Veterans' Day

To all the vets out there-- Thank You! I wish you peace.

When I was growing up, one of my neighbors was a Viet Nam vet. He was a USMC combat medic. Back then, nobody had ever heard of PTSD. My neigbor, T, was a sweet and funny man, when his demons weren't tormenting him. When they did, he drank. People called him the Neighborhood Drunk. Most avoided him. My Mom and Dad liked him, and listened to him. He was my friend. I had no clue what he suffered. I only knew he came back from over there having seen awful things, and it hurt him. It cost him his marriage, and his daughter, who was about my age. Maybe that's why he liked me and told me funny stories. My Dad used to talk to him and encourage him to stop drinking. It didn't happen. I watched someone I cared about slowly self destructing. One night T was evicted from his apartment because he woke up in a flashback and beat up his roommate, who he thought was an enemy soldier trying to kill him as he slept. After that he disappeared and became one of the far too many homeless vets out there. I still wonder how he is doing, and I pray for him. Since my accident, and being diagnosed with PTSD myself, I have a clue about what he was going through. I wish someone had understood back then and offered him the help he needed so badly. I hope by now, he has found peace.