¡Colores!; 511; Five New Mexico Veterans of The Vietnam War

Funding for COLORES was Frederick Hammersly Foundation, >>THIS TIME, ON COLORES! AFTER 50 YEARS, NEW MEXICO POIGNANT EXPERIENCES AND >>Some people find their happen for me, >>Fifty years or It's still like it It doesn't go away. >>And a lot of times I was see alive and so that's for them and let them know and they weren't >>IT'S ALL AHEAD >>I'm just sitting

I'm thinking, Jesus, I've I could have refused the that just wasn't me. I was still at Our Lady elementary school and I I started dreaming In high school at Saint in a helicopter and I was to go into the army helicopter pilot. A captain came running out got a bad situation, can And, you know I had a know, just beautiful and Where is it, you know.

And the problem was that on, they were still were still getting KIAs so we didn't know exactly bamboo forest. We could only I looked at the bamboo and blades and I said, well if in the middle of the trail aircraft more than ten getting down into the I going to see if those bamboo like a lawn mower. And boy it did, but it was it looked like a power There was just stuff started getting concerned tail rotor or the engine

up with bamboo because stall, engine failure. But I said, if I can do and land in the same spot. We went in five more times cut through the bamboo the battle and the wounded You could hear rifles machine guns, you could though the helicopter was There was an amazing They told me that, hey here, these people are getting on the aircraft. And I'm looking around and and stuff and just They got the wounded and

then I get back to the at least five more times I could put about twelve But each time we went out gross weight limitations The big thing was, the we had twenty-two people we couldn't leave five or have been taken out. And so, we overloaded Fortunately, we were fuel, so that weight And it flew It was noisy. I mean the blades were down and we looked at not believe it, but again, not shot and why the They could have done it.

They absolutely Same thing with Jack. We got back and we just, even to I'll tell you one thing arriving most every day certainly have lost Without your unsurpassed I would be nothing I left Vietnam and I left here to Albuquerque and I there was my wife and day, you think about it didn't have the problems. Yeah, I was patriotic and

thing we were doing, totally different. I came to the conclusion there and let these themselves and I don't think I really saw no I saw too many I saw too much going on in disturbing. I never felt betrayed by doing the marches I didn't have any I still don't. A lot of people came back welcome I got back from baby killer and

That never happened to me. Everybody was glad Well honey, I'll I want you to know that I have had a better wife I love you Jan, Your man, Tom. >>To see life pass out of It was an honor to be them and a lot of times, they would see alive and be there for them and let

with them and that they And we just kept on there's plenty more people didn't stop coming. This one night, there causalities coming in and room to help them and I and they said, "Go in the supplies" Bandages So, I went back there, and young man and the gurney. He looked like he was

to him and he had he was still warm and he back because they knew I didn't know what to do and hold him you know for back home and his whole To see him lying there so of the incredible things no way anything could I've been through all the but there's nothing that

and why that particular but his face came back to Somehow, we got a You would see the people burning flags and blaming the soldiers. They were totally Instead of blaming the all of us who were over We were all lumped into killers and not doing It was very hard I finally just had to turn concentrate on taking

One day on the ward, I was making out the schedule high, mainly to prevent get a direct hit. I saw the screen door thinking somebody would come up No one came so finally my of me and I got up and looked little weensy baby. She's about I don't grasshopper, but she had a an ice cream The chief nurse had named gotten back from burying

waif comes in and I think sure need you." I adored my mom and when very, I didn't care if I back over there so Mona, And I did bring her home easy, it took a lot At least I was able to >>What do you do, you know? Your life is totally You're not in Uncle Sam now So, I was sitting one

talking to the guard when this man a moped. Help me! Help me! Help me! So, he pulls up and I look daughter hanging onto booby-trap that was a and that white phosphorus A piece of skin. So, I run over to pick bike, hollered at the the corpsman came So, as we lifted her stretcher, all the skin was in my hand. All I could see was the bone Of course, she was in She wasn't screaming or So the corpsman helped me as we did it, the skin on

The corpsman just dropped and I started trying to then we got her to the father go with her cause somewhere to the hospital somebody so they let Never heard if she lived point was you know you casualties in wartime and much more so than Because they're generally generally not expected. They don't have the so here is a perfect who didn't do anything to probably died or if not, her life from massive was very memorable. Something you never

I think coming back wasn't until you I got married within a from Vietnam so I was parties before And this lady looked up She said "My you really in Florida." And I just "Oh no, Vietnam." And the look on her face what to do. It wasn't like today, service, you know. No. It was like, oh my god She immediately skedaddled I could tell there was know if it was fear or she

somebody who can I just found it awfully I think the attitude weren't protesting, the just sort of well if we will go away. >>Fifty years or It's still like it It doesn't go away. It doesn't go away. You see the sampans They have their chickens and at night they'd set Once they fired once, we pretty Sometimes you'd see

all over the water If you were firing at fire back at you, so you really on a pond. You didn't know from which shoot at you. You don't know if you're When I came out, we flew the plane back So I was there getting yelling and calling us killers and we'd just kind them just came up front cause I was the shortest and I was going to go

it's not worth it. I just wanted It was depressing in a way way about somebody who their freedom and I I just couldn't I had seen enough. I was glad to be home in a I felt lost. I think what was troubling surviving the war, knowing it back. So, you kind of feel Why is it we lost so many, Of course, I think like anybody

Every time general quarters came We could survive this You just got to hold onto make the best out of it them much either and of they're pretty intense. Sometimes I'd have dreams water sometimes, we'd see that and it just I don't care how strong strong of a mind you have, it sticks to you and >>Some people find their god in

I lost mine. How could you see such and think there was I was scared to come I was really tired. I was really depleted. You know, the thought head, I'll never fit in I tried, but I didn't. I didn't tell anybody I thought, they would know

they wouldn't I was really isolated. I guess that's what I don't tell I had thought of suicide the ward I was working at I thought "Oh my god, she it and I could too." And I wasn't quite So, I was living I bought a backpack backpacking by myself up I spent three days and two complete solitude. That's when I decided become a dentist. But the thing that into my life.

There was just something It could hold It could hold the faces. I had a patient who came Goodacre was going to be I should call her and see did it and I thought, But I gave her a call and Fridays, I'm here." And I went every When I walked in and saw time, I just turned I couldn't even talk. She said she But then I came back and bad penny. She was working on just she said "You know Dotty, need some work."

And so, I worked on them didn't know what I realized later that she would have contact with how long it took her to she said "eh, just an hour ♪ ♪ Being at the It was really healing is It was filled with women and I think that helped aloneness, that there were The ladies who I feel like

intimate with them. They were so adorned, It was so nice, It was pretty special. I can't describe That was probably really cause that's what made And then walking down people saying thank you. It was hard for me because remember were the ones were always saying thank think, "thank her, don't And it took me a long time they didn't all die, you

Then this year, the call from a guy who had He was one of my patients He's had a great life. It was pretty surprising. >>Funding for COLORES

Frederick Hammersley Foundation