Saw my brother in the 9 part Vietnam War in HD series

[AlbertD]

It was a strange feeling to see him. He was in the USMC and the video must of been from around 1966 or 67. I was only 7 years old at the time but remember how he was when he came home. Watching this series was a real eye opener for me. He's gone now. He would have been 72 now but the agent orange finally got him with cancer. Like many vets he didn't want to talk about it so I don't know much about his service. I understand he did 4 tours and I know he earned 3 Purple Hearts.

[Out2gtcha]

Amazing story! Sad, and a bit haunting, but an amazing bit that he was in the series and able to be recognized.

[AlbertD]

4 hours ago, Out2gtcha said:

Amazing story! Sad, and a bit haunting, but an amazing bit that he was in the series and able to be recognized.

It's funny, I told a friend and he said it must of been nice to see him. I had to think about that. I'm certainly glad I saw him but I can't really put a finger on how I felt about it. I can't say it left me with a good feeling though. 

[lawman56]

Much respect for your brother. I'm a combat vet myself, so I can relate to his not wanting to talk about it. I would think, if nothing else, the series might give a greater understanding of what he was struggling with and what circumstances put him in that position. I think, although it might be bittersweet to see him on screen, it might also be an opportunity to understand now what your 7 year old mind couldn't comprehend then.

[LSP_K2]

Interesting stuff. My brother too served in Vietnam and also died young, perhaps agent O contributing to that, perhaps not, though he'd been told by the VA it was a contributing factor in his various health issues. I'd be more than happy to see him again, even if it was just a video.

[AlbertD]

3 hours ago, lawman56 said:

Much respect for your brother. I'm a combat vet myself, so I can relate to his not wanting to talk about it. I would think, if nothing else, the series might give a greater understanding of what he was struggling with and what circumstances put him in that position. I think, although it might be bittersweet to see him on screen, it might also be an opportunity to understand now what your 7 year old mind couldn't comprehend then.

It did give me a better understanding. I have always had great respect for you guys who served, especially in combat but for some reason seeing him like that made it even deeper. I'll never understand what it's like to be in combat but I know what an effect it had on him for his whole life and especially those first few years after he came home. Thanks to you and all who served.

[AlbertD]

1 hour ago, LSP_K2 said:

Interesting stuff. My brother too served in Vietnam and also died young, perhaps agent O contributing to that, perhaps not, though he'd been told by the VA it was a contributing factor in his various health issues. I'd be more than happy to see him again, even if it was just a video.

I wish our brothers were treated better when they got home. It might have made their transition back to "normal" life easier. My brother flew back on a commercial flight and they would not even serve him the meal the other passengers got. They were treat horrible. I'm glad our current vets didn't get the same welcome.

[LSP_K2]

4 hours ago, AlbertD said:

I wish our brothers were treated better when they got home. It might have made their transition back to "normal" life easier. My brother flew back on a commercial flight and they would not even serve him the meal the other passengers got. They were treat horrible. I'm glad our current vets didn't get the same welcome.

 

My brother spoke with a fair amount of passion regarding how he was generally treated upon his return. He was very bitter about that.

[LSP_Mike]

It was the Vietnam vets that made sure the returning Gulf war vets were not treated that way.

[lawman56]

11 hours ago, LSP_Mike said:

It was the Vietnam vets that made sure the returning Gulf war vets were not treated that way.

 

And for that, I am eternally grateful. I served from 85-94, and quite a few of my senior NCOs and officers had served in Vietnam. When we returned from Desert Storm the reception was overwhelming to many of us. By then I had been on quite a few deployments and never had more than some family or friends at Pope AFB waiting. This time it seemed the entire state was there! The most touching thing, to me, was to see my brigade commander, a Colonel who served 3 tours in Vietnam, tear up as our Sergeant Major said "it's been a long time coming, but welcome home sir."

[JerseyChris]

That series is INCREDIBLE, there are so many spine tingling interviews with vets who have the “thousand yard stare” as they tell their stories. So horrible to hear how they were treated when they got home...