My name is Anonymous and I was a Spec 4 in the Army from 1965-1967. Before being drafted, I was working and attending school.
The change to military life was okay for me. The hardest adjustment was getting used to taking orders. I did basic training at Fort Ord, then did my AIT in Columbus, Kentucky. Afterward, I did my service in Lào Cai, Vietnam. I worked as a Communications Specialist. My duty involved ducking and dodging a ****load of bullets while at the same time repairing radar and sending messages.
I really don't like to think about combat anymore. In the military, they teach you not to show emotion. I vividly remember on my first day of deployment how I saw the corpse of one of the Viet Cong being roasted by a fire. It was sickening. All I could think about was how that man had a family and the suffering they must have gone through. It took me 2-3 months to get over it.
Despite the fact that I still don't show emotion as well as that loud noises give me anxiety, I am proud of what I did in the field. Also, the VA has helped me out a lot and taught me about my conditions coming out of the war.