Life At 64 – The Adventure Continues

With Debbie in Idaho in 2012

I turn 64 today. It was suggested to me that I create a “bucket list.” I politely told the person that I didn’t need a bucket list. I’ve done just about everything I could desire to do in life.

No, it hasn’t been perfect. Whether alone or with Debbie, my wonderful wife of almost forty years, I have spent the last six plus decades walking the challenging path we call life. We have known success, failure, and success again. We have endured challenges, painful loss, and bittersweet times, but through it all we have endured with a philosophy of never giving up on life or each other.

I don’t need a bucket list. I am indeed proud to say that I managed to graduate from college, become an Army paratrooper and Ranger, serve in two wars, survive the bullets, mortars, or rockets directed at me, climb tall mountains, cross raging rivers, walk through jungles in Asia filled with both men and animals that could kill me, traverse deserts in the Middle East also filled with both men and animals that could kill me, jump out of perfectly good airplanes, ride a surfboard at dawn, scuba-dive in the ocean with sharks and in freshwater springs with alligators, survive the crash landing of an airplane, own a business, put a lot of bad guys in jail as a cop (and help a few good guys along the way), start a scholarship fund to honor a fellow police officer’s memory, write a book, live in the best country on earth, have the greatest parents and sister anyone could ask for, marry the finest woman in the world, father four beautiful children, and live to see my wonderful grandchildren. I didn't do everything right, but I hope the pluses are more than the minuses.

I have no right to ask for more than God has given me so far. I only wish to spend as much quality time with Debbie as I can. We have been blessed to retire together.

I received the following email from a good friend. We both grew up in Orlando in the fifties and sixties, and we now find ourselves on the far side of the hill of life. We don’t plan to cash in our chips any time soon, but it is easier to see the end of the game somewhere down the road:

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“Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.

If you're not in your winter yet, let me remind you that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long! Life goes by quickly. Do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life, so live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember, and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!

'Life' is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. Live it well, enjoy today, do something fun, be happy, travel everywhere, and have a great day. Remember that it is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. Live happy in 2013!

Lastly, consider the following:

• Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, yet the youngest you’ll ever be, so enjoy this day while it lasts.
• Your kids are becoming you, but your grandchildren are perfect!
• Going out is good; coming home is better!
• You forget names.... But it's okay because other people forgot they even knew you!
• You realize you're never going to be really good at things like golf.
• The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.
• You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called 'pre-sleep.'
• You miss the days when everything worked with just an 'ON' and 'OFF' switch.
• You tend to use more 4 letter words ... 'what?'...'when?'...
• Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.
• You notice everything they sell in stores is 'sleeveless.'
• What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
• Everybody whispers.
• You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet, two of which you will never wear.
• But old is good in some things: old songs, old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!

Stay well, 'OLD FRIEND!' Send this on to other 'Old Friends!' and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!

It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.”

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Thanks to my friend for his wisdom. Thanks to my family and friends for their support and love. Thanks to you for taking the time to read an old man’s musings.

Thanks to God for this life....

Charles M. Grist

www.MyLastWar.com

Home From The War: Army Sergeant Surprises Sons

You can never get tired of these reunion videos. Get the tissues out:

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From The Blaze:

THERE WILL BE TEARS: U.S. ARMY SGT. RETURNS HOME AFTER A YEAR IN AFGHANISTAN AND SURPRISES SONS AT SCHOOL ASSEMBLY

U.S. Army Sgt. Chris Page had been away from his two sons for roughly a year serving in Afghanistan. On Tuesday of last week, Hunter Dodd and Chandler Pittman got their dad back in a tearful reunion at a school assembly.

See the full story and the video here: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/02/25/u-s-army-sgt-returns-home-after-a-year-in-afghanistan-and-surprises-sons-at-school-assembly/

You can also watch more of these great videos at the Welcome Home Blog.

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Posted by
Charles M. Grist
Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq

Army Staff Sergeant To Receive The Medal Of Honor

Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha

The White House has announced that Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha, 31, will be awarded the Medal of Honor for “acts of gallantry” during a battle for Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan on October 3, 2009.

A large enemy force of some three hundred fighters attacked the base with rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns, mortars and rifles. During the battle, which lasted a full day, Romesha inspired other soldiers with his courage, personal example and leadership.

He killed several enemy troops, was wounded, and still developed a plan to secure major parts of the base. Romesha exposed himself to enemy fire and continued to eliminate enemy positions. He also directed air support that resulted in the destruction of a large enemy force, and he led other soldiers forward to recover wounded and dead American troops. A total of eight Americans were killed.

According to journalist Jake Tapper in his book “The Outpost,” Romesha is “an intense guy, short and wiry.” Tapper said that Romesha was the son of a Mormon church leader.

Charles M. Grist

Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran’s Tour in Iraq

War Veterans And PTSD

First Lieutenant Chuck Grist
Shortly before Christmas, 1970 , Northeast of Saigon

In three weeks, I will turn 64. I retired from the Army Reserve in 2009 (with service in Iraq as well as Vietnam). In 2010, I retired after twenty years as a police officer.

Back in 1970, I arrived in Vietnam as a twenty-one-year-old Army Ranger lieutenant. I would serve as an infantry platoon leader in combat where I would experience the deaths of men I knew as well as participate in the killing of the enemy soldiers who wanted to kill us.

Every day was lived on "red alert" where you were ready for something terrible to happen. When there was no action, there was the threatening silence of the jungle around you that was filled with bad guys. Who wouldn't remember most of this, no matter how long ago it happened?

Before you read the article below on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), check out this LINK to an article about the general statistics of Vietnam veterans. You will probably be surprised, and you will also learn that the guy with the work for food sign at the overpass is probably NOT a Vietnam veteran.

I encourage my fellow Vietnam veterans, my fellow post-9/11 veterans, or the veterans of any war to seek help if you need it. You are my brothers and sisters and I care about you.

No veteran of any war can escape the curse of the memories, those ghosts that often come to you in the dark of night. Some can handle the memories just fine, but others cannot.

As a poster in the local Veteran's Administration clinic says, "It takes the strength of a warrior to ask for help."

The following article from Stars and Stripes talks about retiring Vietnam veterans like me and the possibility that PTSD might rise from the shadows even forty years after the war:

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Retirement might unleash PTSD symptoms in Vietnam veterans

By Leo Shane III
Stars and Stripes
June 20, 2012

WASHINGTON — It took Sam Luna more than 35 years to get treatment for his post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I didn’t realize anything was wrong,” the combat-wounded Vietnam veteran said. “I thought I had adjusted well after I came back. I had a job, I had a family, everything looked great from the outside.”

But shortly after he retired in 2004, his anxiety attacks and stress levels increased. A trip to his local Veterans Affairs hospital triggered war memories. The former soldier started to notice the hair-trigger temper his wife had complained about for years.

He found himself thinking more often about the war — and the friends he lost.

“It was like I had a black box on the mantel for years, but I could ignore it when I left for work every day,” he said. “When I retired, it was still sitting there, waiting for me.”

Mental health experts say that kind of delayed trauma isn’t unusual. Major life events such as retirement often trigger personal reassessment and forgotten memories.

But for Vietnam veterans who returned decades ago to a harsh reception and limited mental health options, that could mean a new wave of stress and serious psychological issues as their generation enters retirement age.

The average age of a Vietnam vet is 65 years old. More than 5 million of the nation’s more than 7 million Vietnam-era veterans are between 60 and 70 years old, according to data from the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics.

An additional 1 million are expected to turn 60 within the next five years.

“A lot of people coped with the traumatic experiences in war by throwing themselves into work when they got home,” said Tom Berger, director of the health council at Vietnam Veterans of America. “Now, after being a workaholic for 40 years, they suddenly don’t have that structure in their life anymore. I expect there will be more and more folks seeking out help for those issues.”

But Berger and other veterans advocates worry that if there is a flood of new cases, the already struggling VA mental health system won’t be able to handle it.

In retrospect, Luna said, his PTSD should have been obvious.

His wife, Gloria, said after he returned from Vietnam, the 22-year-old soldier never spoke about the war or his injury. He punched walls when he got angry. He stewed in silence over things that caused him stress, and he lashed out at her and their children when it became too much.

“I knew he was different, but I figured that just happens when men come back from war,” she said.

For his part, Luna said he just “forgot” everything he saw overseas. He blocked out the stress of patrols in hostile areas, the men who got hit by sniper fire and the snare trap that shot a wooden spike through his right leg.

Once he was well enough to do so, he found work with the Texas criminal justice system as a probation officer and threw himself into his career.

“I just didn’t want to deal with that stuff,” he said. “I didn’t think there was anything I needed to deal with.”

John Edwards, a rifleman who was entering Vietnam the same year Luna was leaving, said he saw the same pattern in his war experience. After two years of violent scenes and close calls, he just wanted to return home to a “normal” life. He found success in a series of technology firms. He was diagnosed only recently — more than 40 years after his return — with PTSD.

“I didn’t feel right, and someone told me I should go in [to the VA] and talk with someone,” he said. “It wasn’t about getting benefits for me. It was about getting help.”

He’s getting that help now. Berger said it’s a common story heard by those at Vietnam Veterans of America, one that shows the need for mental health services for all ages.

But he worries an influx of cases like his could overburden the VA medical system.

“They just don’t have the resources to handle that,” he said.

Last year, more than 476,000 veterans received treatment for PTSD from VA hospitals and clinics, up dramatically from about 272,000 in fiscal 2006.

Iraq and Afghanistan veterans make up a large portion of that increase but still account for only about one-fifth of all PTSD patients. More than half of the new cases come from earlier wars.

In response to the demand, VA officials have added almost 7,000 new mental health specialists in the last six years. But in April, the VA inspector general sharply criticized department officials for overly optimistic estimates on wait times for mental health appointments.

Fewer than half of patients requesting an initial evaluation were seen within two weeks, and many facilities took months to schedule even basic visits.

VA officials have promised changes, vowing to hire 1,600 new mental health professionals nationwide and to fill 1,500 existing open positions across the country.

Dr. Matthew Friedman, executive director of the VA’s National Center for PTSD, said officials haven’t begun preparing for a wave of retiring Vietnam veterans seeking mental health care.

In the past, they have issued alerts around anniversaries or other large public events that might trigger war flashbacks — when the movie “Saving Private Ryan” was released, for example — about the possibility of new patients, but studies haven’t shown a significant jump in therapy visits following those markers.

“But anecdotally, I can tell you I’ve seen a lot of veterans [following notable dates or events] who just want to talk informally with someone,” he said. “We know anniversaries are important, and they evoke a lot of memories.”

The Defense Department last month launched its 50th anniversary commemoration of the Vietnam War, pushing those veterans’ experiences and memories to the forefront again.

Barbara Van Dahlen, founder of the nonprofit counseling organization Give an Hour, said the combination of that and the veterans’ ages create a “perfectly normal” situation for mental health issues to resurface.

“I don’t want to suggest that all of these veterans will need professional help,” she said. “But it’s a situation where the memories and the emotions are bubbling up. For some, it’ll be a conversation with their children or their wife, sharing things they wanted to before didn’t feel like they could. Some will need more help. The important thing to know is that it’s normal and important to address those issues, and not just to shove it away again.”

Veterans of Foreign Wars deputy director Gerald Manar, a Vietnam veteran, noted that he saw more visitors to the Vietnam Wall on Memorial Day last month. It wasn’t just veterans either, he said. Many families were there, asking questions and listening to stories.

“Vietnam veterans were slapped with a lot of unfair labels when they came home,” Manar said. “Millions went off to war, served with distinction and honor, and then came back to be major contributors to the middle class. But that doesn’t mean they dealt with everything.”

Friedman said from a treatment perspective, the age or combat era of a mental health patient doesn’t really matter.

“PTSD is PTSD,” he said, noting that recent advances in treating younger vets can be easily translated to older generations.

Luna, who is in counseling with the VA to deal with his PTSD, works with Vets’ Journey Home Texas, running weekend therapy retreats for veterans of all eras. They mainly work with younger veterans, in the hopes they can deal with their war traumas more quickly and more definitively than the older generations. But he said he’s also started hearing from a large number of Vietnam veterans who have just retired.

Said Luna: “America has no idea what the Vietnam vets are still going through.”

shanel@stripes.osd.mil
Twitter: @LeoShane

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Charles M. Grist
Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq

Navy SEAL Sniper Chris Kyle Murdered – Authored The Best-Selling Book “American Sniper”

Navy SEAL Chris Kyle

The most lethal sniper in American history, Chris Kyle, has been murdered in Texas while helping an ex-soldier suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Kyle and another man were shot and killed.

Chris was a former Navy SEAL and the bestselling author of the book “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S.Military History.” He was killed at the Rough Creek Lodge gun range in Texas on Saturday.

The suspect, Eddie Ray Routh, allegedly stole Kyle’s car and fled the scene. He was captured by police after a pursuit and after he rammed a police vehicle. He will be charged with murder.

Kyle served four tours of duty in Iraq. He also had 160 kills as a Navy SEAL, according to NBC DFW reports.  According to the Stephenville Empire-Tribune, his longest successful shot was to take out an insurgent with a rocket launcher 2,100 yards away.

Kyle was also known for his confrontation with Jesse Ventura when he said he punched Ventura in the face.

Chris Kyle was married and the father of two.

When interviewed by Guns.com, here is what Kyle had to say about Obama's proposed gun control measures and other issues:

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chris’s family, friends, and fellow warriors.

Charles M. Grist

Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran’s Tour in Iraq

The Extraordinary Story of Medal Of Honor Recipient Roy Benavidez

Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez

The following video was sent to me by a fellow Vietnam veteran. I knew about Green Beret medic Roy Benavidez, but I never knew the details of his unbelievable valor in combat. Benavidez died in 1998.

Please take a couple of minutes to learn about a real American hero. This guy makes Rambo look like a Boy Scout:



Direct link to video:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=RZ7968BbMnU&vq=medium

I hope you will share this with your friends.

Charles M. Grist
Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq

Panetta Approves Women In Combat But They Are Already There

As an old Army infantryman, I never supported the idea of sharing a foxhole with a woman. War is supposed to be men’s work. As Steve Martin once joked about outdoor activities, “Manly men doing manly things in a manly way with other manly men.”

When I became a police officer a couple of decades ago, I also had similar feelings about women as cops. Then came a zone partner I’ll refer to as “Bev.”

The call was a fight in progress. I arrived first to see two black men facing off with martial arts weapons. One was armed with a bow i.e. a long stick; the other had a pair of martial arts weapons called sai i.e. foot and a half long steel sword-like weapons.  There was also a large crowd of about twenty people watching the confrontation.

When I arrived, I was the only cop there. I drew my handgun and ordered the two men to drop their weapons. The man with the bow immediately dropped it and backed away with his hands in the air. The other man, who was wearing only a pair of shorts, looked at me with an enraged glare, turned toward me, and took up a fighting stance, holding the sai in each hand in front of him. He was sweating, his neck muscles were pulsating, and every other muscle in his body was taught.

I looked into his eyes and told him to drop the weapons. I also said that if he took one step toward me, I was going to shoot him. He didn’t move and only continued to stare into my eyes.

Just then, the man’s mother ran into the scene, wrapped her arms around her son and said, “Don’t shoot my baby!” At that moment, he lowered both of his arms. I suddenly caught a flash of blue out of my left eye. “Bev” came out of the shadows toward the man’s right side, knocking the weapons out of his hands.

I quickly holstered my handgun and joined the fray. During the struggle, the mother struck Bev in the face and the single fight became two fights. After a couple of minutes, I managed to handcuff the man, and Bev handcuffed the woman. The incident was over with no serious injuries to anyone, largely because of Bev’s quick and fearless maneuver.

Bev’s actions that day, along with another female officer who later helped me subdue a six foot seven inch, three hundred pound domestic violence suspect, convinced me that a woman could handle anything in the police world.

I still had reservations about women in combat until my service in the Iraq war and the story of Leigh Ann Hester of the 617^th Military Police Company.

On March 20, 2005, Hester was awarded the Silver Star, the nation’s third highest award for valor, following her actions during an enemy ambush on a supply convoy near Salman Pak, Iraq.

Hester’s MP squad was escorting a convoy when about fifty insurgents initiated an ambush with AK 47s, machine guns, and rocket-propelled grenades.

Hester led her fire team into a flanking position. From there, she and her squad leader, Staff Sergeant Timothy Nein, assaulted the enemy trench line with hand grenades, an M203 grenade launcher and M4 carbines. Hester herself killed at least three enemy troops. At the end of the battle, twenty-seven insurgents were killed, six were wounded and one was captured.

Hester was later awarded the Silver Star. Squad leader Nein eventually received the Distinguished Service Cross.

The moral of both these stories is that women are capable of fighting in war as well as on the streets of America. Just look at the women who serve courageously in the Israeli Army, as well as the American women who fly Apache helicopters and F16’s into combat.

Although times have changed, I still believe that women in the infantry will prove to be problematic. In harsh environments like the jungle or the desert, hygiene, privacy, potential male-female relationships, and natural physical limitations will likely be significant issues. And I’m sorry, but I’ll be terribly sad if they allow women in the Rangers, Special Forces, SEALs, or other special operations forces.

Leon Panetta has opened the door for women to join all military units that are subject to service in combat, and we should acknowledge that women are hardy souls who can possess just as much courage and determination as men – sometimes more.

But women in the infantry? Let’s just say this old soldier is glad he’s retired….

Charles M. Grist
Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq

‘Twas The Night Before a Soldier’s Christmas

A Christmas poem courtesy of Lance Corporal James M. Schmidt:

‘Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,

In a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone.

I had come down his chimney with presents to give,

And to see just who in this home did live.

I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,

No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No stocking by mantle, just boots filled with sand,

And on the wall pictures of far distant lands.

With medals and badges, awards of all kinds,

A sobering thought came to my mind.

For this house was different, so dark and so dreary,

The home of a soldier, now I could see clearly.

The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone,

Curled up on the floor in this one bedroom home.

The face was so gentle, the room in such disorder,

Not how I pictured a United States soldier.

Was this the hero of whom I’d just read?

Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed?

I realized the families that I saw this night,

Owed their lives to these soldiers who were willing to fight.

Soon around the world, the children would play,

And grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas day.

They all enjoyed freedom each month of the year,

Because of the soldiers, like the one lying here.

I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone,

On a cold Christmas eve in a land far from home.

The very thought brought a tear to my eye,

I dropped to my knees and started to cry.

The soldier awakened and I heard a rough voice,

“Santa don’t cry, this life is my choice;

I fight for freedom, I don’t ask for more,

My life is my God, my country, my corps.”

The soldier rolled over and soon drifted to sleep,

I couldn’t control it, I continued to weep.

I kept watch for hours, so silent and still,

And we both shivered from the cold evening’s chill.

I didn’t want to leave on that cold, dark night,

This guardian of honor so willing to fight.

Then the soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure,

Whispered, “Carry on Santa, it’s Christmas day, all is secure.”

One look at my watch, and I knew he was right.

“Merry Christmas my friend, and to all a good night.”

Merry Christmas to all of America’s warriors throughout the world. Thank you for making it possible for us to enjoy our holiday in peace and safety…

Charles M. Grist

Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq

The Message In The Rainbow

After I arrived in Vietnam in 1970, there was an interesting observation in the first letter I received from my mother Claire. “As your plane took off,” she wrote, “I knew you would be all right because there was a rainbow over your right shoulder.”

When Mom died in 1974, one of the many ways I tried to deal with my grief was to visit a psychic in Cassadaga, Florida. The old woman said she had a message from my mother. “She’s happy,” said the medium, “because she sees a rainbow over you, and she knows you will be all right.” I remembered the message in that letter and felt an icy chill slide down my back.

Yesterday morning, my mother’s sister and my beloved aunt Corinne Joiner passed away at the age of 90. As I told my sister and other relatives at the hospital, I was sure that the loved ones who had passed on, including my mother, my father John, Corinne’s husband Jasper, and her mother – and my grandmother - Leonna Lindell had all stood in spirit with my aunt as she made her transition to the next life.

While we were driving home from my cousin Jim’s house last night, my wife Debbie and I discussed our memories of Aunt Corinne. We were naturally sad at her passing, but we felt sure that she was now safe with God and those relatives who had preceded her.

Debbie looked out the right window of the car at one point and said, “Look at that beautiful rainbow.” I glanced across an open field and observed one of the most beautiful rainbows I had ever seen.

It’s now one o’clock of the following morning. I just woke up out of a sound sleep and realized the significance of that rainbow.

It was my mother’s way of telling us that Aunt Corinne is with them now. She is at peace, and those of us she left behind will be all right.

Thanks, Mom…….

Charles M. Grist

www.MyLastWar.com

Remembering The Past - And Learning From It

Lieutenant Chuck Grist - Vietnam

I returned from Vietnam on August 8, 1971. A week or so later, I received a phone call from Charlie Wadsworth, a columnist with the Orlando Sentinel. Since I was a “hometown boy” back from the war, he asked me to come down to his office for a brief interview, which I agreed to do. At the time I was a twenty-two year old Army first lieutenant with fresh memories of dead friends, dead enemy soldiers, the smell of the jungle, and a country that didn't care where I had been.

To put the following column in context, the war was winding down, and the “Vietnamization” of that war was in full swing. In the last years of the war, those of us in combat became the victims of the drawdown in the sense that supplies were reduced, artillery rounds were saved, and other cost-saving measures were implemented.

These money-saving measures put us at grave risk, and we became bitter about it. Since America had decided to pull out of Vietnam short of victory, the most frequent comment in my unit was that none of us wanted to be the last soldier to die in Vietnam.

By the way, as I made my way home on August 8, I was spat on in the San Francisco airport by a group of "hippies" and called a murderer by a faceless coward in an Atlanta airport crowd. My family was glad to see me, but I took my uniform off that night and didn't wear it again for almost ten years.

Charlie Wadsworth was a legendary reporter in Orlando. His “Hush Puppies” column appeared daily:

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HUSH PUPPIES

Orlando Sentinel

August 17, 1971

By Charlie Wadsworth, Columnist

Another young Orlandoan is freshly and safely home from a year in Vietnam.

Here are some excerpts from an absorbing conversation with Lt. Charles M. ‘Chuck’ Grist, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Grist:

“…I sincerely believe the reasons we went into Vietnam were good but I don’t like the way it is winding down. Support is harder to get, and in my opinion it is time to leave Vietnam altogether.

“…If after a decade that we have been there the South Vietnamese can’t do it now they won’t ever do it.

“…When you come home it hits you immediately. The people in the U.S. seem to be oblivious to what happens outside of the U.S. I think the people are concerned about Vietnam, but can’t comprehend what has gone on over there and what is going on now.

“…The war stinks, it really does.’

Lt. Grist was with the 1^st Cavalry Division in the flatland regions some 60 miles northeast of Saigon. He was a platoon leader for seven months.

He talked about the narcotics question, and his answers may be different from some of the reports you have been reading of late.

“We never had a problem with it (drugs) in the field in any way in my platoon.  When I became executive officer, I found some problems – some severe – in the rear areas.

“I found it restricted to the rear of both company and battalion, some bad heroin addiction.

“The thing I found is the people in the field won’t allow it. Every now and then someone would try it but his buddies squared him away in a hurry.

“We got some replacements once. A sergeant found one of the replacements on some stuff. He said he had found the man and straightened him out, and he also told me that it would not happen again.

“You had to have utmost cooperation in the field, and people who would not cooperate were kicked out. You make good friends out there. That’s where you make the real friendships, and a man will cooperate and straighten up rather than risk losing the friends he has made, or adding additional risk to the job they’re doing.

“With the units pulling out as they are, it is hard for units to get support, to get things like clothes, for example. Flying time of helicopters has been cut back. That is why in my opinion it is time to leave Vietnam altogether.

“…I think I accomplished what I wanted, to go out there and find out what it really is all about. I want to know what I’m talking about, not just someone shooting off at the mouth. It was the single greatest experience of my life,” he added.

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That last sentence may seem unusual, but for a young man who had given so much, I guess I was attempting to justify that the scars on my body and soul were somehow worth it all.

Following this interview, I began a two year decline from the happy-go-lucky Airborne Ranger I had been before my tour in Vietnam, to a guy who saw only darkness, who drank himself into oblivion on a regular basis, who tried college but dropped out after only two weeks, and who partied like there was no tomorrow.

If not for the timely arrival of the woman who would become my wife, who knows what ditch I would have ended up in. Debbie inspired me to put the past behind me and move on.

We are now in the midst of a drawdown in Afghanistan. As we slowly withdraw our brave warriors, surely some of them must be asking themselves, “Will I be the last G.I. to die in Afghanistan?”

We must not allow the political desire to leave Afghanistan to permit a lack of support for our troops. No shortcuts, no lack of supplies, no lack of artillery or air support, and please continue to welcome them home – not like you welcomed me home from Vietnam – but just like you welcomed me home from Iraq…..

Charles M. Grist

www.MyLastWar.com

Act of Valor - The Movie To See In 2012

The following movie trailer is awesome. Real Navy SEALs were used in the filming of this action movie.

Enjoy the trailer and pass it on; this is a movie for real Americans who want to see real good guys in action - without the typical Hollywood gratuitous bull:



Charles M. Grist
Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq

Victory In Iraq - Now It's Up To The Iraqis

Me at Baghdad's Camp Victory in early 2004 

I'm a Vietnam veteran as well as a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, so I know a little about guerrilla wars. Sometimes they end well, and sometimes they don't.

You see, I remember what it felt like to sit in my living room in April, 1975, staring at the television while enemy tanks rolled into Saigon. Only then did I have the painful realization that my fellow soldiers and I had fought and bled for a lost cause.

I'm not ashamed to say I cried that day. I remembered the hardships of my own months in Vietnam's jungles, and I saw the faces of my lost friends in the dark corners of my mind. To be honest, I still see them almost every day. You know - those couple of hours in the middle of the night when sleep won't come and the mind refuses to rest. Such is the legacy of Vietnam.

Although the losses are just as painful, the story in Iraq is a different one. When our last soldiers arrive home before Christmas and Iraq's security rests in its own hands, we can honestly say we have been victorious.

There are now over thirty million people living in Iraq. Because of the sacrifice of America and its coalition partners, there is a democratic government elected by the people. Is everything perfect? Of course not. But the problems that remain can only be solved by Iraqis. Whether it is sectarian differences or problems caused by foreign terrorists, it is time for Iraq to take care of itself.

What do I fear most now that we have pulled our soldiers out of Iraq? I fear the influence of Iran, a Shiite country that provides training and equipment to radical Shiites in Iraq like Muqtada al Sadr and the Mahdi Army.

But Americans cannot stay in Iraq forever. The truth is that wherever we go, we become a lightning rod for those with ancient reasons for hating foreign intervention. It was this way in Vietnam, in Iraq, and it is also the same in Afghanistan.

We must welcome our troops home from Iraq as the victorious warriors they are. We shall help them recover both physically and mentally, and they should be proud of all they accomplished.

We shall also continue to extend the hand of friendship to the Iraqi people. While many fundamentalist Iraqis will always hate us, there are a lot of Iraqis who will never forget the generosity of America or our sacrifices on their behalf. We have done all we can to give them a chance for a free and prosperous future.

The rest is up to them...

Charles M. Grist
Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq

Ambassador Ammon Presents German Medal of Honor to U.S. Staff Sergeant Peter Woken

Extraordinary ceremony honoring one of America's warriors. The YouTube video comments posted by the German Embassy are as follows:

"The deep bonds of the German American friendship, and the deep bonds between soldiers, were on display on December 8, 2011, as German Ambassador Peter Ammon presented one of Germany's most significant military honors to a US soldier who was instrumental in the rescue during battle of a Bundeswehr soldier in Afghanistan. 
U.S. Staff Sergeant Peter Woken was awarded the Medal of Honor for Gallantry in Action of the Federal Republic of Germany, bestowed on him by German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière, in recognition of his role as part of the MedEvac crew that landed in heavy fire to evacuate German Corporal Tim Focken in Afghanistan on October 17, 2010."

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Well done Staff Sergeant Woken.

Charles M. Grist

Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq

Remembering Pearl Harbor: The Greatest Generation's 9-11

For the members of my generation, the day of infamy is September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked America, killing some 3,000 of our citizens.

For the members of my parents' generation, that day of infamy will remain December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked America's naval fleet in Hawaii, also killing thousands.

The members of the Greatest Generation are fast fading from the scene, but I hope each of you will take the time today to pray for the victims of the 1941 attack and their families. For some of these veterans, the memories are as real today as they were then.

Those of us who are veterans of other wars can understand that...

Charles M. Grist
Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq

Remembering The Troops At Thanksgiving

As we gather with our family and friends to celebrate another Thanksgiving, don't forget the troops who make it possible for us to enjoy this day in peace and safety.

Please say a prayer for the thousands of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen who are in harm's way. Without their sacrifice - and the sacrifice of their families - this world would be a very different place....

Charles M. Grist
Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq

The Haunting Bagpipes of "Sgt. MacKenzie" - From "We Were Soldiers"

Those who saw the movie "We Were Soldiers" will remember this solemn bagpipe music. Here it is in full with an English translation:



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God bless the fallen warriors...

Charles M. Grist
Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq

Veteran's Day 2011 - Honoring America's Warriors

Please take time today to honor America's veterans. We live our daily lives in safety and security because of their service and sacrifice.

To my fellow veterans who served with me in Vietnam, to those who served with me in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and to those who served with me at home and abroad, thank you for being my brothers and sisters in arms.

May God bless all of America's veterans, and may He continue to bless the United States of America.

Charles M. Grist
Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq

Happy 236th Birthday to the U.S. Marines

I had the great honor to serve with Marines from Vietnam to Iraq. Their courage, sacrifice, and devotion to honor is second to none. Without the Marines, this world would be a very different place.

Happy birthday to all Marines, and thank you for protecting America for 236 years.

Semper fi!

Charles M. Grist
Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq

The Imprint of War - It Shall Be With You All Of Your Days

You remember everything about it. It's always with you, just below the surface. You think about some part of it several times a day. Why does a warrior remember his life at war? Because he left part of his soul on the battlefield. He also saw many of his friends for the last time on that same battlefield, and he shared with them the agony of their last moments on earth.

You can't describe it to those who haven't experienced war. When you meet a fellow war veteran, no words are really necessary. The eyes say it all; the tired eyes with a unique depth to them. The eyes that have seen the very worst of mankind when they peeked into the very depths of hell.

After I watched the preview below, I became hopeful that this might finally be the documentary that accurately told the story of my fellow Vietnam veterans and me. We shall see, but at least it will give you another chance to understand what makes us who we are.

After all, we were the first generation of American warriors to be scorned upon our return. Following my own bad experiences with anti-war "hippies" in airports in San Francisco and Atlanta, I arrived home only to take my uniform off and not put it on again for almost ten years.

Then, when I returned from Iraq in 2004, it was terrific to see that this generation has been welcomed with open arms by those they protected. I was finally able to come full circle as a Vietnam veteran. I only wish all of my fellow 'Nam vets could have had the same experience.

Now this generation will also have the imprint of war on their souls. And it will be with them for each and every day of the rest of their lives.

"There are some events that are so overwhelming that you can't simply be a witness, and it will be with you all of your days...." From Vietnam in HD and The History Channel.



Charles M. Grist
Author of the award-winning book "My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq"

Marine Veteran Dakota Meyer Receives The Medal Of Honor

Dakota Meyer in Afghanistan

Read the story of Dakota Meyer at this link: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2011/09/marine-dakota-meyer-prepares-to-receive-medal-of-honor-090611w/ .

We are blessed to have such young men serving America. He will receive the Medal of Honor from President Obama today.

Charles M. Grist
www.MyLastWar.com