“Vietnam Uncensored”: 55 Years Later, A Veteran’s Reflection on Service, Sacrifice, and Healing

The launch of Vietnam Uncensored is over the top. I thank all who helped make it happen. I hope it keeps going and that it reaches others.

It’s been 55 years since I stepped off that plane, but sometimes it feels like yesterday. The memories come back in flashes. You know how it is when you’ve been in the dark too long and step out into the light. Your eyes can’t adjust, and for a second, it all comes rushing back — the heat, the sweat-soaked uniforms, the helicopters, the smell of the jungle, and the kind of quiet that’s never quiet. Sometimes, it’s just a feeling, like the weight of it pressing down when you hear a song or catch the scent of diesel.

When I first came home, it was hard. People didn’t know what to say. Or they said too much — things that didn’t fit, things that didn’t make sense. There was no place to put that kind of talk. It felt like I was carrying something heavy, invisible to everyone but me. Most of the men I served with came back different. Some didn’t come back at all.

I didn’t think I’d make it. Not at first. The nightmares, the flashbacks, the loneliness. But time has a way of smoothing things out. I learned to find peace in the small stuff. The quiet mornings. The sunsets. Family, friends. I never thought…