Some of the land they fought and bled for is now in the hands of terrorist. They start questioning the cost of the war effort. They question whether the lives of their comrades were in vein. Will they be in the same situation our Vietnam veterans and their families are in now, dealing with the loss of what they fought so hard for? Only history will tell.
For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.