1Lt. Wm. S. ("Bill") Donald
Bill was a Platoon Leader and Company Commander with the
"Triple Duce", the 2nd/22 MECH, based in Dau Tieng.
Bill and I may share a unique distinction - we met in OC72 at
Ft. Benning, were both assigned to the 5th MECH at Ft. Carson, and
flew to Vietnam side-by-side in SEP 67, then flew home side-by-side
in SEP 68.
Bill now lives on a sailboat with his wife, Maria, in Curacao
HealingVETERANS.org
A Georgia Non-Profit Corp. *
“Helping America’s Veterans on a
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HealingVeterans.org is a Non-Profit corporation dedicated to helping
* Details of my tour in Vietnam can be found below.
William P. Mahedy, a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Army as a Chaplin, wrote in his book Out of the Night, The Spiritual Journey of Vietnam Veterans, that
“The spiritual journey of the vets is important for America, especially for that
part of America that calls itself Christian. The veterans were forced to confront
questions that most people either never consider or else consciously evade.”
As a founder of the Veterans Administration "store front" Vet Centers, Mr. Mahedy observed what he called, “the stress and moral strain'…through his counseling with Vietnam veterans. He came to understand that...'psychological stress was inevitable and often the enduring effect in
Now
Mission Statement
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It is the mission of HealingVeterans.org, and the personal ministry of Andy Farris, to reach out and help both my fellow Viet Nam veterans, who still suffer from PTSD, and the young men and women returning from service in Afghanistan and Iraq, so that they too can embrace the need for spiritual healing, and to enable them to embark on their own journey of healing.
“My personal ministry is to help other Veterans heal from their wounds of war:
to help them understand that it is Ok to grieve for their lost buddies
to learn to find forgiveness from survivor guilt and "moral anguish"
to learn that it is alright to allow themselves to Be At Peace.”
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To achieve the goals of the Mission Statement HealingVeterans.org held a
Spiritual Healing Retreat for Veterans in June, 2011 which was video taped.
Now video presentations are being developed to hold one-day retreats for veterans.
A one-day retreat was held in October, 2011. Please see the "Retreat" tab for dates and
locations.
Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Conyers, GA.
“The journey out of the night for vets is to walk away from the anger, rage -
and the loss of one’s religious faith – that are the residue of war.” (*)
Healing begins with asking for God’s forgiveness, and embracing the gift of life
He has given you. The retreat will help “soul-wounded” vets overcome guilt,
honor lost friends, achieve self-forgiveness, and celebrate the gift of life
through a Healing Ceremony.
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“Blessed are they that mourn:
for they shall be comforted.”
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A few facts about treatment of PTSD:
“In 2010 the VA provided treatment for PTSD and related conditions to over 1.2 million veterans – 60% of the men and women we treated are Vietnam veterans.” Dr. Antonette Zeiss, Ph.D., Acting Director, VA Mental Health
“Since October 2001, approximately 1.64 million U.S. troops have been deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq… Veterans' Administration should expect up to 35 percent of those serving in Iraq to seek post-traumatic stress disorder treatment”
The Rand Corporation; The Journal Management Science
“Treatment of PTSD has not received the level of research activity needed to support conclusions about the potential benefits of treatment modalities.”
The Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (2007, 2009)
"A large body of science shows a positive impact of religion on health…the brain is so compatible with religion and spirituality that we're going to be enmeshed in both for a long time." Dr. Andrew Newberg, at the University of Pennsylvania
“When we understand PTSD as an identity disorder and a soul wound, we can begin to understand the ways to heal it.” Dr. Edward Tick, War and the Soul, 2005
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Andy's VietNam Scrapbook.
My tour in Vietnam was from SEP 67 to SEP 68. I arrived in-country after 10 months of training: Basic, AIT and Infantry OCS, then a six month assignment at Ft. Carson CO. I was assigned to the 2nd Battalion / 12th Infantry, 3rd Brigade, of the 25th Infantry Division. Our base camp was in Dau Tieng, approximately 40 kilometers west of Saigon in the Michelin Rubber Plantation. The 2/12 was engaged in the Fall Offensive of 67, TET and two campaigns of the TET Counter Offensive. During this time I served as an Infantry Platoon Leader (Alpha and Delta Companies), and as Company Commander (Delta Company) near the end of my tour.
When people ask me, "What was it like in Viet Nam?" I always answer by saying, "I was blessed to serve in Vietnam for 365 days, so it all depends on which day you want to know about."
I am proud of my service, aware of the "wounds of war" that we who served in Vietnam carry, and I am dedicated to helping my fellow veterans heal from our wounds of the soul.
Dining ala Michelin, although definitely not a four star
meal.
Probably "ham'n limas".
Doc Swilley of Alpha Co. 2/12, a two tour Vietnam veteran taught me
the secret.
Open the can and drain out all the water.
Put in a can of cheese, that plastic like stuff.
Add two packets of coffee creamer.
Refill can with water.
Add hot sauce - I always kept a small bottle in my pack!
Heat over C-4.
In what has often been called a Platoon Leader’s war I
know truly that I could not have done my job without
Platoon Sergeant Billy J. Jordan.
Around 1988 I contacted Sergeant Jordan through the Army’s
Senior NCO locator
child whom I had decided to name after him, and I wanted him to
know.
My son is named Andrew Jordan Farris.
