What Things Were Difficult to Communicate to Family and Friends About Your Military Service? Login & Share to Win!

For me it wasn't difficult. But I never served in a combat zone. I did see my dad and saw how he deflected questions as much as possible. He was in Vietnam three times and it took a long time for him to talk with me a bit about his experience. I served over 20 years, Marines and Army, and found that reticence the way some vets cope with their feelings.

Why we truly were "Brothers from different mothers." and the bonds we made.

My sexual assault while in basic training was very difficult to discuss with my family. It took over 20 years before I could tell them.

Coming from a family with a military background, I felt many of them understood my experiences.

When I first joined I had no clear purpose and therefore did not even attempt to communicate my military life to others. When I tell people things about my military service now I do so from a different perspective than when I joined. I find it helps to accept that people do not hold the same views and would not understand my feelings of military experience.

The most difficult was to get across to family that I was moving to Okinawa and would not be back daily, and That I was on a base and not walking around with no place to sleep and eat, not like in the movies When Soldiers stormed a beach head and some was on land, and they was in tents back then .Everyone looking after each other, And A place where all branches of Service was stationed

It was always nice to come home to see my parents on leave and tell them what I was doing. Of course they were proud. I joined the Army, most of my friends either were drafted or didn't have to go for one reason or another. It was hard to talk to the ones still a home. We didn't have much in common anymore and I kind of felt alone. They let me know they had great jobs, got married & where living the good life. I was as happy to leave as I was to come home. "Everything Changes". Overseas I was on the DMZ in Korea. The only people that were suppose to be on the DMZ was us. When we got there, they told us at orientation. If your on patrol, day or night and you hear or see anything move out there on the zone. Shoot first, we'll talk later. It didn't take long to know the only thing you had was your weapon your fellow men & the United States flag. It was called, No mans land. Everyone in my barracks got a dear John letter except one guy that was married. I was the only one while I was over there that captured a North Korean and that don't make me anything. It was in the dead of winter & colder than hell. I remembered I was suppose to shoot first. I couldn't do it. It was night & I scoped the terrain all around me with my night scope on my rifle before I halted him to making sure he wasn't a decoy set up. He didn't have a weapon on him so I wasn't sure what was going on with him. I was just as scared as he was. I couldn't talk to him and he couldn't talk to me. I motioned what I wanted him to do & got him to my squad leader and they took him away. I only told a few people back home. Each time, I wished I wouldn't have. Drinking, most made some smart remarks or said OH bullshit your full of it. After that I never talked to outsiders about it again. When I came back from Korea and we walked in the airport terminal. Protesters started screaming at us, spitting on us, calling us murderers, baby killers & numerous other things. They thought we were coming back from Vietnam. It doesn't matter where we came back from. We are Americans just like them. The difference is they haven't done anything for their country and most likely never will. In closing, I won't talk anything Military to a Non Military person. I just turned 77 in Aug.

What wasn't? They couldn't fathom why or how I could be an Engineer at a TV station, then that it wasn't a 9-5 job. The concept of being at work for 60 hours in three days? I was called a liar because no one works those kinds of hours. Others couldn't believe that I hadn't shot anyone, or that as an Enlisted I had dressed down officers who tried to prevent me from doing mission critical work. I loudly informed a newly graduated butter bar that if he didn't get out of my way, that I would make a phone call to report that he had caused the Weather Vision system to remain down past the allowable time, and that he would enjoy his time at Ft. Leavenworth for causing the flight school to be shut down. Unlike some, I took my job quite seriously. So much so I was offered a Civil Service job at Carin Airfield where I would finish my active duty, and continue at a much higher pay grade.

The daily grind, and putting up people in command that should not have been there.

I had a good relationship with my family and never really had a hard time talking to them about military life.