A friend of mine, Bob from OVV, read the first three pages. He told me to go on with the story there's much more. The more I read this text over and over again; there really is no conclusion, just and ending. I sat and thought about it for a while; there really isn't and ending to the story. It's like a really bad movie, it ends and leaves you without a conclusion. The story line was there, the content was there, and BOOM just like a trip wire it's over. That really speaks well for the condition, PTSD. There really is never an ending, just constant reminders that we all have to learn to live with.
My secret is to stay completely focused on what ever makes me happy. In my situation my choices are narrowed down, due to physical conditions that are a result of Vietnam. I am just lucky I really enjoy working with computers. So I sit everyday in front of a monitor and stay occupied 8 to 10 hours a day. Me at my work area. It may sound like, "what's this guy talking about, I hate computers." That's just the point I am doing what I like to do, and it keeps me focused enough so I don't think about Vietnam all the time. But that's not an answer too: The Long Road Home? For me it is. For all of you still looking for answers. Do what you like!
I wish I had the answers, but I don't. That's why they have group therapy so you can deal with your past and get on with your future. Remember; my future started when I found The Organization of Vietnam Veteran's, and The Paralyzed Veterans of America.
We are not getting any younger, and the VA budget is frozen. By the way, it's frozen by the same government body who sent us all to Vietnam. Don't take me wrong, I would volunteer again in an instant for military duty, to protect our freedom, and fight to the death for the country I love. You have to get involved, write some letters, and start complaining to the people who put us in this situation; the very people your supposed to be voting for. You wouldn't be reading this if you weren't connected to the Internet. You can locate all of your elected officials email addresses just by a simple search. We can't let the very system that took are victory away, take away our VA Hospitals, too. I am telling you from being in the system from my teens, and the big 50, is staring me right in the eye in a couple of months, our benefits and services are being cut to the bone. So, if you still don't want to do anything about your PTSD, do something about our hospitals. The day may come when you have no choice, and the program will be cut and you won't get the help you need
I didn't spend all these painful weeks it took me to compose this story to be meant as a political statement. I wrote because I wanted to share how I found, The Long Road Home, and if it just helps one veteran seek help for his or her problem with PTSD. Then I have done what this little story was all about: The Long Road Home.
