I would like to introduce you to a Vietnam Veteran I am Honored to call my friend and Proud to be partnered with,.. Spencer Oland Founder of Generations of Warriors Project (GOWP)
PTSD awareness is the primary mission Spencer has taken on, going out and speaking with fellow veterans from World War 2 all the way to the ones who has served in the recent Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Through our first conversation, he shared the fact, that even though the ages differ, the experience of war trauma doesn’t, and he had it in his mind to start Generations of Warriors Project. Spencer is well spoken, his message hits home when it comes to raising awareness, and his determination is relentless.
Find out more about Spencer in this interview with the TV Richland City View "I am Richland".
Please visit our webpage at: http://www.gowarriorsproject.org
Connect with us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/gowarriorsproject/
Spencer has also started a campaign for “The Crystal Heart”
The Crystal Heart is a response to the lack of an award comparable to the Purple Heart.
A Crystal Heart Award is for the 'Invisibly Wounded" veteran. These wounded deserve the honor and respect shown for recipients of the Purple Heart
https://www.facebook.com/gowarriorsproject/pages/Crystal-Heart-Award/679379372158851
The following is a transcript re-print from a sit down interview with Spencer, When he was
asked about his service to this country,.. Were you drafted or did you volunteer for military service? I enlisted voluntarily into the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in December of 1966 at the early stages of the Vietnam War.
What do you remember was going on in the United States at this time? This was during the early stages of the counter culture movements in the United States. Some University faculty and most students of the time were experimenting with drugs and alternative life styles…communal living, radical departures in dress, long hair for men, mistrust and revolt against authority that included sit-ins within University administration buildings to block the normal processes leading to the University’s objectionable actions that restrained the students’ liberties, racial tensions in major black communities in the South and Midwest, increased sexual freedom expressions in art, social media and societies masses, as well as the rise of womens’ rights awareness. It was a time of great upheaval in our society. Tremendous changes resulted and some damage as well. Anti-war sentiment was high as it compelled (through the military draft) youth to participate in the war. Some even fled to Canada to avoid serving their country in a militant capacity.
How did your family react to you going into Vietnam? It was unfortunate, but my father and mother were divorcing at the time and had no time for their children. My siblings (one brother excepted) didn’t know that I had gone.
Describe your Basic Training. Where, what happened, and did it help prepare for Vietnam?
I received my training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California and continued it for advanced training at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma and 29 Palms, California. All of the training was very intense and did well in training me for Vietnam. Boot Camp trained my body to endure extremes of all kinds and it trained my mind to act aggressively, promptly, steadily and with a determination that I did not know I could muster until it was over. The second part of my training was for the Military Occupational Specialty that my testing indicated was best for me. I studied electronics and became a radar technician but retained the basic rifleman classification that all Marines embody. The electronics schools were very good and tough to complete, but made me a good technician to keep my radar units on line in Vietnam. How did you feel about the Vietnam war before entering it? I was a typical Midwestern kid that was conservative in my beliefs. I believed that the United States was a good country and that it was worthy of my risking my life for it. I did not believe that it was right for me to decide whether or not I wanted to serve my country. I considered it my duty, whether or not the social or political winds were blowing against it in various quarters of the country.
Who was your biggest influence on whether to go or not to go? Audie Murphy
What unit did you belong to? Also where were you stationed at? Headquarters, 26 Marines, 3rd Marine Division
I was stationed at San Diego, 29 Palms, and Camp Pendleton, California as well as Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
In Vietnam I was stationed in what is called the Northern I (pronounced eye) Corps including Da Nang, Quang Tri, Dong Ha, C2 hill and Signal Mountain in the Ashau Valley.
What was your position in your squad? I was in a very special team operating radar units to protect our troops from the enemy’s weapons. I was not in a squad, per se. We were a very small group in the Marine Corps with Secret Clearances.
What were some of the conditions during your stay there? It was very wet and muddy half of the year and very hot and humid with much dust the other half. I lived in a ragged bunker made of timbers and sand bags part of the time and I lived in a dirt dugout with the rats the other times. It wasn’t pleasant.
Did you have any encounters with any of the local Vietnamese people? Because I was of a very specialized group of Marines, I was isolated in remote areas and was not in contact with many of the Vietnamese. I did go to a Monastery once and did encounter some indigenous peoples when I had sand bags filled. However, we usually built our own facilities and filled our own ammunition boxes and sandbags for facility protection from artillery rounds as well as rockets and mortars from the enemy.
What were your impressions of the men you served with? Semper Fi is the Marine Corps motto and it means “always faithful”. The Marine Corps is a branch of the service that is trained well, but not better than some of the very special units of the other branches, however, it is so filled with pride that is expressed in its traditions and commitments that it is revered by its Marines. A Marine does not like to be called a soldier. He is a MARINE!
Did you keep in touch with any of the people from your squad? I have maintained contact with a couple of them.
How do you feel about the construction of the Vietnam War Memorial? I was not pleased with it when it was first proposed, but I have since thought it to be appropriate. However, I have never seen it or the traveling wall. I have PTSD from my experiences while in Vietnam (not to be talked about here) and that, coupled with the bad reception we got when we returned, I have not been able to view it. I plan to take a group next year, 2011, to all the memorials in D.C. as a part of the BIG ORANGE that you can learn about if you go to www.generations-of-warriors-project.com . I think that the black color of the memorial speaks to me of the disappointment of the nation in general about the war and more specifically to the warrior veterans who were treated so badly by the public when they came home. Many suffered severe depression due to their treatment at colleges, public events, Hollywood, etc. Some were even spit upon. Dirty business that!
Did you receive any medals?Yes. In addition to the ten ribbons that I had for my service in Vietnam and the Marine Corps in general, I received the Navy Achievement Medal (the Marine Corps is a part of the Navy) for my work in Vietnam with the radar units as a technician and a team leader.
Were you well supplied during your time served? Yes…that was easy!
What did you do for entertainment? We played cards, listened to music, listened to the radio, saw a USO Show (once) and just talked to our fellow Marines a lot. I also went to Taiwan for two weeks on R&R (rest and recuperation).
How did your service and experiences affect your life? I am proud to have been a Marine and I never have to feel that I have not done my duty to my country. Many men have avoided their duty and have lived to regret it. However, I do have PTSD (an anxiety disorder cause by my extended mental stress) and that has caused much distress for me over the years. You can learn of it on the web site of GOWP http://gowarriorsproject.com
Whenever fellow Marines, whether of 1944 or today meet and see or learn that the other is or was a Marine, there is an immediate camaraderie that is unique and special to them. They often say “Semper Fi” to each other or, today, “oorah”.
If you had to do it all over again would you? I certainly would, even with my injuries! I could not even IMAGINE not serving my country. And I could not imagine serving it in any branch but the Marine Corps.
Lastly how did your relatives and friends respond when you returned? As I mentioned before, my parents were engulfed in a divorce so they had no opinion about my service. There was also much ambivalence about my service from friends and relatives. Civilians usually don’t connect very well with veterans. I guess that’s why we call each other “brother” when we meet or think of each other that way. Vietnam vets (and Korean vets) were not thought of as anything special by society in general
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