This book is written from the heart with sensitivity. It describes the Vietnam experience in such a manner that one can almost smell the gun powder, human blood and the stench of war.

MY SILENT HURT IS OVER

Trafford Publishing

Contents

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.....................................................................xiPREFACE..............................................................................xiiiEARLY DAYS...........................................................................1LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL...............................................................5THE DRAFT............................................................................6AFTER THE DRAFT......................................................................10MY LAST TRAIN RIDE...................................................................15ON THE SHIP..........................................................................18ARRIVAL IN VIETNAM...................................................................21MY LIVING QUARTERS IN VIETNAM........................................................23INJUSTICE AND PREJUDICES.............................................................25RIDING IN A CONVOY...................................................................30WATER TRAILER........................................................................35MY FIRST HELICOPTER COMBAT TRIP IN VIETNAM...........................................37FIRST NIGHT IN THE JUNGLE............................................................42RIVER CROSSING AND LEECHES (BLOOD SUCKING WORMS).....................................45SLEEPING ON AIR MATTRESSES...........................................................47THE STARS AND STRIPES (NEWSPAPER)....................................................49BLOOD................................................................................51MY POOR FEET.........................................................................54OPERATION BIG SPRING.................................................................56RECON PATROL.........................................................................63SCOTT................................................................................63PRIVATE BROWN........................................................................66CHARACTERISTICS FOR SURVIVING........................................................68HERBERT LEONARD (H. L.) VIETNAM 1967-68..............................................70SUZIE................................................................................73PREVENTING INTERFERENCE WITH ELECTIONS...............................................78SLEEPLESS NIGHTS.....................................................................80THE ADVERSITIES......................................................................84MONKEYS (Douc Langur)................................................................85THE RATION...........................................................................87ENEMY AMBUSH.........................................................................87THE JUNGLE...........................................................................90UNDERGROUND TUNNELS..................................................................93FOXHOLES.............................................................................95MOUNTAIN TERRAIN.....................................................................97THE CAT AND MOUSE GAME...............................................................97BLACK MARKET.........................................................................98DANGER EVEN IN ENTERTAINMENT.........................................................99NEWS FROM HOME.......................................................................101LIFE AFTER VIETNAM...................................................................106NEW DIRECTION........................................................................114SOMETHING FOR MEMORY ONLY............................................................117MY ONLY PARADE.......................................................................120CONCLUSION...........................................................................123WIFE AND CHILDREN....................................................................126HOW TO STAY IN LOVE AND MARRIED FOR MORE THAN THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS.....................129Subject: H.E.A.R.T.S Veterans Museum.................................................132SONGS TO LIVE BY.....................................................................136NEW ARTICLES.........................................................................147-151SCRIPTURES...........................................................................152PERSONAL POEMS.......................................................................153

Chapter One

We were living in an upstairs apartment on Baton Rouge Street in Houston. My friend, Herbert Leonard, whom I talked about briefly in my earlier writing, lived downstairs from us. Actually, we were renting from his grandparents. We did not do a lot of partying as others of our age group. I was working at a store and Herbert was working with his grandfather. Most of my spare time was spent at or around the church and Herbert spent his time around his family. He had a very large family and his mother, Mrs. Georgia Mae (Leonard) was well-loved by many. She was a second mother to my family also. Between her and my mother, none of the children including neighborhood children, stepped out of a child's place. They would feed, protect, and definitely chastise us.

One day I made a stupid mistake at the store. I asked the owner, who was Chinese, to explain the difference between American-Chinese and a Chinese in Vietnam. I quickly found out that the people in Vietnam were called Vietnamese and not Chinese. I did not know this because the Vietnam thing was new to me. We had only seen brief news excerpts about the fighting. Then I got really crazy with additional questions. Such as who were these people? And how could I determine the difference? He did not get angry this time, but tried very hard to explain the culture of oriental people which included Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and a little about Vietnamese and Philippinos. This guy was more than a store owner, he was very well informed in world culture and affairs. I thanked him and he became very attached to me, maybe due to the fact that I was interested in people's lives.

Now, the thought of going to Vietnam stuck with me. I felt inside that some day I would be drafted. It turned out sooner than I expected.

THE DRAFT

I was a senior in Kashmere High, in Houston, when I noticed all the talk about Vietnam. There was talk about drafting men into the service and eventually, Southeast Asia. At that time, I was working at a grocery store owned by Chinese Americans, after school. I had worked at this same store since I was 13 years old until then, when I was 18. I continued to work there after graduating, but any hope of going on to college was dashed. The drafting had begun by now.

Young draft-age men burnt out their cards or went to Canada. Canada was the most popular place to go if you had the finances. There were many protest marches and demonstrations all over America. One such famous person was Muhammad Ali, who was drafted and failed the exam. Six months later, he was drafted again but refused to step forward when his name was called.

I made a trip with an old friend of mine, driving a moving van....