For decades, many Vietnam veterans carried the memories of war, and the pain that followed them home, largely in silence.
asserted
that → carry → silence
Now, a new documentary produced and narrated by actor and veteran advocate Gary Sinise is bringing a group of those veterans back to Vietnam for the first time, as the country marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the war.
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country → produce → war
The Washington Examiner attended the world premiere of Where We Once Stood at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, where veterans featured in the film gathered with their families and fellow servicemen for a first look at their stories on the big screen.
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veterans → attend → screen
The scene inside the historic hall offered a striking contrast to the welcome many Vietnam veterans remember receiving when they returned home.
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they → offer → welcome
Veterans arrived wearing Vietnam veteran hats, jackets, and other gear — symbols of the service that, for some, had once made them targets of public anger and hostility.
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them → arrive → anger
Navy veteran Buddie Joe “BJ” Penn remembers being told not to wear his uniform, even while working at the Pentagon.
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Penn → remember → Pentagon
“You go out in a uniform, and people would throw things at you, spit on you,” Penn told the Washington Examiner.
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Penn → go → Examiner
“It was almost a disgrace to wear our uniform, to be a service member at the time.
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It → wear → time
At the premiere, those same veterans were greeted with handshakes, hugs, and memorials of their service lining the halls.
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veterans → greet → halls
They laughed together, introduced themselves to one another, and pointed out their pictures on the wall.
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They → laugh → wall
Many were swapping stories with fellow veterans who understood something about their experiences few others could.
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others → swap → experiences
For many, the night was less about reliving the war than recognizing the men who had lived through it.
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who → relive → it
Where We Once Stood, produced and narrated by Sinise in partnership with Veterans United, follows a group of Vietnam veterans as they return to the places that left the deepest scars, hoping to help them heal.
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them → stand → scars
For Penn, returning to Vietnam meant confronting anger he had carried for decades.
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he → return → decades
“I was angry when I left Vietnam,” Penn said.
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Penn → leave → Vietnam
“I lost a lot of friends.
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I → lose → friends
I left a lot of friends over there, and I was really apprehensive about going back because it wasn’t pleasant either going there to fight the war or coming home.”
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it → leave → war
The anger had affected him so deeply he had never visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.
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he → affect → Washington
“I lived in Washington, D.C., I lived in Fairfax, Virginia, and I have never been to the Wall,” Penn said.
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Penn → live → Wall
“I was so angry I couldn’t go to the Wall.”
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I → go → Wall
Traveling back to Vietnam with a group of fellow veterans gave Penn an opportunity to confront those feelings in a way he had not been able to before.
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he → travel → way
“Going to Vietnam with a group of people that we went with, all Vietnam vets, we were able to talk about these things and relieve the burden that we’ve been carrying all these years,” Penn said.
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Penn → go → that
“I’ve told the gents within our group things I have never told anyone else about, the demons that we faced while there, and those that followed us home.”
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that → tell → us
The veterans also traveled to North Vietnam and visited Hanoi and the prison where American prisoners of war had been held.
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prisoners → travel → war
For Penn, the experience was ultimately healing.
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experience → heal → Penn
“The visit was healing.
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visit → heal → ?
It was a healing trip for all of us,” Penn said.
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Penn → say → us
“We have all changed our attitudes and our opinions about going there.
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We → change → attitudes
We’re so glad we did.
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we → ’re → ?
So glad we had the opportunity to go back.”
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we → have → opportunity
For retired Air Force Lt. Col. Robert Jeffrey, the journey was deeply personal.
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journey → retire → Jeffrey
Jeffrey spent seven years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam after being shot down.
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Jeffrey → spend → Vietnam
His weapon systems operator, George Smith, was killed when their aircraft was shot down.
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aircraft → kill → ?
“I never recovered his remains,” Jeffrey said.
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Jeffrey → recover → remains
“That was really my main reason for going there.
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That → go → ?
From that standpoint, I needed closure.”
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I → need → closure
The search for his crash site didn’t go as planned.
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search → go → site
The land had changed drastically in 50 years, and the roads along the rice patties were now vineyards and small man-made ponds.
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roads → change → patties
Many grave sites had been disturbed and moved.
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sites → disturb → ?
“We drove a number of the roads for quite a while, and I never could see those features,” Jeffrey said.
uncertain
Jeffrey → drive → features
…and 20 more, not listed.
The Aporia
