Vietnam Veterans, their families and Lost Survivor Book

Since the release of Lost Survivor I have been stopped in the grocery store, hallways of where I work, and on the street by veterans and their families wanting to talk about their experiences during war. Not just the war in Vietnam, but World War II and the Korean war.

It is a well know fact that Vietnam veterans do not talk about their experiences. Yet, the Vietnam war was the first war to provide direct tv coverage on the battle field. The pictures didn't give answers to why brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, uncles and other family members came back so very different from who they were when they left.

Those who have read Lost Survivor expressed a sense of a door opening for them to have a healing process of what they did and who they were during the war. I have been approched by men and women who would be consider a hero for what they did. Yet, they have not spoke of their experiences and few people knew they were in the war.

A lady told me when her husband came home from World War II he would sleep with his back to the wall and with a knife. She didn't understand, she was fearful, yet every night she laid next to him. It is amazing how hard families worked to adjust to the stanger who returned looking like a loved one.

It has been a humbling and overwhelming experience for me to receive such an out pouring of emotion from people. It has also comfirmed my healing process of opening my soul and sharing.