Freep.com: It took 37 years to tell the painful stories of Vietnam

David Dyer, a retired Sergeant First Class, is 72 years old and lives in Grosse Ile.

I was never able to talk about Vietnam without my eyes welling up. I would always give the excuse that there was nothing pleasant about Vietnam, so why talk about it? Or I would change the subject or just leave the room. There may not have been anything pleasant, but there was plenty to talk about.

I finally told my story at the encouragement of my brother Wayne Dyer, a motivational speaker, who hit me with the words, "Do not die with your music still in you." It seemed to free me when I talked about Vietnam.I was a career soldier and retired in 1982 after 22 years. My specialty was medical records, so I was mostly assigned to hospitals. In Vietnam, I was in charge of receiving and admitting all patients. These patients were brought in by chopper, ambulance and sometimes in body bags. We tagged every patient with a wristband as they entered, whether they were alive or not. There were times when I would be the first person they remembered talking to after being wounded.On more than one occasion, I was asked, "Please don't tell my wife."

In May 1971, I returned to Vietnam after a short leave. The war was supposed to be winding down. But we were hit with a mass casualty that I never thought we would live through. There were 47 casualties, and we were considerably understaffed.There was one patient who was placed with the DOAs whom I heard sounds coming from. As I knelt down to him, all I could see were the whites in his eyes. He had over 90% body burns. I put my hand on him and he asked me if he was going to die. I then heard him say in his final breath, "Mom."That incident stayed within me for 37 years, before I was able to talk about it. Hat Tip: Debbie Schlussel - Read more...