Understanding and support to begin healing

Bill:

My name's Bill. I was in the Marine Corps, went in in 67 and got out in July 30,th in 70. I was in the Infantry over there in Vietnam.

I went home and we wasn’t treated too good. I just couldn’t go outside. You hear on the news all the protests and that we’re baby killers and all that there and nobody was supporting us.

Crowds, I hated crowds. I’d get in a big crowd or something and I’d go to the bathroom and throw up or something. But I kept thinking about Vietnam, but I was afraid to tell somebody.

I’d just feel guilty cause I didn’t get wounded or die over there. Still today I think about stuff, you know every day, you know it bothers me. I have nightmares and all that there. I sleep by myself downstairs. A lot of times I cry because the stuff… I feel guilty.

A friend of mine she works for the VA and she kept bugging me and bugging me to go. So, finally I gave in. I started going there in 2007. I was afraid to open up, I kept everything to myself, but I got there and the people there man they just finally got some stuff out. I kept talking and I would just talk to the Psychiatrist one-on-one. I’d tell him all my problems was, and after… he understands us.

Then when I go to Vet Center, it’s a group with all Vietnam Veterans, Combat Vets, and they all have the same problems that we all have. And we talk and we laugh, and we talk about our problems and it helps. It is like a family.

If you are going to do one more thing in your life, reach out and go to the Vet Center and talk to somebody and sign up for the VA because they want to help us. It is helping, I’m glad I made that stop.