My friend R. J. Del Vecchio sent this link to me.
A WW2 Marine survivor of Iwo Jima and Okinawa speaks about his generation, their sacrifices, their attitudes, and how they died. Something worth watching, hearing, and passing on.
Dr. Heilman (93) is the national spokesperson for the Greatest Generations Foundation. He served in the U.S. Marines during World War II, and is well-known for his commitment to raise awareness for other veterans.
His vivid descriptions about the battles and explanations as to why their experiences were not talked about in social circles, at the dinner table, or other gatherings. The aftereffects of the battle and how soldiers were impacted by it holds true for any battle from the beginning of time. His talk is less than thirty minutes and the video continues with an additional half an hour of questions/answers from the audience. This is a great presentation and offers listeners reasons why those who have fought in a war don’t want to talk about it.
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CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website 
Les, Brother, old ghosts and horrors NEVER die easy, do they???. They say ” Only the Dead go Free” , And here we are, Still Standin’ . At least, we made it, didn’t we? .
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A neighbor of mine as a kid, Ted is still living. He fought Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and Tarawa. He was recalled for Korea too. Ted is now 97, fairly healthy but near deaf. My street was one block long and we had three such Marines on our street that served like Ted. I am proud of them though two are gone. I followed with an Army career from being drafted in 1967 to retirement in 2005. I missed Nam by being lucky.
I served two tours of the Balkans and two of the Middle East. While I ended up 100% disabled from wear and tear I have never been wounded and I am thankful for that.
A late friend from my town, Stockton, CA Charles (Chuck) Tatum wrote the book, “Red Blood and Black Sand” about Iwo Jima. He was with MOH recipient Marine Sgt Bastone when he was cut down by Japanese fire on Iwo Jima. Read Chuck’s book, it was made in to a PBS documentary too.
I see Ted’s kids at the Legion post and I always ask about him. He may have been a Gunny but this old Army colonel looks up to him with admiration and honor. six Purple Hearts ain’t nothing to be ashamed of and survive and he is still proud of his service. Semper Fi Teddy Boy! We love you!
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I had an interesting experience today. I an an 81 year old Vietnam Veteran. I’m the guy who wrote the Christmas in Soc Trang story. Twice a week I have a visiting nurse come from the VA. I had printed out my Christmas story and she asked to read it. It was obvious that most of the things in the story, that we understand, that she had no idea what it was all about. I tried to explain to her the significance of the story – she didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. That’s why, even after 50+ years I don’t talk about “IT” to civilians – they don’t understand and I don’t care to go into all the details to try to educate them even though they may get the physical details of the story, they are not capable of comprehending the emotional part of the story. That’s why I talk to veterans only. They understand. Merry Christmas everyone and Welcome Home.
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It just seems to me that no one really gives a hoot about my tour of duty… especially nowadays you have to be pretty old to even be thinking or caring about Vietnam. But even when I first came home most folks didn’t seem to have much interest. Funny thing … I think about the Nam every day. If you weren’t there it is probably the farthest thing from your mind. So I try not to talk unless I’m sure you really want to hear. Sometimes I feel like a jerk when I do say things that slip out because for me the Nam is just below the surface. Nobody around me realizes that I’m often back there in a rice paddy here in 2019 50 years later. Anyways, that’s part of it for me… B Co 2/327 101st. 69-70. No Slack.
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On Sun, Dec 8, 2019 at 3:00 PM CherriesWriter – Vietnam War website wrote:
> pdoggbiker posted: ” My friend R. J. Del Vecchio sent this link to me. A > WW2 Marine survivor of Iwo Jima and Okinawa speaks about his generation, > their sacrifices, their attitudes, and how they died. Something worth > watching, hearing, and passing on. Dr. Heilman (” >
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i guess i still missed his point why none of you want to talk about it to gruesome is all i can figure out, somethign you dont want to relive something you would like you would want to forget
my cousins dad was killed normandy beach buried them he finally a couple of years ago before he himself died got to make the trip that he had a heart attack there so was hospitalzed before he could even make it thru to the cemetery
M Dutil-Morin http://www.we-r-unique.ca (not .com!) French Genealogy
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Mary… it isn’t that I want to forget. I don’t want to EVER forget Vietnam. It was one of the most profound and significant things I have ever experienced. I run those days thru my thoughts so that I won’t forget. But maybe that interferes with the present. It is written in the Scripture “forget those things which are past…”. But I would suppose that means things which are of no value. The experience of war — as bad as it is — helps us understand the realities of this world… the evil that is in it. For me, Vietnam was the catalyst that brought me to Faith in the Lord of Glory Jesus Christ who “loved me and washed me from my sins in His own blood.”
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Miss Mary, I am 70 and retired I have spent the last fifty years working and raising a family. There was a copy of “Cherries” on the bookshelf at my local Vet Center. I found the book interesting and concluded that “mr. pdoggbiker” had it much easier than I. We all do that. I joined the First Cav Association, VVA and the DAV and am active in this blog. I have just recently stated to talk about it and do not seem to be able to keep my mouth shut. Many of us did not talk about it, for years, simply because we were making up for lost time.
I was in for less than two years – returning just in time to see my friends graduate , marry, and start careers and families. Those are the things that we all wanted at the time. I had no time to dwell on the past. It was not manly to whine about how we were treated, etc. I wanted all of the things that my friends had and I worked toward that goal much like the returnees from other wars/conflicts. I talked about things with my Dad (WWII Combat Vet) and Uncles ( WWII and Korea) when we were alone. A lot of the Vietnam experiences are circumstantial and episodic. I went through training with a guy who happened to take a few extra days of leave prior to deploying for Vietnam. For whatever reason he ended up in the same battalion albeit in a different company. Our experiences were totally different ( he missed the incursion into Cambodia ) He spent his entire tour in a rifle company. I did not. Initially I was in a rifle company . I think that one of the bloggers of this article (LT Knudson ) was my PL. He was a real gentleman and I respected him. Somehow I went to Sniper School and became an asset for the battalion and as my friend would later say” I was all over the place” working for a lot of not so nice folks. There are a million stories and most people can not relate to them – even fellow veterans of the same era and time frame. A year or two earlier or later is impossible. We do listen to one another and try to be sort of respectful in PTSD meetings; but not always. If fellow combat vets or brothers can not talk about it to one another , how can we talk to the general public
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That’s his opinion for his experiences. This so called, “Greatest Generation” is a real misnomer. The WW-2 generation responded to what they were called upon to face, just like every other American generation. They were also the most racist generation. That generation sent me and my generation to Vietnam without a plan to win the war. The biggest reason I didn’t bother to discuss my Infantry experiences with the general public was it was over their head. I freely discuss those experiences with fellow Veterans who understand the experience. The treatment we received after our tour in Vietnam was totally shameful. It wasn’t until after the victories of Desert Storm that the Vietnam Veteran on the coat tails of those Veterans, got any recognition. You can take your Welcome Home PC BS and shove it!
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I liked the presentation. I am in a PTSD group at my local vet center. I am a member of the DAV and the VVA. On Sunday I attended my 2nd meetng of the VVA. I met a guy that was in my company a few ears prior – they trained together and were deployed as a unit much like the WWII guys. We were replacements and did not benefit from that. There was a lot of racist BS in Vietnam. Do you remember the white boys being called “Rabbits”
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The WWII veterans were sent into war as recognizable, organized units – even most of the replacements were sent as groups. Most of us were sent as individuals. When they came home, many came home as pat of an organized units. We came home as individuals. The media made them heroes. If we got any attention at all it was mostly negative. They went to war because the county had been attacked. We were sent into war for some politicians paranoia over the world becoming communist. They were allowed to fight to win – we were not. They won their war – ours was unwinnable from the beginning. They came home heroes, we just came home, being made the scapegoats for a war that only a few politicians wanted. We all fought our a@@ es of and we know it. Nobody else knows it or even cares. That’s why we talk to each other but nobody else.
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Well said.
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A little on the harsh side Robert but there’s not a damn thing I disagree with. We had no end game and conducted the war incrementally. Our inept political leadership was more concerned about pissing off China thus holding back our true capability. The end result could have and should have produced a whole lot less than 58+K deaths along with an obvious victory. In so far as “why we don’t talk about it”, once again as was stated, the general public couldn’t and didn’t comprehend enough about what we faced to relate. I, as well, freely discuss my experiences with those who were there, otherwise I’m not wasting my time. After 52 years I still have a bitter taste in my mouth regarding my treatment and my fellow Vietnam Veterans’ treatment in the years following. Pitiful, just plain pitiful.
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Very well done and very much appreciated from a Vietnam Veteran! I am a good example of those who experience war that oftentimes have a hard time telling about it – it took me 9-11, depression, and an understanding doctor who referred me to a Vietnam counselor and finally PTSD treatment which then allowed me to open up to others.
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Are you LT Knudson from C 1/5 . Ist Cavalry Division 70-71? CO was Bob Parrish? BC was James Anderson?
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