Veterans over the age of 50 account for
69.3 percent of all veteran suicides
wondered why we weren't treated that way. For a lot of guys, it
really hurt their self-image. Vietnam was an unpopular war, like
Iraq was, but the guys who were fighting over in Vietnam were
painted to be the bad guys by the media and universities, like
we made the decision to start the war. Today it's 'hate the war,
love the warrior.' We (Vietnam vets) wonder where we'll fit into
"A lot of Vietnam vets I knew are dead. With some it was history."
obvious suicide, others mysteriously died, drove off a cliff - that
I'm too young to remember anything about the Vietnam War
sort of thing. When I got out of the Navy, there was no such thing
as PTSD. We were told to suck it up and go. Take an aspirin. but I like to think if I had been older, I would have walked up to
A lot of guys who saw action were told to deal with it. Today, Steve and thanked him, as I do whenever I see a man or woman
the soldiers are a bit more fortunate. They come home and are in uniform today. Letting our troops know that they're thought
honored. We had crap thrown at us. I got into a lot of fights with of, missed, and cared for, whether with a care package from
mom or a ball and glove from Operation: GLove, will hopefully
hippies who called us names and spit on us.
"It was so strange because we had seen what happened help them cope with the stress of combat. And to any veterans
when the World War II vets came home. They were heroes. We past or present, thank you for your service.
Of all the information I read preparing for this article on
Operation: GLove, the statistic above was the most troubling.
To find out why this number is so high, I called my friend Steve
Shaffer who served in the Navy as a Naval Aviator during the
Vietnam War. Here is his take on the subject:
If you or someone you know needs help, call the national crisis line for the military and
veterans at 1-800-273-8255 or send a text to 838255.
OUR YUCAIPA | JANUARY 2014
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