6 Year Old Boy Sums it Up Well

[Fritsch_the_cat]

My dad was a career army man, served in both Korea and Vietnam. Brother saw combat in Vietnam as well. One thing both of them always said, and I've heard many other vets say it too, is that men who actually saw combat never mention it.

 

[RunDMC]

 

[JoeKing]

My dad was a career army man, served in both Korea and Vietnam. Brother saw combat in Vietnam as well. One thing both of them always said, and I've heard many other vets say it too, is that men who actually saw combat never mention it.

SHHHH... it's like "Fight Club".

If they don't talk about it then why do we know about it? Vets that can't or don't talk about it should get counseling so they can properly process what they went through. I know because I did.

 

[Kaiser]

My dad was a career army man, served in both Korea and Vietnam. Brother saw combat in Vietnam as well. One thing both of them always said, and I've heard many other vets say it too, is that men who actually saw combat never mention it.

The short answer is some mention it and some do. In this thread, @mrtxstar was insulted and responded with his military service. The majority of combat veterans would do the same thing, they/we aren't monks sworn to silence. But what your Father and Brother said is generally true, the guys who served don't bring it up gratuitously and the guys who can't stop talking about it in bars where generally cooks and clerks.

 

[JoeKing]

The short answer is some mention it and some do. In this thread, @mrtxstar was insulted and responded with his military service. The majority of combat veterans would do the same thing, they/we aren't monks sworn to silence. But what your Father and Brother said is generally true, the guys who served don't bring it up gratuitously and the guys who can't stop talking about it in bars where generally cooks and clerks.

Another thing to take into consideration is the way the military treats PTSD. We are told not wanting to talk about combat experiences is symptomatic of someone that hasn't processed their experiences in a healthy manner. I too had an Uncle that was a Viet Nam Vet in the USMC. He would rarely talk about his experiences when I was younger. In the 90's he began receiving proper treatment for his PTSD. By the time I retired from the military he and I had very good conversations about our combat experiences. He is one of the ones that finally received proper treatment. Many still have not and can't or don't talk about it.

 

[JoeKing]

BTW @Kaiser, thank you for your service.

 

[MRV52]

Another 20 years son. Not bad you will only be 26.

 

[Kaiser]

In the 90's he began receiving proper treatment for his PTSD. By the time I retired from the military he and I had very good conversations about our combat experiences. He is one of the ones that finally received proper treatment. Many still have not and can't or don't talk about it.

Totally agree, I figured out my Father had severe PTSD in my late 20's when I working through my own (insomnia and anger, nothing major). My Father told us he was in the Navy Submarine service in WWII but never talked about it, when he passed away we got his records and saw that he was actually on a transport ship but had a Silver Star and 4 Purple Hearts. One of my sisters was furious and felt that he had lied to her by not talking about it. I asked her how someone could explain to young daughters that he got shot 3 times and still went back out, or how you explain the Battle of Tarawa to a girl that is 8 years old. At that point, she got it.