San Diego Vietnam Vets Honored At VA Ceremony Tuesday

I am Kenny Goldberg in for Maureen Cavanaugh and you are listening to Midday Edition. ________________________________________ More than 50 years of ground troops entering Vietnam, three war veterans are being honored at a ceremony hosted by the be a tomorrow. Marine, Air Force Joan and I miss Tasco are being honored up the Vietnam war of the public of defense. Joining me today's tech line who left the Marine Corps 1967. Ann's went on to village of San Diego in 1981. Jack thank you for joining us. ________________________________________ You are welcome. ________________________________________ What does it mean to you Jack that the VA and the Department of Justice or honoring Vietnam veterans 50 years after the fact? ________________________________________ I think there is a bit of good and I'm happy it is happening as I think it is important to reflect back on the war. We lived it most every day. So, it seems almost incredible to me that 50 years have passed since I went ashore in 1965. It has been 50 years and a few months. But it feels like it was yesterday. ________________________________________ When you say you live it every day what you mean by that works ________________________________________ well, I think what happens in war, you touch the very third rail of life. And you are changed as a result of it. Before you go to war, you cross a river so to speak, and you are the other side of the river. All of your relationships and friends and so forth are back on the other side of the river. When you cross the river, you get wet. And the key question becomes, how skillfully and how quickly do you try out? And in my experience, it took us a while to figure it out as it took me 12 years. My experience shows that the best way to try out, is the same way as to be got wet, which is with each other. ________________________________________ Sokol what my life has become after my business career, is trying to shorten that gestation period for the OIF veterans that are now. And there are a lot of them in San Diego County. I think there are about 30,000 from that war. If we can lighten the load from them, is an everyday occurrence for me personally. I work out of the Balboa Hospital. ________________________________________ Is there any way for those of us who have not served and have not been in Moorcock to understand what is like for guys like you? ________________________________________ I think, not directly. It is an experiential process. But I tell you what, the operative word for people that want to be helpful, is just simple care. And that you care and that you are listening. And not try to fix anything. But, rather to just allow. What you will find is that these guys and gals, back from this war, they are the best of our generation. They stepped forward when other people have stepped sideways. And they have gone into a sort of buzz saw. Before you touch that third rail of life, you are not the same. It can be disorienting. But it is also extraordinary helpful to the society to have had that experience. ________________________________________ In tribal societies, what happens is normally, when the warrior comes home, the elders and the tribe together. You have a purification rite. The interesting thing, is most people would assume that the purification is for the warrior. Actually, the purification is for the society that state put. So they become more open and more welcoming. ________________________________________ Joan crack will joins us. She was a nurse that served in Vietnam. Which resulted in thousands of American deaths. ________________________________________ Joan, you were one of many thousands of women who have served in Vietnam. Have you been neglected compared to the men? ________________________________________ I think our story is just a bit different. When I came back in Vietnam, I had a profession. I went directly into nursing. And I landed in Palo Alto at the be a there desk of VA. The interesting piece about 11,000 women who served in Vietnam, with all of the carnage and things that were going on during a time. I came back and I have found out that in the news, the 6:00 news or any news that women were not mentioned or seen. They were not on the radar. ________________________________________ And I had wondered about it. Were there questions in someone's mind to say, wow, with all billboards and carnage, and the devastation who took care of these men and women? ________________________________________ There were no mention of it. And that to me was a fine I am dealing with it. And no one spent on me or criticized me for being there as I mainstream I self into my profession. ________________________________________ The thing that was also interesting is that I have used to working Very high speeds, making all types of decisions. When I came back and started working in the VA, my first assignment was to check the medicine cabinet, to see what medicines were there. And I said, I can probably order most of these meds in there. My duties were diminished quite a bit from what I have been doing in Vietnam. It was like going from a combat situation, to Disneyland. And making that transition, was quite difficult for me. ________________________________________ Since then, you have return. You have made a transition serving veterans. What are you doing now? ________________________________________ Right now, I am a professor and I and going through a number of colleges and universities in San Diego. I was a team leader at the San Diego that center and it gave me 10 years of exposure to post should Maddox stress disorder. Working with, not only the men that have served in Vietnam but their families. And that type of secondary trauma is a real issue. And I think it is something the public is not aware of as well. ________________________________________ We have dual responsibilities in working with these individuals. ________________________________________ Secondary trauma, what does that mean to you Jack? ________________________________________ If, I guess you would be talking about families, or other people that are affected by the participant who might have combat stress. Or what is talked about posttraumatic stress disorder. I want to go back to what Joan had said which is supercritical. When she was talking about when she came back, went to the VA for her job and she had sort of a feeling of diminished responsibility. I think is really important for our community to understand that these young people coming back now, have had incredible responsibility. You are talking about a Marine Corps, 21-year-olds a two-year-old fire team leader who has made life and death decisions. 100% responsible, mutually responsible for each other. And 100% accountable. There is no place to hide. And they come back to our society and having a hard time poking into something that has that type of meaning. And that type of sense of purpose. I think it is an important thing to understand. ________________________________________ The fact that we will sooner or later face questions about what is life all about? Is this all there is? Is there any more? And that normally comes to folks my age in their 70s or even maybe later. But it is telescoped attitude kids that are 20 years old. Of course they are slightly confused by it and it takes time and space. One of the things that I would like to say is that this is just not the work of the VA. ________________________________________ They get a bad rap. We sent those kids over there. And we are responsible for the transition. It is up to me and you to step over. ________________________________________ Joan, what is the honor you are getting tomorrow and what does it mean to you? ________________________________________ I am surprised that I am getting one. To be honest with you. It would mean recognition. It would say, thank you for what you have done. ________________________________________ One of the things I would like to say, I cannot tell my story unless it is preceded by a narrative. It is very important in history. I did not take political views on this. When Gen. Jack decided, during the Tet Offensive. Tex is a lunar new year celebration. And general took advantage of it. Simply because, 100 more cities were simultaneously bombed. They were for them were colossal for losses. We were not prepared for it. It's not like there if there is a terrorist attack, no, you work with what you have. ________________________________________ We worked until we drop. I was there for over 30 hours on one experience. I took autographs of one of the nurses in blood all over her cheeks, hands like she had been working in a coal mine. Bodies everywhere. We were not prepared for that type of work. And then talking about 25-year-old nurses come again with very little experience. ________________________________________ I had to be 31 when I was that I had experienced. A lot of nurses did not. So directing that care of the nurses and using what you have, psychologically brings you up to a point where you thought you could never function copy you can. ________________________________________ We will have to leave it there. I have been's beacon with Joan Cragg will -- Cragg well. Being honored tomorrow at the Scottish right center in Mission Valley. It is open to the public. Information is on the website. ________________________________________ Thank you for joining us. ________________________________________ Thank you.