Ron Parker

Self Growth can take on so many meanings, and spawn so many useless platitudes - that it is a strange over used word (phrase).

The advertisements on the web often insult our intelligence by promising such outlandish results almost overnight - if we would just send it whatever fee they are asking.

For that small fee we are promised a new life, often included is a gorgeous spouse, private plane, and a 12,000 square foot home.

We are impressed - who wouldn't be?

But then the results are usually meager at best, and life goes on - pretty much as it always has; no loss, no gain.

But is there an honest, proven way to really change a lot of the aspects of your life?  And doing so without all the ridiculous hype?

Actually there is!

This is an example of writing from the heart:

Meet Your Neighborhood Veteran

Yes, the veteran often is indistinguishable from the rest of your friends and neighbors. He/she is just like you and me – except that many were called upon to do the most dangerous, dirtiest job imaginable, and did it!

Now, many are back.  Some, like the Vietnam vets, have been back for a long time – but somehow never were appreciated or honored.

 And they, like you and me, have problems, dreams, ambitions, aspirations, and fears. Yes, fears; like every single one of us has.

 They are us!!!

 Let’s thank them, and meet them.

As we begin to learn the stories of veterans, we find they are no different than anyone else, with the exception that they have had more profound experiences than the average non-veteran.  Partly because of that, we find they are more appreciative of life, and more sensitive toward the caprices of just living life to the fullest.

1.

For the 1st vet, we look at a fellow named Charlie (not his real name).  I have known Charlie for over a year, and recently had the pleasure of sitting down and having a great visit.  We know that everyone has a story, but somehow a vet’s story seems in many ways more dramatic and richer in meaning.

He was a hot rod guy in his early years, and built well over two dozen cars in that genre.  For younger readers, that means taking a car off the street, and putting an oversize engine in it – and having it blow other cars away. He relished this talent – and as a result had a `rich` life in his circle.

Then came the day in March when he entered the US Navy.  He told them he was a backyard mechanic and richly endowed with mechanical skills.  They listened intently, and promptly assigned him to an area in which his mechanical skills could not possibly be utilized. For all you vets, you know this is standard operating procedure for the services.

Charlie served from March 20, 1967 – Dec 10, 1970.  Those were terrible years in which we were engulfed in war in Vietnam. This was a war in which returning service men and women were spat upon, and called baby killers.

Charlie eventually experienced this.

Ultimately he was assigned to sea duty on a small carrier: the USS Okinawa. He was assigned to the Fight deck as ACRS, (Aircraft Crash Rescue and Salvage).  That is, if an aircraft crashed on the deck, his duty was to `handle it`.  That also meant that if there were no crashes, he had little to do. 

They were stationed just off the coast of Vietnam.

Charlie, having no assigned duties for the great majority of time, began helping wounded Marines out of the helicopters when they returned.  You see, the USS Okinawa was a small carrier – which had a huge mission.  The mission was to respond to emergencies on land.  Think of their mission as a 9/11 response team.

When an American military unit was experiencing great difficulty, they called (for the intent of this story) 911 – which meant the USS Okinawa.  The Okinawa had a large contingent of marines on board, and that was their function.  They served as the backup fire team. When they were sent to assist, or rescue, a unit – they did so using the helicopters on board.

Then, they returned upon completion of the mission.  But they did not always return in the same condition they were in when they lifted off.  Since Charlie had no official function (absence a helicopter crash) he helped in evacuating the wounded Marines from the helicopters and assisting in carrying them to emergency surgery below.

The things he saw became embedded in his memory – never to leave.  His nightmares came years later remembering the terrible scenes of the wounded and suffering Marines he carried down to the hospital deck, with much of their blood, and sometimes organs, on his hands and clothes. He was 20 years old.

He had more surprises coming to him as a result of his Vietnam experiences. Those surprises would come much later, and would shock him to the core when they did come.

He ended his tour of the service – and after being spat upon – and called a baby killer, began his civilian life.

Actually he was enormously successful. He began to buy homes that no one else wanted, and developed a ` lease to own’ business that yielded great profit and satisfaction.

He met and married a stunningly beautiful lady – who was later to become his downfall.  Though she was a beauty outside, inside she was deeply troubled.  She became so irrational that he finally had to dissolve the marriage; but not before she created chaos out of his life and finances.

Then, Charlie set out to begin again.  He started out making an annual income of less than his previous monthly income.

The nightmares began. His new wife – who he clearly adores – watched him at night having nightmares, one after another.

Everything came back – the horribly wounded Marines he carried down below on the USS Okinawa, and the mental deterioration of his first wife (and ultimate divorce), and the collapse of his business.

He was now certified as having the dreaded PTSD.

He received heavy doses of drugs, and his behavior became altered.  He began to cut down on his drugs, and things improved.  But he still needed more medication then he wanted to take.

He and his wife got on their knees one memorable night, and prayed for relief.

Relief came, almost immediately.

At the next clinic visit while the doctor was reviewing his patient, Charlie was asked for the status of his nightmares.  He responded that he no longer had them, and told him of their night of prayer.

The physician was so incensed that Charlie would put his faith in God, and cut down on the prescribed medication without his permission, that he refused to see him anymore.  Charlie was terminated as a patient.

Well, we all know the saying, “You can’t keep a good man down”.  Here it is again proven true.

He went on to another successful career – again starting out at the bottom.

Two memorable events happened in later years – that bring a tear to his eye after all this time, as he recounts them.

The first was an encounter with a middle aged woman.  She approached Charlie, who was wearing his Vietnam Veteran cap, and said she wanted to offer a profound, sincere apology. 

She was one of the young people who personally spat on returning vets, and yelled `Baby Killer` at them.  She asked for his forgiveness.  She said she was misled by the government and press.

He tearfully accepted her apology.

The second was when he saw a man wearing a Marine Vietnam cap.  Charlie, being the man he is, went up to him – and thanked him for his service.

Each demanded that the other be his guest for breakfast. Charlie doesn’t remember who won that little contest, but they did have a long visit. During the visit, to their astonishment, they found a link that will ever tie them together.

The vet that Charlie greeted that morning was a Marine who served aboard the Okinawa as part of the battle group.  He was severely wounded on one of their rescue missions– and was returned to the ship.

He remembered clearly the sailor who was so kind and considerate of him while he was being carried below decks.  He described the sailor in detail, and he said he prayed that he would someday meet him – and thank him.

He described Charlie.

Meet your neighborhood vet!

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