A Quiet Evening in Saigon....1968

While serving in Vietnam from 1967 until 1968, I often volunteered to do Official Courier runs to U. S. Army Headquarters in Long Binh, about 24 miles outside of Saigon. You see, back in those days, although we had computers (IBM 1105s, which fit in semi-trailers) we had no way of transmitting the information so we had to hand carry the paperwork from place to place. 

Leaving my compound in Quy Nhon at early dawn, I would take my Priority Two Orders to the airfield and wait for a flight. There were very few direct flights in those days, so we had to do hops from place to place until we got to our desired destination. I often flew on private helicopters of very high ranking officers as well as normal aircraft to get where I was going. My Priority Two Orders made that possible. I basically always got the next flight out.

When doing Courier Runs to Headquarters, you got a free three day pass. The trick was……if you arrived at your destination early enough on the first day and got your mission done, you would have two days of free R&R. That was always my goal. Saigon was very fun in those days and relatively safe…….during the day. 

On a particular trip in 1968, I did just that. I arrived at Tân Sơn Nhất Airport in Saigon in late afternoon after a long, multi craft hopscotch trip from Quy Nhon. I walked across the tarmac to the heliport opposite to the main terminal to try to arrange for a flight to Long Binh, where the US Army Vietnam Headquarters were. That was my destination. 

At about 3:30 PM, I finally caught a hop to Long Binh arriving at around twenty minutes later. I immediately grabbed my parcel containing the computer print outs that were destined for USARV and jumped out of the Huey. The helipad was directly beside the headquarters building, so it was a short walk to the statistics office where I was to drop off my paperwork. 

Having completed my mission, I went back to the helipad and waited for the next hop back to Tân Sơn Nhất Airport. 

I arrived back in Saigon about 5:30 PM. I hired a cab to take me to my hotel in downtown Saigon….about 20-25 minutes away, depending on traffic. In those days, there was a curfew which started at sunset and went to sunrise. Since Saigon is only 10-12 degrees or so off the Equator….it has pretty much 12 hours of daylight. 6PM is the beginning of darkness. 

As we approached downtown, the cab driver turned and said to me that he needed to drop me somewhere because he needed to get home before curfew. I was taken aback. He wants to drop me in the middle of nowhere at sundown in Saigon?? No…I don’t think so. I argued with him and told him he needed to take me to my hotel immediately. He refused. As the argument proceeded, we reached a stand off. He was not budging. 

It was then, and only then, ever, that I have ever pulled a gun on another person. I reached down and pulled out my .45 automatic and pointed it at his head. I said he need to take me somewhere safe. He promised. 

He drove a short way and then pulled up in front of a rather large house by Vietnamese standards. The house was surrounded by a wall and gate. He quickly opened my car door and ushered me through the gate and to the door. He introduced my to a friendly woman and explained to her, I guess, in Vietnamese, what the circumstances were. She welcomed me into her home, where she introduced me to her husband, and family, including a small boy with a small white dog. She showed me to a room at the top of the stairs and, although she could not speak English, indicated to me that this was my room. 

As I was settling in, I noticed the small boy, with his dog, looking at me through a small open window between the stairs and my room. We smiled and waved at each other and attempted to connect. (I took a great photo of them, but, somehow, through the years, I have misplaced it.) After about one hour, the boy returned and indicated that it was dinner time. 

I went back downstairs and was greeted by the family and invited to sit down at the table. This family was obviously very westernized, as most Vietnamese did not sit at dinner tables. They normally sit on the floor. We smiled and I expressed my approval of the food and my appreciation to them for providing me with a well needed home cooked meal. 

It was easy to forget, at that moment, that I was in an unknown location, with unknown people in the middle of a war zone. Nobody in the Army, or anywhere else for that matter, knew where I was. I could have easily “disappeared”, but, as has always been the case, I trusted the Universe to take care of me. 

After dinner, I excused myself and returned to my room. I was tired after a long day of traveling. 

In the morning, I awoke to a sunny, beautiful day. I was served a small breakfast by my hostess and then bid her and the family farewell. I grabbed my small suitcase went out into the busy street and hailed another cab, which completed the trip to my hotel. 

Since that time, and often, I wonder about the family. I wonder if they were OK after hosting a US soldier in their home. But that is assuming that they were aligned against the VC. Maybe they were VC sympathizers. Maybe I spent the night with the enemy. 

I will never know……but I will always remember the great and unexpected experience I had one evening in war torn Saigon. And I hope they are safe and know how much their kindness meant to me on that very unusual night. 

The Wisdom of Moving On.

I guess I should feel honored. I have put my issues regarding Vietnam in the past..while so many have not.
So many still harbor negative feelings and hostility towards a people and a nation that basically kicked our asses out of their own country. We should not feel alone. They did the same to China…(twice), France, and Japan before us.

The people of Vietnam today are not the ones we fought against. They, like us, are the survivors of a terrible and brutal past and who were also the victims of governments who chose to put us all in those situations.
They are also people who do not harbor the animosity and hatred that so many Americans do towards their former enemies, which I find difficult to understand. After all……the people of North Vietnam suffered much higher casualties and infrastructure destruction during the war than the South. Still, today….their attitude is “The war is in the past. We need to move on.”
We have people in the US who are still fighting The Civil War…..which ended over 150 years ago.
My mother always taught me to look on the bright side and taught me to look for the positive in an otherwise negative situation. That philosophy usually works….unless you are dealing with someone or a situation that makes it impossible to move ahead successfully.
Time is a great healer. It does not remove the pain and hurt or physical damage done…..but it does give you the opportunity to gain perspective and to live with those things in a more productive way…but only if you are willing to take it.
Some people like to hang on to negativity, as if somehow it identifies them. Hatred, bigotry, and anger are all products of fearful people who refuse to take the chance to move into the light and away from darkness.
We can apply this meme to many things in life: …….our jobs, our relationships, our social outlooks as well as our experiences. You can choose to harbor and hang on to negativity and pain…….or you can choose “to move on.” The thing you cannot do is to attack others for your decision or inability to do so.
Peace and love.

GEORGIA ON MY MIND....

 2015 was clearly a year of growth for me. Many significant things happened that have enriched my life and clarified my path.
In addition to revealing and solidifying my relationship with my Dad, I have reconnected with more long time friends as well as welcoming many new friends and also dealt with the excess baggage I have been carrying from other relationships that were not enhancing my life. My relationships with my core family has improved and even expanded to include others and my life with my wonderful wife just gets better every day. 2016 will make it four years Ngoc and I have been together, and I have to say, I have never had a better partner in life. All of our kids are steadily progressing well and we are proud of all of them.
My first Veteran's Tour of Vietnam went very well. And I finally got my first book published after a five year delay with the next one already in the works.
I feel much more in touch this New Year and centered than ever before in my life. I am at a place where my options are almost wide open. Ngoc and I have many plans for new ventures that we hope to develop in the year ahead.
I am even more aware of all of this after the phone call I received last night.
It is funny how things happen. Ngoc and I were just entering the local Albertson’s store to pick up some chicken for dinner last night when my phone rang. It was a number from Union Point, Georgia, which I did not recognize. Normally, I might let such a call go to voice mail, especially after receiving so many unwanted calls lately, like political or solicitation calls, but I decided to answer it.
“Hello. I would like to talk to Skip Nelson please” said the clear, articulate voice on the other end of the line. “This is Skip Nelson” I said. He continued, “I am Stephen ________ and I am calling concerning my older brother, who is a Vietnam Veteran. Our mother recently passed away and I have been left in charge of care for my brother. Since returning from Vietnam, he has been troubled and reclusive. I just took him to the doctor for the first time in 45 years. He will not speak and avoids contact with anyone. He was stationed in Quy Nhon and I found your organization and your name on the internet. I am very sorry to bother you but I was hoping that you could give me some back ground that would help me understand better what he went through and why he might be in this condition. I hope you can help.”
Hook taken and set.
I asked Stephen to call me back in an hour when I was at home, which he did, and we talked at length. He told me he had gone to the trouble of obtaining all of his brother’s medical and military records from the Army Records Center, he had contacted the Veteran’s Administration and had gotten his brother “in the system” for care and evaluation. I commended him for doing what he was doing. What a remarkable act in the name of love.
Talking to Stephen, I got very emotional. At times, I found it hard to speak and tears welled up in my eyes. My emotions were both of sadness and happiness and uplifting of spirit.
My sadness was triggered by the condition of his brother, who has suffered for over 40 years, alone and without relief. My happiness and uplifting of spirit were triggered by the overwhelming sense of brotherly love and understanding that this young man was showing for his older, troubled brother and his mission to seek solutions to help him. That is what being a brother and family is all about. Sadly, many do not understand this. Many throw blame and insults. Still fewer will be like Stephen and actually do something to help. He doesn't have to.
There are way too many of these cases. Some people, although they are physically present never “came home”. It is still happening today, from Iraq and Afganistan. If we can afford to spend billions to fight wars, we should be able to spend enough to help those who fought them when they are in need.
I asked him to email me some of his brother’s records so I could get a better idea of what the circumstances were that may have caused his condition and that hopefully, together, we could do something that would help bring his brother home. Stephen agreed and we will be talking again soon. I am determined to do all I can to help bring this "brother" home.
What a wonderfully spiritual way to end the year………and to start another. I will probably never refuse another phone call.
Happy New Year everyone!!!! Broaden your horizons. Enhance your understanding. Break down walls. Enrich your lives and those around you. It is our job to lift people up, not push people down.
Don’t forget to reach out when you have an opportunity.

Happy Holidays.....

The period from November through February has traditionally been a time of celebration for every religion or culture.

It started over 6,000 years ago with the celebration of the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, which occurs on December 21.

The “Holiday Season” as we know it, has many holidays, some of which are celebrated for a week or more.

Islamic New Year is celebrated anywhere from late September until late December.

Thanksgiving is celebrated the last Thursday in November by most, regardless of religious beliefs.

Bodhi Day is a Buddhist holiday celebrated on December 8, which is the day when the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree.

The Jewish holiday of Hanukah also falls during the “Holiday Season, this year begins on December 6 and goes until December 14.

Christmas, the celebration of Jesus’ birthday, which actually occurred originally sometime in March or April, was originally incorporated into the Winter Solstice celebration and is now celebrated on December 25.

The African holiday Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 until January 1.

Japanese New Year, Shogatsu, is celebrated from December 28 until January 5.

The Hindu holiday, Lohri, also a solstice celebration, is celebrated on January 13.

Lunar New Year is celebrated usually in the month of January, next year on February 8 and goes for two weeks.

Holidays in this time of year are traditionally viewed as a way to celebrate the end of the year and looking forward to a new year; a time of reflection and rebirth.

This is a spiritual time for all people, even those who are not religious.

Personally, I have been wishing everyone “Happy Holidays” since the early 1960’s, when I realized that many of my friends did not celebrate Christmas as I did. I have always considered it an act of inclusion and respect.

I do not know the conditions where others live, but I know that saying “Merry Christmas” in my world is just as popular as ever. I have never seen anyone being told not to say it. It seems to me that if you are secure in your beliefs, diversity should not bother you.

I do think, however, as we get more educated in the diverse culture that we have here in America, more people are showing respect to all people, and have adapted to the more inclusive term of “Happy Holidays”.

Many businesses, whose main goal is to attract a customer base and make money, have switched to using “Happy Holidays” as a way to sell more stuff to those who do not celebrate Christmas. I thought all those who claim “Christmas is being stolen” or somehow destroyed or depleted, love business and making money.

It does not bother me one bit.

I prefer to be inclusive. I prefer to respect all people’s beliefs and do not attempt to impose my beliefs on others.

The “War on Christmas” is a hoax. It does not exist. It is distracting you from the more important issues of our day.

Do not be mislead.

Have a Wonderful Holiday Season, no matter what your beliefs!!!

The Silent Trauma of Veterans

I guess it is no secret by now, to most people who know me, that "Patriotic Holidays" like Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day affect me very differently than many other people. 

I am also fully aware of the fact that I am not alone in these feelings. I know many veterans who suffer from the same kind of feelings. Most of those I know do. 

Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day have always been extremely hard for me due to the intense feelings of the injustice, sadness and tragedy that wars present that I carry with me to this day..……especially a war in which we should not have been involved in and where so many on each side died or suffered unnecessarily like in Vietnam of which I am a veteran. Many of us still have vivid visions of the situations we witnessed, the people and how it affected them on both sides……especially the children. 

The seemingly obligatory observation of these “Days of Remembrance” gives no consideration to the injustice and criminal aspects of war and what we, as military personnel, are asked to carry out and experience in the name of “Freedom”………which since WWII, could be more realistically described as “protecting Corporate interests abroad”……with the expense of such ventures then being passed on to the US taxpayers. And we should not forget that it is often the poor and underprivileged that fight these wars while the wealthy and privileged sit on their asses. And of course, let us not forget the massive Pentagon budget that hands over billions of dollars every year to projects by “private government contractors” related to war.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, himself a former “General of the Armies” in Europe during WWII, who saw the horrors of war, warned the county in his famous farewell speech in 1961, “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”  (http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/indust.html)

“Perpetual War” is a recently coined term created by, ironically, those that practice it, that describes the current condition of international military involvement. The U. S. has not won a “war” since 1945, a fact which seems to validate this ominous claim. There is no profit in peace.

While many try to forget or ignore the reality of war and celebrate the historical illusion, I, and many other veterans of combat like me, have no choice and on these “Days of Remembrance” are reminded once again of the injustices that have been cast upon our military by a nation that most often chooses to look the other way. 

What makes it worse for many of us veterans is that we are silenced by society. We, as veterans, get shamed into never questioning it. If we are bold enough and choose to do so, we are branded as ‘Unpatriotic” or “Not supporting the troops”, which only adds to our PTSD. 

We all deal with these feelings in different ways. Alcohol. Drugs. Anger. Depression. Anxiety. Sadness. Relationship issues. Some are not affected openly or mask it using other methods, but, for most of us, it is all too real. 

Oh……I support the troops. Of course I do. I was one once. 

My problem is I don’t like them being used like expendable commodities by insensitive politicians and impersonal corporations as fodder and then, when they come home, dirty, broken and in need of help……they are ignored by the very same people who initially embraced them with public displays of support and then sent them off to do their dirty work. If you can afford to go to war, you can afford to take care of those who fought on your behalf when they return and ask for help. 

I am not anti-American. I am not anti-military. I am not anti-troops. I am anti-injustice.

So, before you question our comments, statements or attitudes, take time to realize that there are more perspectives than the one which you possess. If we don’t seem to embrace your comments about “Our Service”…..please understand that many of us are not particularly proud of what we did. If you really want to honor “Our Service”, support politicians who support programs for veterans by increasing funding instead of taking it away. 

Remembering living veterans who still suffer the horrors of war is just as important, if not more, as remembering those veterans who no longer do so. 

So……if we don’t share your enthusiasm, please understand and respect it. We have a very different aspect of what war really is. 

Skip Nelson

Vietnam 1967-68

Hate America??

As many of you know, I often criticize The United States. Many people think I hate America. Not true. 

And let’s get over the "America" part. 

The United States is NOT America. It is PART of America, which includes Canada, Mexico, all of Central and South America. 

Do I hate The United States? No. Quite the contrary. I hate what it has become. 

I was born in 1946, at the end of World War II. I was raised in the 50’s and 60’s when families could live on one income. When everyone who wanted a job had one. When people minded their own business and lived simply. 

Racism and hatred existed, yes, but mostly in certain pockets of the US where it had festered historically and always among ignorant people. The vast majority of citizens would never have been proud to call themselves racists and they would never have behaved like those on the Right do today. The Republican Party was actually a respectable organization and had some wonderful statesmen in their ranks. 

People disagreed, but at the end of the day, they solved problems for the good of the country……not for the benefit of corporations. 

Corporate power was held in check by government regulation. The wealthy were held in check by tax laws. People understood that the US tax laws were created to avoid the super rich from taking over our society and not to punish wealth or hinder business. 

Today, while we slept, the Fascists that we defeated in World War II have re-emerged in the US. They have bought politicians who have passed laws that make their dictatorial practices legal, while the common man gets jailed at alarming rates for minor crimes. 

The police, who once were pillars of the community and held in high esteem, have become militarized and have evolved into a "shoot first, ask questions later" police force which holds themselves as superior to those they serve. Innocent people are killed every day by police while the population cowers in fear. 

Religion, that used to be limited to prayers at meals and Sunday sermons in church, has taken over half of the political landscape and now tries to impose their beliefs on those who do not believe. 

They re-interpret the Constitution to fit their agenda. They pass laws to further their agenda. They selectively interpret the Bible to further their agenda. 

You may say that “it’s still a great country.” I disagree. 

What makes it not such a great country is that many of you, who believe that, will sit back silently, claiming it’s still a great country, while more and more of our Rights are taken away by those whose ultimate goal is to control everything we do, buy or think. 

The United States WAS a great country. Unless people are willing to directly and strongly challenge the Fascists who are taking over this society, it will never be a great country again. 

We will finally become what they planned for us: A third rate Fascist Corporate run state that feeds off the misery of those it dominates.