|
Hanoi Radio Warning |
Welcome, my name is John Bumbul
|
|
In Honor of All Women who served or are serving
Our Country. You Are Heroes.
War is an external and internal hell that every veteran, male or female, has experienced. Vietnam is no
exception. The only difference is that Vietnam was an unpopular war.
No one wants to hear about it or even cares. It's in the past so let's forget it.
I never even got a "Welcome Home" except from my wife and family.
So many stories have gone untold because people don't have the time to listen or
really don't care. It happens so many times in our lives. Don't these people realize how much
we hurt! Our stories must be told so no one ever forgets the horrors of war.
So many men and women did not come back to share their story, and others came back with outward signs of the horrors of war. I was one of the lucky ones, I bear no outward signs of the war, but that does not mean I have no wounds, not all wounds are physical. Many wounds and battles are fought from within, and some are still being fought today. All Vets have a story, but not all have someone to listen to them. Even when we do, sometimes it hurts just too much to talk about it that we keep it inside and let it eat at us. I have a story to be told, and yes it does hurt, it may not hurt you, but it does hurt me. It hurts just because it was war. It hurts because of friends lost in the war, and it hurts when people don't care. |
This site is a healing process for me. I can begin to tell my story without the hurt of rejection.
But this is only a beginning, a small portion of my story. I know that most of my stories will never be told.
But it is my hope that through these pages the healing process can begin for me, and all those who are still in need of healing.
PTSD IS REAL!!
When I came home I suffered from it but never knew it. I didn't understand what PTSD was. All I knew was what I was feeling and experiencing in my life. The nightmares, the anxiety, sleepless nights, chest pains, and these are just a few of the symtoms. Sure I went to the doctors, so many I lost count, and almost always I was told it's just stress I need to learn to relax. They would all give me some kind of pills to ease the symtoms and help me sleep, but to be honest, they don't work. Still today I suffer and sleep only 2 hours at a time. Finally I was evaluated by the VA doctors and they confirmed that I suffer from PTSD. They also give you a hand full of pills to take but they don't work either. But it's all good because I know I'm not crazy and by putting a name on it I can cope most of the time. Every now and then that ugly dragon raises it's head and gets the best of me, but I know it will pass. It took almost 25 years for that to happen, but the key is to never give up, keep looking for the answer to your feelings. Someday you will find that one doctor that knows what PTSD is and how disabling it can be and the healing begins just as it has for me. But take it from me, it IS REAL and it NEVER completely goes away. I still pop my pills on a daily basis and thank God for the good days I have.
AGENT ORANGE SLEEPS UNTIL IT'S TIME TO WAKE
You read about agent orange and all the horrible side effects but you feel lucky because you don't have any. WRONG! It happened to me. many years have past and now I have diabetes, just one of the side effects of exposure to agent orange. I urge all vets to go to the VA web site and look up the side effects that they have definitely linked to agent orange.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, who salutes the flag, serves under the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.
---unknown
Please visit my Awards Pages for All Awards Honoring this site
Awards
Received with Honor - Displayed with Pride
The Welcome Home Graphic below is reserved for display by
Military on Active Duty, a Veteran, or a family member of one!!
|
We married August 7, 1971... 2 weeks later I left for Vietnam.
|
EMail me at: deaconjohn99@hotmail.com |