Page 160 - Stand Down Vietnam

It was career-ending for a soldier to ask to see a
psychiatrist. The idea of having to “stuff it” was a
real problem during my entire military career. How do
you get help, document your injury and remain on active
duty? That was the underlying challenge we all faced.
So, we “stuffed it”, and brought our problems home with
us.

I probably met well over one hundred soldiers who had
served multiple tours. I would guess twenty percent of
those volunteered for multiple tours because they liked
the benefits, the tax-free income, and the combat pay.
They were in a different segment of our society.

Thirty to forty percent volunteered to go back only
because they had nothing else going on in their life.
Some of them had the attitude that “I’m single, take
me, don't take that married guy.” Others were sent
back against their will. I met them, and I know their
entire demeanor was changed on the second or third
tour. Many of them became totally different and very
difficult people to deal with.

The question of “combat ready” training is subjective.
I can only talk about the training I went through. I
believe I was trained well. I listened and did what I
was told, and I studied hard because I wanted to get
advancements, and because if my name was called to go,

I wanted to be well trained.

I heard stories the medics were not trained for serious
combat wounds; they were only trained for stopping the
bleeding, that kind of thing. I think this is a
subject that we’ll never know the answer to unless you
get some combat medics to speak up. Most Veterans I’ve
spoken withhold their medics in very high regard. In
fact, the medic was often called: “DOC”.