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Vietnam Vets Focused On Helping Returning Soldiers
By Andy McKeever, iBerkshires Staff
06:06PM / Tuesday, September 09, 2014
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Once a week for the last eight years, a group of Vietnam veterans has been meeting for coffee at a local diner - something none of them would have fathomed when they first returned from the war. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — For more than a decade following their return, local Vietnam veterans just didn't talk about what they did overseas.

But as time goes on, more and more are finding their old uniforms, marching in parades and getting involved with the local Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 65.

The chapter has seen a growth in recent years, with members attributing it to more retirements. And the organization that started with 35 members some 32 years ago has now surpassed 80.
 
"It has changed since people have become retired; we had an increase in membership," said F. Martha Green, a former Army nurse in Vietnam who joined the organization in 1985.
 
The chapter started in 1982 when the national organization expanded. The group alternated between South County and Pittsfield and, after a few years, moved its headquarters to Pittsfield.
 
"We started in South County. There were a lot of veterans who worked in the mills in Housatonic. It kind of started there and spread to Pittsfield," said Larry Caprari, who was recently appointed as the interim veterans agent for the city. "Another chapter was formed in North Adams."
 
Bill Mickle is one of those who have found themselves more active in the organization since retiring. After returning from Vietnam, he spent years as a Pittsfield Police officer and then took early retirement to start a business. In the last three years — when he actually retired from working — he has taken a bigger role in the the chapter.
 
"We're doing more things now because guys are retired and able to do more," Mickle said.
 
Mickle finds himself at more than a dozen ceremonies — from parades to funerals — in a given year. He has gone to classrooms and spoken about the war. He has taught classes on the meaning of flag folding. And he has helped with fundraising efforts.
 
But more importantly, Mickle says the organization has been trying to help other veterans — Vietnam or not. With the returning soldiers from Iraq, Mickle says the organization is really trying to provide whatever the veteran needs.
 
"A lot of guys come home and they are having problems and they don't go to anybody," he said. 
 
The Vietnam veterans often only spent one year overseas, but those in Iraq have been sent on multiple tours. Mickle says he understands completely why there seems to be an increase in post-traumatic stress disorder.
 
"I don't think anybody has been in combat and hasn't come back with the syndrome because you've done all of this," Mickle said. "Most of us compartmentalize it, but things bring those memories back."
 
The disorder, however, is more severe and means a person can't function normally in daily life. Mickle says there are many people who struggle with it but don't say anything because they are worried that they'll be judged negatively as if "they couldn't handle something."
 
"We all have the syndrome. People don't understand the fact that the disorder is where the problem is — that's when you can't cope. You cannot function in the society," Mickle said.
 
The Vietnam veterans know what it is like, Green said, "we served at different times but we all have that similar understanding."
 
However, to none of the Vietnam veteran's surprise, the Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers aren't talking much despite multiple combat tours.
 
"They are kind of like us when they are coming home. They are staying in the weeds a little bit. It took us 10 to 15 years before we started talking about what we did or where we were," said Chapter Commander Fran Tremblay said. 
 
"You can see the same thing happening with these guys coming back now. But the worse thing is that they have so many tours of duty. They get home and they go back again. We got drafted or enrolled for two or three years active duty and that was it. Then you go into Reserves and finish out."
 
Despite having gone through those silent years, the organization has been focusing its attention on making sure returning servicemen and -women not only get the financial or mental health assistance they need — including staffing its First Street Outreach Center — but also feel welcomed. Some in the organization have become heavily involved in the Here at Home Committee, which welcomes returning military personnel home.
 
"We are especially sensitive to the needs of the Iraq vets who are coming back now because when we came back not many people would talk to us. We were told several times at VFWs and American Legions that we didn't really fight in a war," said John Green, F. Martha Green's husband.
 
"It is a lot different. They come home with the streets lined with people rather than having to sneak back home."
 
Mickle says he hasn't seen a lot of Iraq veterans come into the outreach center but when they do, they get help navigating the Veterans Affairs systems and even financial help if they are behind on bills.
 
"We do that because we didn't get it," he said.
 
The chapter has also spawned the Veterans Coalition, which brings about a dozen of the county's veterans groups together for meetings. The coalition organizes parade line ups and other such events. Tremblay says he would really want to get all of those organization under one roof. And he has been keeping an eye out for potential locations.
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