The room is filled with flags, posters, and historical memories of wars and battles across the world. The veterans of the Gaston County Department of Veteran Services in the local town of Gastonia, NC, present the events and stories that have occurred in these veterans' lives. These memories shock the listener and show the raw emotions felt by these veterans. The men and women today seemed somewhat uneasy, afraid, and nervous about being approached by a stranger. The stories and life events they share are so disturbing yet exhilarating at the same time. The looks on their faces read of painful memories, loss, and pride. The information acquired from these individuals has many different perspectives on the events they went through during their enlistment and reaffirms how important they and their struggles are to the community.
There is a man named John, a blue-eyed Caucasian male with gray hair and a tremendous sense of humor. He is very eager to discuss his thoughts on the mere basic training he endured in the Army. He said that he “ran day and night during the cold rain, thunderstorms, and massive heat”. He gives a vivid image of doing push-ups until he collapsed under the weight of his large frame. John states: “At times it felt as if my bones were nothing but rubber”. He describes the vigorous workouts as torture to his limbs, feeling as if his muscles were being ripped apart by a pack of wild dogs. He also describes moments enclosed in rooms, known as gas chambers, where he remembers gasping for air and choking on fumes spraying around his body until passing out. John voices: “These memories that will forever be etched in my head, but I also believe I would undergo it all again for the sake of my country”. The men around us were shaking their heads in agreement that the pain endured was absolutely excruciating.
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In addition, another veteran named Samson wants to tell how he was affected by the pressures and tribulations of his time in an active war zone. Samson was deployed to Korea, and he remembers it as a “life-changing experience”. He cries as he gives the details of his team dying right in front of him. He witnessed his sergeant being hit with shrapnel from an exploding bomb and can still hear the “horrible screams from men all around me”. Samson vocalizes a faint hissing sound from bullets flying by him that is still present to him to this day. So many of his fellow soldiers died within the days and weeks after the war was over. He is “thankful that it is over, and I’m glad I survived”, yet it revisits him nightly in his dreams. Two gentlemen at a table next to us tear up as the words Samson is speaking have them reliving their similar experiences of war.
Many soldiers suffer a great deal after their stint in the service. Malcolm, a veteran of the Marines, informs his group: “I wake regularly from night terrors and tremors, from the reminders of the pain and trauma I suffered”. He has feelings of worthlessness that he is still here on this earth while others were not as fortunate. He tells the support group that he sees a therapist for deep depression and suicidal tendencies, brought on by his time served that leaks into his mental state. He doesn’t regret the time he put in for his fellow Americans, and he feels with time and patience, he may learn to adapt to the world he lives in today.
The lives of the Gaston County veterans before the military are drastically different than the lives they live after the term that they each served. They all suffer and serve in multiple ways, but together they are joined as a family for all they have in common. Some veterans’ lives went on pretty much the same as before they enlisted, but many suffer a great deal with what they have been through. There are so many aspects to the United States veterans, and what they have done for us and our country. Each ordeal these men and women went through is equally as important as the next person. Their service, their sacrifice for the good of society and its inhabitants is invaluable and important both for the present and future generations.
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