As so many veterans of war know, time does not always heal their hidden
wounds. That was certainly the case when a Vietnam veteran read my
autobiography on my Grass Roots Troop Support webpage. It stated that
back in the 60's I was an anti-war protestor (an unfortunate stance
based on misinformation from the media) but due to 9/11 and my nephew
enlisting in the Marine Corps and a new era of patriotism, how I felt
then was not how I felt after 9/11. This former Marine read the bio
and became so inflamed that he proceeded to send me a scathing email
lambasting me, a total stranger, for all that he had suffered through is
time in Vietnam and his maltreatment when he returned home. He said he
was speaking for all who were in his shoes, not just himself.
He wrote of his two years at war, 1967-1969, that hundreds of thousands
of Americans and South Vietnamese were killed, how we at home called
those veterans baby killers and worse, how we protested and spit on them
upon their return home, his horrible experiences of dying friends and
the sound and smell of war. He blamed me and my friends for "not
caring if they rotted over there in hell." He wrote that we are
supporting our troops today because of our guilt for our treatment of
our Vietnam veterans. He wrote that those who returned from that war
vowed to make sure no other generation of warriors would suffer what
they did. He cursed me and accused me of being one of the enemy of
that era. This veteran who chose to share his long suffering anger with
me, a stranger, reiterated again and again in his email that the years
of pain, mental anguish, suicides were compounded by a government and VA
that did not support them or understand them. He called me names. In
closing he did thank me for caring enough to send care packages to our
troops serving in Iraq. This veteran's name was Casey and the year was
2009.
I was shaken to my core by this email....so upset that my heart was
pounding. I had never been on the receiving end of such a tirade and
was unsure how to react, whether I should just delete it or respond to
his fury. I inquired of a friend, a very special friend, a Christian
whom I knew would give me sound advice. He did just that. He
suggested that I write back to Casey expressing my sadness at his
continued pain and suffering, that I realized it was misdirected and I
want to help as a sister in Christ. He was totally shocked that I
responded at all!!! I, too, felt that reaching out was the way to
go. I asked him if we could speak on the phone. I gave him my phone
number. It took some weeks before he called. As we spoke I felt that
Casey needed to have Jesus in his life. I asked if he did and he told
me yes, but not for many years and that my reaching out to him made him
realize he needed to ask Jesus back into his life. I thanked my friend
for his advice. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to befriend
him when he was expecting retaliation or nothing at all.
Casey served with 1st Bn/9th Marines, the "Walking Dead", a unit that
suffered severe losses in Vietnam. Our phone calls increased, we became
friends, I learned more about his time at war, about his family, about
his pain. He told me that our friendship and his relationship with the
Lord finally allowed him to release much of the pain and anger he had
harbored all those years. What better gift to me then such words! Our
friendship grew over time. We spoke frequently.
The 1/9 has a network of veterans of the Nam era. Casey felt compelled
to support my care package effort and asked his network if they would be
willing to donate to the packages. A year after our rather unusual
'meeting' I was delivered by hand a check for $1000 from one of the
members who lived in Virginia. Later that year, in the fall of 2010, I
was invited to the 1/9 national reunion as a guest. Once again I find
it hard to express my feelings. To recall how Casey and I started, to
being an honored guest at their reunion is hard to put into words. I
again thank God for making all things possible. That network has
donated more than once to supporting my care packages. Who ever
would have thought at the outset where this angry email would have taken
us? Casey and I will remain friends throughout our lives.
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