Brian's tough recovery from service in Vietnam

From the information office: MILLIONS TO BURN — First Lieutenant Brian Vissers, Grand Rapids, Mich., Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), unpacks part of the four and one-quarter-million dollars in outmoded Military Payment Certificate (MPC) which was directed to be destroyed recently. (U.S. Army Photo by 1st Lt. Stephen Atkinson)

This episode is kind of the counterpart to last week’s episode.

Brian had some good times, even in a time and place as dark as Vietnam in 1971. But he also came away with some deep scars, physical and psychological, from the things that he experienced and the things that he did. In this episode, he talks a little about how that affected his life, and what his readjustment to civilian life was like.

It’s a hard episode to listen to, but essential. When we acknowledge the costs and sacrifices associated with military service, this is at the very core. To look away is to ignore the needs of our veterans.

You can read along with the podcast on YouTube.

Suggested Links

Fort Ord Stockade Protest

The military was loathe to admit any unrest on its bases, be it related to race, the draft, or anything else, so many records of such events have been suppressed. There are no news reports of unrest on bases from the day. The movie Sir! No Sir! has collected supporting materials on this website that describe much of the timeline of unrest, including on Fort Ord.

The War Within: Appalachian Veterans of Vietnam

This short documentary from 1981 is an early look at some of the impacts of combat experience in Vietnam. This video quality is a little rough, but that age part of the value of this video. It isn’t polished and sterilized, it has frank, sometimes startling interviews with social workers, veterans, and even wives. Includes some folk music and images and video from the war as well.