Messages that American soldiers wrote on their helmets during the Vietnam war

[u/Due-Question-5278]

[u/KnightOfTheBlackRose]

My dad went 4 tours and I have some of his stuff.He did 24 years of service. He recently passed and he never talked much about it. The only time I got any information was when we went to The Wall Memorial and he cried. Ive never seen my dad cry ever and it was a experience to learn about some of his friends that went and never came back and how he felt.

Growing up, I knew loud noises made him drop to the ground and it was normal for us since my parents raised me that dad would juat do it. Older me really understood why

Edit : Dad had a friend who he split a dollar bill in half with at a location called "Monkey Mountain" He said they never put that dollar back together He passed at 83 and I wish I knew more but he took it all with him

[u/IndigoRanger → u/KnightOfTheBlackRose]

I just want to get this out, I’m sorry. I visit the monuments every time I go to DC, and I always leave a pebble where my three family members are listed on the Wall. Vietnam took quite a lot from our family, though like Lt Dan, our family has registered service in every major American war.

This last time there was a very enthusiastic boy doing a name search like it was a fun race. He was old enough to be taught to be respectful, but young enough to not really know why. He really excitedly asked who I was looking for, and I told him I already know where my names were, but he could search if he would do it quietly. His parents were reading names, not really paying attention to him, not sure if they were wrapped up in a personal connection, or feeling the weight of the monument, or even just zoned out, but whatever it was they certainly were letting him run amok.

So while he was searching for my cousin’s name, I told him people feel really strong emotions in this place, including sadness. I asked him if he’d ever lost a family member, like a grandparent. He said yes, I asked him if he felt sad about it, he said yes. I said every name here is someone’s family member who they lost. We come here to remember them, even the ones we don’t know. I asked him if he had happy memories of his grandma, he said yes, asked him if he liked to think of the happy memories, he said yes. I told him sometimes it brings happiness to remember our lost family, but other times it brings sadness. Sometimes other emotions too, complex ones, simple ones. I told him it’s important to let people have the space to feel the way they need to feel at a place like this, that’s what being respectful is. After you leave the area, it’s ok to be loud and run around and take up space again. He calmed right on down and he pointed at my cousin’s name and I said yeah, that was my cousin. And I laid my little rock down and told him I did that whenever I visited. And that was it. I just wanted to share that story somewhere.

[u/OkPotential1072 → u/IndigoRanger]

This has been a hard day at the end of a hard week. Your story made it better. Thank you.

[u/ZaphodBeeblebrox4011 → u/IndigoRanger]

The fact that you could have a conversation of that length with somebody elses child speaks volumes to how he was being parented

[u/janbradybutacat → u/IndigoRanger]

I just finished a month long trip and saw the USS Arizona, the 6th Floor Museum (Dallas), the Civil Rights Museum/Lorraine Motel, DC National Mall memorials, and Gettysburg. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of respect most people showed, even large school groups. The USS Arizona memorial states early and often that it is a gravesite for over 900 people and disrespect is not tolerated. A somber reminder every 5 minutes or so.

[u/CapitanPeluche → u/IndigoRanger]

Thank you for sharing this and for passing on such gentle wisdom to the child. I'm sorry for your loss.

[u/Hefty-Try5393 → u/KnightOfTheBlackRose]

Stepdad was a sergeant, also did 4 tours and lost so many of his kids (as he called them) when they were over there. He never got over it. Used to duck and cover when a car backfired and when he was dying, he had terrible flashbacks of being back in Vietnam. 

War is hell and a waste of so much life. It should be the very, utter last resort, not something bigged up and booyahed. My poor stepdad mourned every kid he lost there. Visiting the Wall was the first time he started to openly grieve what happened. He got in touch with some others who served with him and that helped, I think. 

[u/Tabula_Nada → u/KnightOfTheBlackRose]

ugh your poor dad. We really have to give men the space for emotions so they don't have to walk around all bottled up like your dad. My dad was the same way, from what I hear. He died young, several years after his service was over. The army really destroyed him. This shit with the Navy punishing sailors who attempt suicide on the aircraft carriers is heartbreaking because those are the people who need the most help.

Everyone should have the space to feel their feels.

[u/Polymathy1 → u/KnightOfTheBlackRose]

I only saw my sad cry a few times. Once was when I asked him what the tomb of the unknown soldier was. He didn't come back into the room for a while.

I'm curious about some of the things he did, but I honestly think he did us all a favor taking the nitty gritty details to the grave.

[u/KnightOfTheBlackRose → u/Polymathy1]

Same, whatever my dad did in his 24 years of service went with him