Letter 13
Margaret
Hebert
Dearest Hope,
I am so very thankful that Tom had met
you on the computer. You have meant more than you know to both
of us. I am so very thankful that someone somewhere has Welcomed
our Boys home, I try to do this whenever I meet a veteran who
fought in Viet Nam, as well as other wars.
Tom and I used to go to reunions for Viet
Nam Vets and we both have met some wonderful people there. I
remember one we went to in Tampa Florida. One of the woman vets
asked me to read something at a memorial for one of the fallen
women in Viet Nam. After we read our part we had to place a
flower at the Moving Wall. This alone tore me up, but after I
placed the flower at the wall a gentleman, who was a Viet Nam
Vet walked up to me and put his arms around me to give me a hug
and he said welcome home. I totally lost it, and still get
chills thinking about it.
In the beginning of our marriage when
things would go wrong I would blame myself, and think it was all
my fault. As time went on I realized that it wasn't my fault and
thanks to a wonderful book, Recovering from the War, I learned a
lot about what our men and women went through over there. In
fact I read the book twice and it helped me so very much to
understand.
Tom and I will be married 22 years on the
18th of June this year, and they have been 22 wonderful years.
We understand each other and love each other and with that love
anything is possible. We have had our normal ups and downs but
not that much and we are always forgiving of each other. I know
what PTSD is now and with understanding and love we can cope.
Tom still has a very hard time sleeping at night and goes to see
a psychiatrist at the VA in Dublin GA. I always go with him. He
has to sleep with a light on and the tv on at night. I feel for
all the men and women who were over in Viet Nam and it still
angers me when I hear idiots talking about how it wasn't a war,
or they just don't understand. I also feel for the wives and
families of the vets who were over there. I know what they are
going through and understand. We have a dear friend in Iraq now,
and he is already showing signs of PTSD, the denial, etc. To all
vets I would like to say a big Welcome Home. You all deserved
better than you got when you came home.
Didn't mean to make this a book, but you
mean so much to us and have helped so many. Thank you Hope, we
love you. May God Bless you and your family.
Love and friendship always,
Margaret Hebert
A Viet Nam Veterans Wife and
very proud of it. |
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