Living with a disabled veteran greatly impacted my life. Not only my life, but also my mother's. My dad was born on October 14, 1948. He met my mother in high school. they dated for about two years and then married. Shortly after they married, the Vietnam War began. At first Daddy did not enlist. His best friend, CH, enlisted first. CH had a bad home life and looked at the war as an opportunity to get away. Before leaving, he informed Dad he would never return. I do know whether Daddy believed CH or not, maybe he didn't want to.

Sure enough though, a few months later they received a letter confirming CH's death. CH had been killed by a land mine. Dad was so hurt and enraged, he decided to enlist. His idea of the war, as a young man of only 22, was not at all what it turned out to be. In his mind, Vietnam would be more like a street fight, where the stronger man wins. Obviously, Vietnam was not like that at all. Mom stayed at home for a year by herself. Thinking back on everything now, I do not know how she ever managed. A young girl, recently married, only to be left so suddenly alone. She told me there was one time that three months passed and she did not hear from Daddy. She actually thought he was dead. Finally, she received a letter fro his saying that he would return home soon. Return he did, but never again to be the same individual.

I became tired of hearing about the person of whom I do not know. That person was my Dad. Relatives would tell stories of how funny my dad once was. I found a picture in his old high school annual of a young boy, (him) sneaking into the girl's bathroom. Under the picture it read, "Most Mischevious". That part of my dad I never knew. Of course we had our good times, but not as many as we could have had. Daddy didn't laugh much, and he did not speak of Vietnam much either. When I was about twelve years old, Daddy found out that he had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It almost seemed as though the older he got the worse his problems were.

Two months ago, on March 28, 1998, my daddy died of a massive heart attack. He was tired of fighting with Vietnam. On several occassions I would try to speak to my dad about everything that happened in Vietnam. As you might guess, he was not saying much. The only war that I have lived through was Desert Storm. The war brought about some changes in my dad. All of the Soldiers of Desert Storm were given a parade and a great show of appreciation. Which I thought was greatly deserved. However, I then remembered of how my mother said they had treated my Daddy when he returned home from Vietnam. The Soldiers who fought in Vietnam were certainly not given a parade. They were spat on and protested against.

I only wish that every family could live with at least one disabled veteran in their lifetime, and live through the pain that we experienced with my Dad's struggle. Maybe then there would be a greater awareness of the sacrifice that was given to protect the freedom of this magnificent country.

NE Class of 1998

NE's father was a member of our DAV chapter, his family is still fighting the battle to get his benefits . . .