That was my "Christmas present" back in '67...
A lot has transpired since then, spiritually, physically and mentally, including a long journey back to my precious Catholic faith...
Don't get me wrong, I was not a "typical" G.I. gone crazy while away from home, doing things most unpleasing to God and rejecting His divine grace for the sake of a moment's pleasure...
But I did "go crazy" after my return to "the world" (home) on December 16, 1968...
One thing I vividly remember as I was walking through the airport terminal on my way to meet my parents and be driven back to our home located in northwest New Jersey, was an Army brother G.I. still in his jungle fatigues, alone, waiting for who or what I would never know...
This is how it worked, sometimes: a G.I. out in the field would get his orders to exit Vietnam when his tour was up and be pulled out from the field, gather his possessions and orders and be taken to one of the many commercial airliners that were contracted to take us back to the U.S.
One of the really sad parts of the whole Vietnam experience, especially for those brothers that had life and death combat encounters, is that the G.I. would be back home in about 14 or 15 hours, in some cases, right after a firefight! There was no time to relax, rewind, talk and heal, unlike the G.I.s of previous wars that were on troop ships for days or even weeks, and if wounded, on a hospital ship. Nope, not us. We boarded a jet: goodbye and good luck, see you later pal...
For some G.I.s, that's when the real battle began...
The now-common acronym, PTSD, hadn't become part of the lexicon at that time, yet that's what many Vietnam Vets experienced, some to this very day...
I guess you could say that I was one of the "lucky" ones... In that I was not -- physically -- wounded by enemy fire, but psychologically and spiritually, yes, very much so.
My spiritual journey was a whole different ball game, nearly losing my faith for almost two decades, but by the constant prayers of my mother and my dear aunt (Sister, Angela Spinelli, of the Religious Teachers Filippini) I was saved from almost certain, eternal destruction!
Later, much later, I would suffer physically with what is called a spindle cell sarcoma caused by the chemical defoliant, Agent Orange, used extensively in Vietnam to uncover the enemies' hiding places, caches and infiltration trails into the South. That hellish chemical was the cause of many cancers and birth defects of the children of the troops who were exposed to it out in the field, but also on air force flightlines as the deadly chemical drifted unseen through the air as A.O. was loaded onto C-130 aircraft to be sprayed on the jungle forests.
(For many years, the Veterans Administration (VA) absolutely denied any connection between A.O. and the cancers that it produced, but that changed, as many ailments have now been added to the "presumptive list" allowing Vietnam Vets to get treatment and disability compensation!)
I could write a book here, (in fact I have; several: The Battle For Oscar Six is still available on Amazon), but all I ask is for anyone reading this missive to pray for me -- and all Vietnam Vets, for their physical and spiritual needs -- and conversion, or to come back to the faith, as the Prodigal son returned to the arms of his jubilant Father...
One more thing... I was no hero during my Vietnam tour, I just did my job as so many others did.
I still do love my country, very much so...
Pray for strength and honor!
Viva Christo Rey! Bl. Fr. Miguel Pro, Fr. Emil Kapaun and Fr. Vincent Capodanno, pray for us...
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle...
Gene DeLalla
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