I would like to address Winston Nyoki’s letter of 7/15 and help this person get the facts correct. It was not tens of thousands of veterans who were sent to Vietnam, but approximately 2.7 million military personnel supported this war effort. As a Vietnam veteran, I’d like to remind Winston of the effects we suffered, both physically and mentally, and how long some of us took to overcome the trauma of both the war and being in the military. Please understand that it was not a “cakewalk” for us to get back in the system, and indeed, many of us struggled to find our way home. Winston, I hope you’d be more understanding had you walked in our shoes, and I caution you in using too wide a brush to paint us all in your picture.

Dirk Beaulieu

Eugene