Veteran's Reflections: 'I Wish I Had Stayed In'
(November 22, 2010) |
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Saint Silver, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, poses for a photo during a visit to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., July 30, 2010. DOD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby |
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2010 – Saint
Silver is considered a disabled veteran.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep apnea, and
diabetes related to Agent Orange exposure have
affected him since he served in Vietnam. But he
doesn't look back in anger. He looks back with
appreciation for the service.
In fact, he said, serving in the Army was the best
thing that happened to him.
“Being in Vietnam ... you can't forget it. It's
something that stays with you for the rest of your
life,” Silver said. “Being a veteran is the best
thing that happened to me.” He's grateful that he
was able to serve his country, he said.
“I think that every young man, when he turns 18,
should be obligated to serve the country,” he said.
“I think we'd have less crime, less killing
one-on-one. The military gives you some stability,
and you learn to grow up and be a man.” |
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The Henderson, N.C., resident said serving in the Army
helped to shape him as an adult, and his service abroad
taught him to appreciate the things some take for granted in
the United States.
“Once you get back home, you realize how much you love our
country, and how much freedom you have in a democracy versus
communism over there, where you're told what to do and when
to do it,” Silver said.
Silver served as a clerk in the Army from 1968 to 1971,
though he said he never worked in his specialty. Instead, he
was a utility supervisor, advising Vietnamese in the Mekong
Delta, where he never thought he'd end up.
“They told me I passed the physical in January, and I'd be
drafted the next month,” Silver said. “So I volunteered,
thinking I'd miss Vietnam. But right after [specialty
training], I went straight over to Vietnam.”
Vietnam was a good cause, Silver said, and the lessons
learned there should be kept in mind when considering
drawdowns and missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said he
believes the United States pulled out of Vietnam too soon,
resulting in continued problems for the Vietnamese people.
“If we do like we did in Vietnam, leaving before the job is
finished, other countries will think they can't depend on
us,” he said. “If you consider yourself an ally of another
country, you should be able to stay and help them through
what they're going through before you leave. Americans never
really lost the war over there. It was the counterparts that
lost. We didn't lose.”
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan shouldn't deter people
considering military service today, Silver said. The
benefits, both tangible and invisible, outweigh the risks of
combat, he added.
“Once I got out, I wish I had stayed in,” he said. “Where
can you go and get 30 vacation days a year? You get
hospitalization, and you don't have to worry about it. Plus,
it makes you grow up. You get a skill. After 20 years you
can retire to another job. It has so many opportunities, and
positives, in spite of the war.”
All young people don't think that way, he acknowledged. “But
as you get older, you realize all of the things you missed
by not staying in,” he added. |
By Ian Graham
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2010 |
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