Flashback: Forgetting and Remembering Vietnam

J. W. Clark

feb 2011 · Dog Ear Publishing

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In April, 1968, six weeks after arriving in Vietnam, a young marine becomes the sole survivor of an incident of friendly fire involving over 200 Marines. Severely wounded physically and emotionally, he returns to the States unable to understand his experience and too ashamed and afraid to talk about it. Instead he buries the memories of that tragic day, and as the doctors rebuild his body he tries to build a normal life. On the surface, he is successful; he has a beautiful home, a family, and a good career. He ignores the uneasy feelings that sometimes make the world seem unreal, that make him feel like a fugitive. Then, more than 30 years after he almost died in Vietnam, his memories try to resurface. After a series of terrifying nightmares and flashbacks he discovers that in order to save his future, he must resurrect his past.

To my Readers: In this memoir, I've shared my combat experience in Vietnam and my struggles with posttraumatic stress disorder. The nature of war does not change; combat veterans of the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, and the Iraqi War all have something in common - a heightened risk of PTSD. If you are a combat veteran experiencing problems similar to mine, I hope that my story encourages you to seek and accept help. - J.W. Clark.
After his law enforcement career was cut short by increasingly severe PTSD symptoms, J.W. Clark returned to a semi-rural area of Southern California, where he lives with his wife of six years.