Breaking Silences

As a Navy corpsman and combat medic in Vietnam, I spent years treating wounded veterans, both in the field and upon their return to the States. I was stationed at Khe Sanh during the Tet Offensive. During that time, I witnessed incredible suffering, bravery, and sacrifice. Having lived through that when so many died, I dedicated my life to serving veterans. I spent my professional career as a psychiatric nurse for the Veterans' Administration. Over 46 years, I not only supported veterans through their journeys with trauma, I had to face my own trauma and PTSD as a combat veteran as well. While this memoir is a personal story, it is also the story of a national trauma that has been sequestered in silences. When an administration fails to attend fully to the needs of combat veterans both in the field and at home, veterans learn to keep silent about their trauma. Service members learn not to talk about their suffering. This silence is connected to the demoralizing reality of veteran suicides, substance abuse, and dysfunction. This book is my own effort to break some of the silences I've learned to keep. I hope it inspires others to talk about their experiences as well.