Be the Light in the Dark
Some left Vietnam but Vietnam didn’t leave them. Nearly 3 million service members served in Vietnam and most returned home. But since then, thousands of Vietnam veterans have battled PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – and it has impacted their lives and the lives of their families in many ways. Returning without a proper homecoming compounded the issues veterans faced upon their return.
Join us on June 27, 2023 – National PTSD Awareness Day – as we will bring light to the continuing dark toll of the war. The Vietnam War may be over, but the battle continues for many Vietnam veterans and their families to this day.
This event will run from 7:30 – 9:00 PM EST at The Wall in Washington, D.C.
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Thank you to all of our candle sponsors and for helping make this event possible.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has a long and complicated history. During the Civil War it was call DaCostas Syndrome, named for the doctor who published about the troubling symptoms he was seeing in soldiers from both sides of battle. They suffered shortness of breath, rapid pulse, and fatigue during times of stress, and especially when recalling certain aspects of battle. Shell shock, Battle Fatigue, Post Vietnam Syndrome, and Gulf War Syndrome were all names given to symptoms of PTSD before it was officially added to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) as an anxiety disorder in 1980. It has since been changed to a trauma and stressor related disorder.
EPISODE 7: “Rocket Man” – Part 1
Three years ago, LCpl Bill Klobas showed up unannounced at the home of his daughter, Casey Byington, and proceeded to have what she calls “a meltdown” at her kitchen table. She had never seen him like this, and neither one would ever be the same after. In honor of National PTSD Awareness Month, this episode is the first in a two-part series following Rocket Man’s journey from Paradise to Charlie Ridge, and from the morass of despair to the fingerhold of hope.
Learn more about the PTSD
See this episode and all of our previous episodes at https://www.vvmf.org/echoes
EPISODE 8: “Rocket Man” – Part 2
LCpl Bill “Rocket Man” Klobas left Vietnam in 1969, but Vietnam never left him. Nearly 50 years later, his daughter Casey is fighting like hell to get him the care he needs and the benefits he deserves. In the conclusion of this two-part series, Casey also takes on the U.S. Marine Corps over the Purple Heart that her father earned but never received.
Learn more about the PTSD
See this episode and all of our previous episodes at https://www.vvmf.org/echoes
EPISODE 30: You Are Not Alone
June is National PTSD Awareness month. Vietnam veterans often have a hard time getting help for this condition, and having someone in their corner can make all the difference in the world. Cyndy Hollender-Stancliff married two Vietnam veterans, both of whom suffered from PTSD. She shares her story of love and support, loss and healing.
Learn more about the PTSD
See this episode and all of our previous episodes at https://www.vvmf.org/echoes
There are a number of ways to spread PTSD Awareness and you can do it right in your own community. The following are just some examples of how individuals and communities across the nation came together to raise PTSD Awareness last year.
- Organize a candle event at a local memorial site, park, or wherever you can gather.
- Ask your neighbors to display teal porch lights.
- Organize a walk/run event.
- Organize a motorcycle ride event.
- Organize banner/sign hangings around the community.
- Ask businesses to display awareness on their signs.
- Organize a breakfast, lunch, or dinner event.
If you are interested in obtaining teal, battery-operated candles, feel free to visit www.100candles.com to order them.
Since the Vietnam War ended, thousands of Vietnam veterans have died each year due to Agent Orange exposure, PTSD and other illnesses as a result of their service. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s (VVMF) In Memory program honors those who returned home from Vietnam and later died.
The plaque on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in Washington, D.C. that honors these veterans was dedicated in 2004 and reads: In Memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice.
In Memory was created in 1993 by the group – Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. VVMF began managing the program and hosting the ceremony in 1999. More than 5,000 veterans have been added to the In Memory Honor Roll since the program began. To see all the honorees, please visit the In Memory Honor Roll.