Alwaysawarrior

1,320,727 poems read

THE PRICE WE HAVE PAID TO MAINTAIN YOUR FREEDOM!

WE HAVE LOST WAY TOO MANY VETERANS FROM PHYSICAL WOUNDS, AND FROM THE
MANY ISSUES RELATED TO POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) DURING OUR
OWN HISTORY THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. WHETHER IT WAS FROM THEIR SERVICE IN
WORLD WAR TWO, THE KOREAN WAR, THE VIETNAM WAR, THE GULF WAR OR ALL THE
MANY OTHER RECENT WARS AND CONFLICTS INCLUDING IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN AND NOW
ALSO FROM HAVING BEEN VICTIMS OF ATTACKS BY DIFFERENT TERRORISTS GROUPS
FROM AROUND THIS WORLD OF OURS AND STILL TOO THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN ATTACKS
HERE AT HOME IN THE USA AS WELL. THERE IS HELP AVAILABLE FOR ALL VETERANS
WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THESE DIFFERENT MEDICAL AND MENTAL ISSUES THAT
ARE RELATED TO THEIR SERVICE DEFENDING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY'S FREEDOM TOO.
TO ALL THESE VETERANS I SAY THAT YOU'RE NOT ALONE, PLEASE SEEK OUT THE
HELP FROM YOUR COUNTY VETERANS REPRESENTATIVES, THE V A SYSTEM OR THOSE
LOCAL VETERANS GROUPS IN YOUR AREA WHO CAN HELP YOU TO DEAL WITH PTSD AND
OTHER ISSUES FROM YOUR SERVICE TO OUR GREAT NATION. YOU HAVE EARNED IT
AND YOU ARE ENTITLED TO GET THE HELP YOU NEED, SUICIDE HAS NEVER BEEN OR
WILL IT EVER BE THE ONLY SOLUTION LEFT TO YOU TO END YOUR PAIN AND YOUR
SUFFERING FROM ALL THESE ISSUES THAT YOU ARE FACING IN YOUR LIVES. NEVER
GIVE UP AND NEVER GIVE IN TO YOUR PAIN AND SUFFERING AND KEEP FIGHTING
EVERY DAY AND EVERY NIGHT TO SURVIVE IT ALL. IT TOOK ME 6.5 YEARS DURING
WHICH I ALMOST GAVE IN SEVERAL TIMES TO THE REJECTIONS FROM THE VA SYSTEM
FOR HELP WITH MY OWN SERVICE CONNECTED PHYSICAL AND PHYSCOLOGICAL ISSUES
THAT I HAD AND I STILL DEAL WITH FROM MY YEAR OF COMBAT IN THE VIETNAM WAR.
BUT THERE CAME A TIME WHEN THE VA SYSTEM COULD NO LONGER REJECT THE HELP
THAT I'D EARNED AND WAS ENTITLED TO FROM MY SERVICE TO OUR OWN NATION, IT HAD
THE MANY TESTS RESULTS AND ALL THOSE HOOPS THAT I HAD TO GO THROUGH HAD
PROVED BEYOND ANY DOUBT WHAT-SO-EVER THAT ALL OF MY ISSURES WERE DIRECTLY
RELATED TO MY HEAVY EXPOSURE TO THE MANY CHEMICALS SPRAYED ALL OVER OUR
OUTPOST TO KILL OFF THOSE JUNGLE PLANTS AND BUSHES THAT THE ENEMY USED TO
HIDE IN AS THEY SNUCK UP TO ATTACK US BECAUSE THEY KNEW WE COULDN'T SEE
THEM. YOU SERVED OUR NATION WITH PRIDE AND WITH GREAT COURAGE AS WELL AND
YOU ARE ENTITLED TO GET THE HELP YOU NEED AND THAT YOU HAVE EARNED, PLEASE
NEVER GIVE UP AND NEVER GIVE IN AND KEEP FIGHTING EVERY DAY AND EVERY NIGHT.

© Terry Sasek - Alwaysawarrior (Former Sargent U.S. Air Force - Vietnam 68-69)

I still shudder when I think back to the night of January 10, 1973 on the 4th
anniversary of the worst attack our base had endured during my combat tour of
duty down in the Mekong Delta area by the Cambodian border, we had 3 killed
and 9 wounded that night and to this day I still don't know how I survived the
attack as I was caught out in the open no where near any bunker that I could
get to for safety. I was still single back then and this 4th anniversary was
bringing to me the worst nightmares I had ever had related to that date and I
was drunk and decided to end my life that night, but no matter how hard I had
tried my weapon would not fire even after I checked to make sure the safety
selector on it was off. I finally passed out and when I awoke late the next
morning with a terrible hang over and saw my weapon lying on the floor there
in front of me I suddenly realized what I had almost done that night and I
got rid of all of my weapons that I had the same day. It was just 10 months
later when I met the beautiful young lady who would one year later marry me.
She has been my guardian angel here on earth ever since, several years later
when I told her of that night in January of 1973 and what I had almost done,
she said it was divine intervention which had kept my weapon from working that
night and I agree also because God had other plans for me in life and as I've
reflected back over the years I still shudder when I realize all that I would
have missed out on had my weapon fired that night. I have a very loving wife,
a daughter and a son and we have three grandchildren who have all made me
look forward to each and every new day of life that God has blessed me with.

Comment On This Poem --- Vote for this poem
THE PRICE WE HAVE PAID TO MAINTAIN YOUR FREEDOM!