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Wall
trip soothes Viet vets The Vietnam War ended nearly 30 years ago, but it took more than two decades for John Pelaccio to finish his own private battle. Operation Freedom Bird, an Arizona group that helps veterans come to grips with the war, has helped Pelaccio and hundreds of others reach closure with trips to the Vietnam Neterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Pelaccio was drafted into the Army at the height of the war in 1967, an 18-year-old fresh out of high school. He was trained at Fort Knox, Ky., and later sent into combat in the jungles overseas. Pelaccio served in Vietnam for a year before he was discharged in 1969. He returned home to Michigan, where he found the transition from solder to civilian difficult. Aside from the challenge of finding work, he was emotionally whipped by a national protest against the war that labeled soldiers "baby killers." His family offered little comfort, he said. Even they were inclined to believe he was a killer. Ashamed and overwhelmed, he decided to keep quiet and not talk about serving in Vietnam. The silence lasted years. Then, in 1976, after moving to the valley, he sought help at the Vet Center in Phoenix, determined to overcome his shame and put much of his bad experience to rest.
For 20-some years I thought I was in this world to serve my penance for all the wrong that I did," Pelaccio said. In 1997, he was selected as one of 50 veterans by Operation Freedom Bird to travel to Washington D.C., over Veterans Day to view the Vietnam memorial wall. "Facing the wall" was difficult, he said. Pelaccio had lost five friends and carried the guilt of never having done enough. But the experience brought a sense of closure to the pain he lived with for years. Operation Freedom Bird help a fund-raiser last month and raised about $1,000. The money will go toward sending another 50 veterans to Washington this year, a number the group has sent since 1988. The trip cost about
$550 for each veteran, Pelaccio said, noting that much more money
will need to be raised to cover all 50. The organization has other
fund-raisers set for later this year. |
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