The War - Facts Behind the Story

This story involves the plight of a returned Vietnam combat veteran and his struggle with family life after the war. It's a reasonable - and reasoned - treatment of the subject with flashbacks and psychological scarring as merely plot points rather than political agenda.

The facts speak for themselves. The vast majority of combat veterans who returned to civilian life after one or more tours in Vietnam did just fine in their adjustment to civilian life and the generic American pursuit of happiness. This is a fact that's frequently ignored for dramatic effect in Hollywood. While a number of returning vets did experience the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, those who sought treatment quickly got themselves back into the groove and dealt with getting a job and raising a family in the same competent manner as did their fathers and grandfathers before them. Most of the sufferers who did not seek treatment survived - and thrived - following a more personal struggle with mental scars from the war.

There are, of course, among living combat vets, those who have not learned to deal with survivor guilt - the most prevalent cause of PTSD - and who have wound up suffering, out of control, addicted, institutionalized or homeless. They are, however, a minority among the large community of surviving combat veterans who have made the most of their military experiences and their lives.