Secrets and Shadows

This book takes my personal experiences from childhood to the point of Living with Ptsd for many years. I cannot speak for all Vietnam Veterans and only for myself. Coming from a middle class family and enjoying growing up till a war changed everything and created an atmosphere of resentment, bitterness and hopelessness for the future. As a Marine Corps drill instructor once said. “It's our job to take kids straight out of high school whose biggest worry was getting a prom date and transforming them into cold blooded killers!” War is an ugly business that leaves unseen permanent scars. Back then there was no outreach programs or grief counseling. The Marine Corps solutions was “Get drunk and forget it” or “Saddle up and move on because it won't get better”. Over 58,000 of my brothers in arms lost their lives in Vietnam and no-one can really say why. Then returning home to a country that scorned our service forcing us to keep deep secrets and live the rest of our lives in the shadows of other Veterans who welcomed home with open arms. Vietnam veterans were the only veterans in history scorned , ridiculed and condemned for serving their country . Now we are put on the broken tools of war shelf to gather dust and be forgotten in time. As I have stated before. Don't ask me to say the pledge of Allegiance because it won't happen. I already did that, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served this nation in war. When I came home this Nation turned it's back on me and all the others that served in the armpit of Asia as well. This country owes me “Nothing” and I owe this country “Nothing”. We Are Even!!

Mad Wolf was raised in North Denver Colorado, and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corp at age 17 (1966-1970) Vietnam service 1968 to 1969. Now 66 years old I live mostly secluded and away from others with PTSD classified as 100% disabled due to the exposure to Agent Orange. Nothing else needs to be said because the book says it all. I'm just another one of Uncle Sam's broken tools of war that has been placed on a shelf to gather dust and be forgotten in time.