Jim Wagner served in the Vietnam War, in the 199th infantry re-con from 1968 to 1969.  The eighteen year old had gotten married only a week before he deployed.

Talking about what happened in Vietnam still gives Wagner goosebumps, and he spent a large portion of his

life running from the feelings associated with the memories he holds. But some memories are hard to run from.

“We had set up an ambush one night, and somehow the enemy got inside our ambush, so we had to call artillery in real close, and my lieutenant got killed and a couple other guys, I ended up carrying them to the chopper, not knowing I was even hit” Jim remembered.

His wife received the news that Jim had been hit by “friendly mortar,” and although it was nice to hear something about where her husband was after not knowing for two months, emotions ran high.

“I got a letter from the army saying he’d been shot, oh my god I cried and cried and cried,” said Cheri.

After returning from the war with a Purple heart, it seemed the war was still all around him.

“Everything in real life seems to reflect on a different thing. A smell, a sound, anything can set you off. It’s not like a flashback, but it’s a memory” Jim explained.

Although his wife knew deep down the changes she could see in her husband were because of the war, the difference was surprising for Cheri.

“When he got back from Vietnam, he was a totally different person, and not the person that I knew when he left for Vietnam,” she said.

When Jim finally understood that he needed help, he turned to Veterans Affairs for help. They found him therapy, and help for what was diagnosed to be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and he slowly was able to move forward.

“I’m not sorry I went, I think that any war, I don’t care which one it is, World War 1, World War 2, Korea,  everybody carries their own secret,” he said.

Those experiences and memories are being used for good, however, Jim is heavily involved in a program called Operation We Care, to make the transition for army families and for veterans easier. They provide emotional, financial, and supportive help to families and to soldiers that need it.

For more information about Operation We Care, click here to visit the website or contact the local Veterans Affairs office near you.

Morgan Finke can be reached at morgan.finke@loras.edu.