My father, Charles A. Burnham, has never really spoken about his experience during his tour in Vietnam, not until now, not until I asked him questions for this story.
He expressed to me while answering these questions, that these are things that he hasn’t spoken of since he was in Vietnam, because it is very emotional and difficult to re-live those experiences. Although my dad was never injured, I do have my own suspicion that he suffers from PTSD due to the traumatic events he witnessed and the emotions, which take over when talking about it. Dad does feel the war changed him, in respect to how people view the military and why they go to defend our country.
He had several fears during the war. The first was if his parents truly understood what he was experiencing and enduring while there in Vietnam. Secondly, he often wondered if he would “make it home alive”. He reluctantly shared his reason behind the fear of not coming home, and when he finally did, I was in tears and shocked. While working in Saigon at Joint Services of J-2 Counterintelligence Directorate as a Military Intelligence Coordinator his group did NOT carry any weapons on their person and had NO access to any weapons to defend themselves. They were given specific instructions that they could NOT shoot until the enemy were climbing the walls and only then, if they could see the whites of their eyes…
As he was preparing to leave from Travis AFB on 23 May 1967 on route to Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam on May 25, 1967 , he was advised to pack and bring double quantities of items from the U.S., as they wouldn’t be available in Vietnam. My father was just one of over 525,000 troops serving in Vietnam during the “Tet Offensive of 1968”. Upon arrival they “were subjected to the wrath of errant misfit U.S. soldiers who were set on “humiliating, degrading, and stealing” from all NEW soldiers arriving into Vietnam”.
From there he was sent to Saigon to await assignment to a Unit arriving there on May 26, 1967. While waiting he ran into another soldier and the two began to talk, and at the end of their conversation, the Sgt gave his business card to my dad and told him to have the Unit call when he arrived. Upon arrival and after reality set in of where my dad was to be stationed, he went into the Unit, pulled out the Sgt’s business card and advised them to call. The soldier asked if this was to mean something. However, because the name and business card was given to my dad, they HAD to call the Unit. Shortly after, the Unit called and specifically requested my dad to report to them for duty. While working a counterintelligence operation regarding the black market, my dad saw photos of black market items, some of the very same items that were stolen from the incoming GI’s as well as my dad!
As his tour was coming to an end, my father learned that 100% of the soldiers in the Unit he was originally assigned to had been KIA. My father’s reception home was despicable. He arrived home after serving his country only to be “spat” upon by our own U.S. citizens, with no welcome home, no thank you for your sacrifice and service.
The pictures are of my dad from service and one with me and my daughter in 2010. The more recent picture of my dad was taken in 2014. I am beyond grateful that I was a lucky one whose father came home alive and would love to hear from anyone that served with him.
~Carrie Burnham-Miller
www.facebook.com/hbcaligurl or hbcaligirl71@yahoo.com
We are to Carrie for sharing her father’s service and story with Comes A Soldier’s Whisper, where we are all connected.
It is a great privilege and honor to collect these stories from our veterans of all wars, none of whom reached out to me. I have found them to be a humble group of men and women. These stories are their stories.
~ Jenny Lasala
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