This is an anecdotal history of America’s war in Vietnam composed of firsthand narratives by Vietnam War veterans presented in chronological order. They are intense, emotional, and highly personal stories. Connecting each of them is a brief historical commentary of that period of the war, the geography of the story, and the contemporary strategy written by Lewis Sorley, West Point class of 1956, and author of A Better War and Westmoreland.
With a foreword by Lt. Gen. Dave R. Palmer, U.S. Army (Ret.), Valor in Vietnam presents a historical overview of the war through the eyes of participants in each branch of service and throughout the entire course of the war. Simply put, their stories serve to reflect the commitment, honor, and dedication with which America’s veterans performed their service.
The Combat Faith web site is dedicated as a Christian encouragement and education site for individuals who wish to strengthen their faith in God, for those with challenging and serious issues related to relationship struggles, substance abuse, and alcoholism, and also for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) from combat experiences.
The best place to start exploring the web site is by reading about Our Ministry.
The founder of this lay ministry, Allen Clark (read Allen's bio), is a West Pointer, who served in Vietnam in covert operations after being transferred in-country (airborne-qualified) and assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group. Allen did not attend the official Special Forces officer training course at Fort Bragg, but was proud to have been assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group. He believes the motto, code, and warrior spirit as exemplified by the official Special Forces professional soldiers are worthy of emulation and use in the spiritual arena to help heal his fellow veterans.
Allen Clark, 1967
Brooke General Hospital
ATTENTION COMBAT VETERANS OF ALL WARS - About PTSD
For all warriors needing healing, there are some key factors that apply universally. Combat PTSD stems from dangerous situations where their or their comrades’ lives/health were at stake. Most combat veterans with PTSD had multi-traumas rather than just one traumatic incident. The following information on PTSD anecdotes was provided to me by a fellow Vietnam veteran who was wounded in Vietnam as a Navy Corpsman assigned to the Marines. After the case study for each war, there will be suggestions for a spiritual approach to the issues affecting veterans:
LEARN ABOUT ALLEN'S BOOK, VALOR IN VIETNAM, CHRONICLES OF HONOR, COURAGE AND SACRIFICE, 1963-1977 (Kindle edition available on Amazon)
Every war continues to dwell in the lives it touched, in the lives of those living through that time, and in those absorbed by its historical significance. The Vietnam War lives on famously and infamously dependent on political points of view, but those who have “been there, done that” have a highly personalized window on their time of that history. Valor in Vietnam focuses on nineteen stories of Vietnam, stories of celebrated characters in the veteran community, compelling war narratives, vignettes of battles, and the emotional impact on the combatants. It is replete with leadership lessons as well as valuable insights that are just as applicable today as they were forty years ago.
West Pointer Allen B. Clark (USMA Class of 1963) knows about blood. As an Army officer assigned to Special Forces in clandestine intelligence operations in the Vietnam War, he shed “soldier’s blood” in an enemy mortar attack on his camp in 1967. Blessed with life after surviving the loss of both legs, he returned to life as a veteran who served his country. Subsequent to experiences in a variety of political, public service, and financial endeavors, he began to acquire a keen interest in the real causes of wars and their attendant casualties throughout history in contrast to the histories written by potentially biased sources. Healing from the emotional issues related to his wounds, he grew in spiritual depth and faith. His extensive and concentrated research over many years motivated him to pen Soldiers’ Blood and Bloodied Money, a hard-hitting work that pulls no punches and exposes the “usual suspects” who have profited from wars and derived their “bloodied money.”
Considerable and wide-ranging studies have resulted in this publication, which names the individuals and institutions throughout history who have fostered and fomented horrendous wars, such as arms merchants, religious leaders, politicians, international bankers, media titans, lawyers, and “secret societies.” His findings, from sources published as far back as 150 years ago, will captivate and shock readers. Read this book to grasp the political, financial, business, religious, social, and propaganda-based truths leading to wars with a special focus on the American Revolution, Civil War, Spanish-American War, and the "Banana, Banker, and Oil Wars" in the Americas. He concludes his book with his spiritual approach for veterans to heal from wartime traumas.
