Can you describe how you felt coming home from a deployment or combat?

Devastated. Got off the plane after a very rough deployment. Blindsided with divorce papers. Got home and she already had all my stuff packed up. Her stated reason was "I'm tired of daughter calling everyone daddy because you all look the same coming off the plane" (we were aircrew and everyone wore flight suits). Paid 16 years of child support (daughter was 2 at the time). After 35 years, ex-wife calls me up and tells me my daughter was somebody else's.

When I returned from Iraq, the first person I saw was my son who reached out for me. After that I saw the rest of my family, including my father-in-law.

i was hit by a hand grenade and was done with combat. i went to japan as a patient with and open wound to be debrided at a later date. when i was inducted i took a chance and kept my civies. i had them all the way thru, in the bottom of my duffel! came in very handy. in japan i left the hosp. every nite and went downtown ohara. i got thru my stay and when ready to fly home thru alaska, a medic putting us on the plane marked me as bedridden so i had to ride strapped in a cot! when we landed in anchorage a business guy came on plane to offer everyone a steak dinner in town. (not bed patients!!)

When I returned home from Viet Nam, I was greeted at the Seattle airport by protesters shouting baby killers. I was scared, afraid and hurt because I fought for my country and did not commit any of the crimes that I was accused of. I fought for my country without question and none of these folks seem to care.

WHEN MY ACTIVE DUTY TIME WAS OVER AND I WAS RETURNING TO MY RESERVE CENTER, I felt like I had done my duty for my country try as a member of the military. I had enlisted for two reasons. The first was to pay my country back for all the benefits and freedoms that I was given just because I was born in the United States. The second was because I did a great deal to help my country win the war in Vietnam.
The Admiral that I worked for sent me into Vietnam 49 times. 48 of them were because of what I had done the first time. I killed a woman who was pushing her son towards a coffee shop with about 60 military men and women in it. When she refused to stop and go away and kept pushing him forward, I shot her. I was told that I had saved all of their lives would get the Medal of Honor. I said no and after delivering the documents the Admiral gave me to the correct person, I returned to the ship. The other 48 were to assassinate 48 Viet Kong Officers who were in charge of their Army.
When my plane landed and I got off to get my baggage, I was approached by a 6 foot 5 inch young man. As I was in uniform he checked my medals. He said that I was a Vietnam Baby Killer and spit on my shoes. I told him that nobody in the military killed any babies. I pointed at my shoes and said, can you wipe that off? He looked down and I hit him with an uppercut that knocked him out and I found out later that it also broke his jaw. His friends ranger after getting an airport police officer and said I attack their friend.
They were followed by three elderly men who told the officer that they lied and their friend attacked me. The officer believed the elderly men and had the guys friends carry him away. The three men came over to me and said that they were veterans and thanked me for my service. I thanked them for their service and we all went home.

It was woderful, I kissed the ground when we arrived at Travis, did not have any problems with any people even though I was in uniform. Semper Fi

When I got back from Afghanistan the first time it was very good because we were able to go to places that really cheered us up. When I got home I landed at Atlanta Airport then went to a really cool place in the midwest where we meant World War Two veterans and many others it was so positive. Then we went to Fort Campbell after that. Our fellow units and chain of command came out and welcomed us home. After getting back home we went to all kinds of training to get us back to what we needed to do come back.

i flew from wasington to illinois noone was the i walked to the train noone wa the i took acab home noone was there i was alone tyhe whole time

Tai Chi - is this available for veterans..?

When I came back from Nam the crowds were so bad that they rerouted us from landing at SEATAC (Seattle) to Edmunds AFB north of Seattle. They loaded us on busses and transported us to Ft. Lewis instead. Thankfully, I missed a bunch of abuse in Seattle, and only hit minor garbage when I landed in Boise, ID. The worst of it for me was being separated from the people I grew up with who didn't have any use for me.