French reaches out to fellow Vietnam veterans

November 10, 2014

36Pab,

MAYSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — For Maysville resident Ronnie French, his life since serving a U.S. Marine Corps tour of duty in Vietnam in the late 1960s has been painful, informative and now rewarding.

It has also meant facing and taming his memories of the Vietnam War, and aftermath, into a positive action, he said.

"To do what we did in Vietnam back then would take a master’s degree from college," French said of the skills the young soldiers had to master, or die trying. "Then you came out of the military with a certification in, say, artillery. Not many jobs in that on the civilian side."

Now French works with other Vietnam veterans, to help them get help for everything from Agent Orange exposure to treatment for hepatitis C and posttraumatic stress disorder, which has kept some Vietnam veterans living in seclusion, in a way, still living the war over each day.

"A lot of them will not open up until they meet with others," he said. "They are ashamed they returned (with Hepatitis C) and passed it on to their wives. Some are literally living in the woods to be away from people."

The names on the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC are the tip of the iceberg of all deaths related to the Vietnam War, he said.

"Agent Orange contamination is now identified as being passed on to children of those exposed, including mine" French said. "There are 58,000 names on the wall and three times that dead from complications of the war since it ended."

French continues to lobby for more help for Vietnam veterans.

"We were treated horrible, spit on, called baby killers, and to see the difference of how returning soldiers are treated now is a double-edged sword. It is good that these soldiers are given respect for doing their job, but on the other hand, we still have people who don’t recognize Vietnam veterans as veterans of a war, and it makes getting them help even harder. There is great distrust," French said. "Camaraderie and family helped; other Vietnam veterans were the only ones to welcome each other home."

French enlisted when others were facing draft notices, or fleeing to Canada.

Just out of high school in 1967, French enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and his next strong memories are of arriving at the airport in Da Nang, Vietnam.

"You just left basic training and you are getting off a plane in Vietnam," French said. "You just cannot fathom the reality of it. You are an 18-year-old kid in a war zone."

There were endless days and even longer nights as French’s perception of patriotic duty turned into a nightmare.

"I saw my best friend killed right next to me," French said. "His blood splattered onto me. I can smell the stench of death to this day."

There were times the platoon was informed it would be overrun by attackers and the expectation was that the platoon members would not survive.

"You could hear teeth chattering in fear all night," French said.

There were ways to dull the experience, with drugs like morphine readily available for soldiers, even before they were injured.

"I avoided that; I wanted to remain as alert as possible," French said. "A lot of soldiers came back addicted."

Being alert did not keep him from harm.

French received the Purple Heart after being shot in the wrist and arm on Dec. 27, 1967, during Operation Badger Tooth at Quang Tri, Vietnam.

"It was one of those truce times they talked about. We were in a no-fire zone at the demilitarized zone when I was shot," he said. "I never thought my arm would quit hurting."

After being treated in Vietnam, French was moved to a military hospital in Guam.

His father was notified of his injury by Western Union telegram, he said.

Surgeries helped fix his damaged arm, though his good arm suffered from more use after.

The experiences lived on in his head, he said.

"I had a flashback one time just waiting for my wife, Diana, outside a store with a nail salon nearby, which was operated by some Vietnamese. I have no animosity toward the Vietnamese, we invaded their country, but hearing them talking to each other in Vietnamese really hit me that time, and I was glad Diana came out of the store when she did because it was like I was back over there," he said.

Having his children see him at VA Hospitals was hard as he dealt with medical issues from his experience, but seeing what they have accomplished has been rewarding, he said.

One of French’s daughters, Heather Renee French Henry, is currently the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, wife of the former Kentucky Lt. Governor Steve Henry, and Miss America 2000; his son, Jeremy and grandson, Logan have followed him into military careers, he said.

"I am proud of all my children," French said.

French encourages other veterans to seek each other out, even in an informal setting, talk about whatever they need to talk about and to not be afraid to seek medical help.

"VA Hospitals I have been in in Lexington and Louisville have been very helpful — they all may not be elsewhere – but here there are not the demands you may see in a bigger city setting," French said.

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Information from: The Ledger Independent, http://www.maysville-online.com