As a Vietnam ERA Veteran, I was never in country or at least according to the government.

I served in the Navy and was on a SH-3G Helicopter Photo Recon, Combat Camera Group 2 and was stationed aboard a small carrier. We would fly over and do our thing. I had my camera in hand and a 1911 always on my hip. I was one of the fortunate ones and never was never physically hurt, but the photos I took still haunt me and hurt to this day. Many of them were what would be called forensic and/or autopsy records. I still don’t know why every dead brother brought aboard was to be photographed. But that was my job. In order to be an In Country Vet, you were required to have 24 plus hours on Viet Nam soil. All of the flying over that we conducted didn’t matter or count. We did not know this at the time and were just thankful that we always made it back to the ship. Had I known this, I would have done the time and then I would be an ” IN COUNTRY VET “. This is one of the things that I am still fighting along with many other guys and hopefully the D.O.D. will change this and let those of us have our due.

How lucky I was being the only E-5 certified as aerial and forensic. Later in my career I also picked up underwater and had one of the best tours while in with Seal Team 2 down in Porto Rico. Old Rossi Roads NAS FltAvComCen. Those were three great years, and if they had let me, I would still be there. Diving with the Seals and Flying with VC-8 was and still is some of the best memories I have.

My older brother was a three tour in country vet (Vietnam) Navy Seal better man than I will ever be. He now is at peace and was buried at sea after doing 32 years and retired as an E-9 Master Chief. Even though we shared many of the problems together we never discussed them with each other. I guess we both just knew. I enlisted rather than wait to be drafted into the Army, so the Navy was my choice. I wanted a career and a profession that I could use throughout my life. Well the profession I got was in Aerial / Underwater and Forensic Photography. I was one of only about 20 in the Navy that had all three. Due to this we were in great demand back then and so I was moved around a lot. I was stationed aboard a small carrier witch only handled helicopters, SH3G to be exact made by Sicorski, very much like a Huey that the Army used. We also did a large amount of Aerial Recon / Photo Recon with many of these photos being used to plan out the strategy for the ground troops.

I was like most guys on my first trip to “The Wall” and couldn’t do the walk. As I turned to leave a young lady asked if I was there. We talked a little and she explained that the Dad she never got to meet was on this wall and she had hoped that I would help her find him. For some reason this took all my fears, tears and problems away. I guess we helped each other that day. We found her Dad and together we walked the wall side by side not really saying much but yet we new our thoughts were for each other. Now mind you at that time I was a member of the Viet Nam Vets M.C. and was there with several hundred other brothers, all of us dealing with our own demons. I couldn’t understand why there was not one brother to help us in our search. Why her, why then, and why with me? God truly does work in his own strange ways. I have been back now 5 more times and each time I do the same thing with another vet having his own problems being there. As I walk with him I tell him about this pretty young lady and how she in her own way was there for me. By the time our talk was over, we had walked the wall. I always leave a veteran with just one request, and that he give help to a brother in need, either there or just anywhere they should meet.

My daughter and I have been really bonding and discussing my time in the service, and I am so happy as we really didn’t have this before. She has talked a lot with me about my service time and now she seems so open about many of the things I did and went through. We have had our differences witch have been major between us but time really has cured most of them. She now has a family of her own 3 boys all under12 years so she has come a long way. She asked me “Dad, how did you raise all of us alone with everything on your plate that was there?” The fact that she now sees the things that were in my mind and life is amazing to me and that she wants to know and understand and accept who and what I am. Well, all I can say is thank God for letting me have this. She is my youngest, my baby still and 32 years old. It’s so good between us compared to what we were.

I saw on the news about an Army Vet that wrote a Children’s book about PTSD. The way he described it was “a fire in his heart “. I’ve never heard it put that way but it really sums it up in one sentence. “A Fire In Our Chest ” works for me and I will use it from now on.
The fire just keeps burning and we can’t put it out.
~ Kenny Tornabene, Vietnam Era Veteran

We are very grateful to Kenny for sharing his story with Comes A Soldier’s Whisper, where we are all connected.

God Bless all who serve and keep us safe.

Author Page: www.amazon.com/Jenny…/e/B00NR36UYM/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

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