Brothers Like These and the Barriers They Faced After Vietnam”

“Brothers Like These and The Barriers They Faced After Vietnam”

Trapper Alonso, Grace Armitstead, Sara Barlowe, Brady Clausen Cane Creek Middle School

Junior Division Group Exhibit

Student Composed Words: 434 (includes the Poppy Shaped Wordle)

Process Paper: 499 Words Exhibit Measurements: 6 ft x 30-inch diameter

When we learned how disrespected some Vietnam veterans were treated upon coming home from war, we decided to honor them by partnering with “Brothers Like These”, a writing therapy group who write about their personal experiences as a way of escaping barriers of PTSD. Many of these veterans became our mentors, including co- founders, Dr. Bruce Kelly and Poet Laureate Joseph Bethanti, who encouraged us to promote the Charles C. George VA Medical Center’s program into our project. We believe this history needs to be shared.

We publicized “Brother’s Like These” public readings and promoted their goal of becoming a non- profit organization, which earned two of us a Torch Bearer Award at the Destination Imagination Global Finals. At these readings, we met and heard numerous Vietnam veteran’s share their heartfelt experiences. One of us attended a Blue Ridge Honor Flight homecoming where interviews with veteran families took place. We helped plan a “welcome home” celebration for our school bus driver, Stephen Henderson, our most reliable primary source with “Brothers Like These”. After the NHD competition, we intend on donating our exhibit to “Brothers Like These” for display at future events.

Much thought went into integrating our information with the theme of “Breaking Barriers”. We modified a wire cage to fit the dimensions of an actual POW “Tiger Cage”. Following a numbered path, the viewer learns of different stigmas of PTSD barriers in veteran’s lives. Side one’s design is a red, white and blue puzzle of missing pieces that veterans seek in their lives after war. On side two, we created a “Wordle Poppy” made of historical names describing PTSD in past wars. Vintage fabric background represents past military conflicts. After viewing information about “Agent Orange” and “Survivor’s Remorse”, the viewer steps on labeled footprints inside the wire cage which simulates POW imprisonment. Camouflage backgrounds represent the “In Country” uniform. Authentic 1972 POW / MIA artifacts hang inside the exhibit. Barriers of “No Welcome Home” and “Moral Injury” are pictured, followed by the sixth and final side, a soft blue velour fabric denoting a healing attitude for our country and its veterans, with photos of national monuments, and articles about “Brothers Like These”. Primary source quotes and images tell the story throughout the exhibit.

The NHD theme for this year, “Breaking Barriers”, truly relates to Vietnam veterans. PTSD isn’t a physical barrier that veterans “have to overcome”, but a mental one, that prevents them from forgetting horrors of war they’ve experienced. It keeps them from being able to function in society. Because of the stigma with seeking help for PTSD, many veterans live in silent pain, letting memories that they have, prevent them from functioning in real life. The goal of “Brothers Like These” is to help veterans be able to share their memories of war, so they don’t have to suffer in silence. Writing their stories, and sharing them, has helped many veterans that thought they were the only ones that had recurring nightmares, realize they aren’t alone.

Annotated Bibliography

Primary Sources

Agent Orange. Photographs. Accessed February 15, 2020. These photographs give a visual of the herbicide being sprayed to kill the foliage that covered the Viet Cong enemies land. Agent Orange continues being a barrier to Vets as their health declines, as well as affecting future generations of Vietnamese people with birth defects.

America's Veterans. Narrated by Diane Carlson Evans. Produced by The American Legion. 2000. Indianapolis, IN: The Center for Educational Resources, 2000. Videocassette. Diane Carlson Evans was a nurse during the Vietnam War. She is the founder of the Vietnam Women's Memorial. The process for the memorial's approval, placement and funding was also a barrier overcome and took 10 years to happen. Thousands of volunteers overcame controversy by those who thought a women's memorial was not needed.

Asheville Writers Alliance / Brothers Like These. "Asheville Writers Alliance Presents Brothers Like These, A Staged Reading." Reading, Asheville Community Theater, Asheville, NC, October 19, 2019. Many of the contributing authors to the book "Brothers Like These" were present at this staged reading. We met and learned so much from these veterans. One Vietnam vet gave detailed information of his medical issues, which included several surgeries because of exposure to Agent Orange. It was a very moving event that gave us inspiration for this project. Twenty veterans took the stage that night and each shared a personal story of their struggle with PTSD. We were invited to eat with them, and they shared many personal stories with us before the actual event took place.

Associated Press. John McCain in a Hanoi Prison, 1962 This photo was released in 2002, after John McCain was returned home from spending years as a prisoner of war in the Hanoi Hilton POW camp.

Associated Press. Former Soldier Grieves at the Vietnam Wall. Photograph. Accessed March 4, 2020. This photo shows a veteran in tears at the Vietnam Memorial Wall and symbolizes survivor's remorse, possibly from seeing the name of a buddy he knew.

Bethanti, Joseph, Poet Laureate. Lecture. Asheville Community Center, Asheville, NC, October 19, 2019. Co- founder and Poet Laureate Joseph Bethanti was instrumental in encouraging us in our efforts to promote the writing therapy program at the Charles C. George VAMC into our elementary and middle school projects. He met with the Brothers Like These when they first began the writing program and taught them how to express their feelings in writing about their PTSD and experiences in Vietnam. This is how their book came to be written.

Breeding, Greg. PTSD Postage Stamp. Image. We used a picture on our exhibit of the new postage stamp that will be sold to raise funds for PTSD research. The stamp is a picture of a green plant sprouting from the ground covered in fallen leaves, intended to symbolize the PTSD healing process.

Brothers Like These. Lecture followed by interviews by Sara Barlowe and Trapper Alonso. Asheville, NC. October 25, 2019. The information given by these veterans helped us with this project by giving us firsthand knowledge of actual events having to do with "breaking barriers" even though many of their barriers still need to be broken. We were introduced and recognized at this public event for our past service project of promoting the "Brothers Like These" in their goal of reaching non-profit status. More than 20 Vietnam vets gave their personal stories and experiences as they shared the healing process that they are going through by writing down their PTSD experiences. A video made by the Asheville Citizen times that featured three of our team members was also shown which described how our school honored former bus driver and “Brothers Like These” author, Stephen Henderson, by "welcoming him home" one day on his bus route as he drove his students home. In addition, we learned about the effects that Agent Orange has had on many returning vets. These interviews were the basis of many of the quotes on our exhibit.

Cole, Matt. Blue Ridge Honor Flight, Welcome Home, Public Event. Photograph. Oct. 19, 2019. Photos on our exhibit are of one of our group members welcoming veterans home from their honor flight to Washington, DC. Cards and banners were made to say "Welcome Home" to them. Many Vietnam veterans never received a proper welcome home, which added to their PTSD symptoms.

Collection of framed Vietnam era memorabilia. 1972. Private Collection. Estate of Roberta Huntley, Norfolk, VA. This collection includes 2 authentic POW bracelets and the cancelled check written to VIVA (Voices in Vital America) to pay for them. Also included are stickers with slogans that were well know during the Vietnam War era and a postmark of that time. The bracelets were first created in May 1970 with the intention that American Prisoners of War in Vietnam not be forgotten. Between 1970 and 1976, approximately 5 million bracelets were distributed.

Costello, Terry. Interview by Trapper Alonso and Sara Barlowe. State Veterans Home, Black Mountain, NC. October 15, 2018. When we met Mr. Costello at the Black Mountain State Veterans Home and heard how he was treated when he returned to San Francisco from Vietnam, that's when we decided to do all in our power to get Vietnam veterans recognized and get them the appreciation they deserve. It was shocking to us because these veterans risked their lives and then they were treated with disrespect.

"Deeper into the Vietnam War." LIFE Magazine, April 2, 1965, Cover. This cover photo depicts soldiers helping another wounded soldier in Vietnam. Life magazine was an American all photographic magazine published between 1883 and 1972.

Dye, Lee. "A Young McCain Steps Up to Share a Family Burden." Virginian-Pilot (Virginia Beach, VA), March 7, 1971, sec. A, A10. This newspaper article from 1971 tells us about John McCain's family visiting the "Hanoi Hilton" POW camp where he was held as a prisoner of war for 5 and 1/2 years. A POW bracelet bearing his name is attached to our exhibit.

Earwood, Robert. Interview by Sara Barlowe. Mr. Earwood's Home, Fairview, NC. July 30, 2019. Mr. Earwood is a Vietnam veteran who suffers from exposure to Agent Orange, which contributes to the PTSD he also struggles with. His symptoms include diabetes, enlarged liver, colon cancer, and heart problems. He gave us an in depth look at the barriers he has faced in getting medical treatment and in dealing with his anxiety and depression. He also described the conditions that he served under in Vietnam. He believes he came in contact with Agent Orange during rainstorms, when the rainwater would run into the trenches that they sat in to stay hidden from the enemy.

Encyclopedia of Alabama. Jeremiah Denton Blinks T-O-R-T-U-R-E. Photograph. These two photos of POW Jeremiah Denton were taken from the film in which he secretly sent a Morse code message while being interviewed by the North Vietnamese government while in captivity.

Forester, Thad. Soldier Grieves at the Boots of Fallen Comrades. Photograph. www.thadforester.com. Accessed March 4, 2020. This photo is of a soldier being comforted at the sight of boots of fallen soldiers which symbolizes survivor's remorse on our exhibit.

Friends of Fairview Public Library. "An Evening with Brothers Like These." Lecture, Fairview Public Library, Fairview, NC, February 4, 2020. We attended this public event after interviewing the keynote speaker, Stephen Henderson. We met several vets who gave us personal stories of their experiences that we have included on our exhibit. When asked what barriers they faced upon returning home from Vietnam they mentioned the press, VA medical benefits not being honored and trying to fit in with society.

Gourley, Catherine. "Caring for Casualties." In Welcome to Molly's World, 1944, 44. Middleton, PA: Pleasant Co. Publications, 1999. A letter written by WW2 nurse June Wandrey describes how she is "haunted" by the faces of the wounded soldiers whom she could not save. PTSD also affects those who have had contact with dying and wounded soldiers. On page 47 is a copy of the letter on our exhibit written by Nurse June Wandrey, describing an eighteen-year-old soldier whom she told was "doing just fine" after she kissed his forehead before he died. This and other events affected her for the rest of her life in the form of PTSD.

"Healing Therapy." Charles C George VA Medical Center Newsletter, January 2, 2020, 1. This newsletter describes the success that Brothers Like These have had and tells of the performances that these vets have given and how they have inspired so many.

Henderson, Stephen. Interview by Sarah Barlowe, Trapper Alonso, Grace Armitstead, and Brady Clausen. Fairview Public Library, Fairview, NC. February 4, 2020. Stephen Henderson is our former bus driver who became the main resource for our PTSD service projects. He introduced us to other Vietnam veterans and has allowed us to tell his life stories in the past 3 years that we have been together in Destination Imagination. He has given us several personal interviews and contributed to many of the primary sources for this project. He arranged for our group to give performances at the local VA center and has honored us at public performances of "Brothers Like These". He also was responsible for promoting our projects by setting up an interview with our local newspaper, the Asheville Citizen Times, and in making a published video that is used at the "Brothers Like These" speaking engagements. He truly is our great American hero!

Hernandaz, Jim. Interview by Sara Barlowe. Fairview Elementary School, Fairview, NC. October 24, 2018. Mr. Hernandez was a Navy pilot during the Vietnam War. He explained the survival and evasion training he received when preparing for flights over enemy territory. There was always a fear of being shot down and captured behind enemy lines and becoming a prisoner of war.

Ireland, Michael. "Friendly Fire." Speech, Fairview Public Library, Fairview, NC, February 4, 2020. Mr. Ireland spoke about the horrible memories he has of experiencing "friendly fire". He is still troubled by an incident in which he was involved in Vietnam that he had no control over but has contributed to his struggles with survivor’s remorse and moral injury.

Jimmy Stewart in 'It's a Wonderful Life'. Photograph. faithandamericanhistory.wordpress.com, blogs.psychcentral.com, YouTube. December 14, 2015. Jimmy Stewart was a well know actor and served in World War II. He used the emotions that PTSD gave him for the scene depicted in the photographs we used on our exhibit. It helped to add interest to our exhibit.

John McCain and Richard Castillo. 1972. 2 Prisoner of War Bracelets. Estate of Roberta Huntley, Chesapeake, VA. These bracelets are authentic and were worn by a mother and daughter in the 1970's. One of the bracelets was for Senator John McCain and accompanies a newspaper article and photo of when he was a POW in the Hanoi Hilton prisoner of war camp. The other bracelet is of a navy officer whose plane was shot down over Saigon. Richard Costillo was considered missing in action at that time, but it was later discovered that he and his crew died on impact.

Kelly, Bruce. Interview by Sara Barlowe. VA Medical Center, Asheville, NC. September 14, 2018. Dr. Kelly is the founder of "Brothers Like These" and a great encourager to our group. His idea of bringing writing therapy to veterans was the beginning of this idea that is now being spread throughout North Carolina and beyond. He arranged interviews for us and encouraged us by saying at one of the public lectures we attended, "Never think that 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 people can't make a change." He was referring to our group.

Leonard, Boyston. Two Soldiers. Photograph. www.mediadrumworld.com. This photo is of two soldiers looking for the enemy, scared of what might happen, not knowing if they are being contaminated by Agent Orange.

McCrae, John. "In Flanders Field." poets.org. http://www.poets.org. This poem was written by John McCrae in 1915 while he viewed poppies growing in a battlefield where nothing else was growing. He had lost one of his closest friends in a battle and was inspired by the flowers that grew where there had been so much death. We used this poem for the background history of our exhibit because it gives the impression that McCrae most likely suffered from PTSD from his personal experiences as a surgeon on the battlefield.

McDowell News (Asheville, NC). "Vietnam Vets with PTSD Find Relief in Writing." November 10, 2018. The article is an interview with Michael Ireland, who suffers PTSD mainly from his responsibility for the death of eight people when he called artillery in to the wrong place. His own survivor's remorse has been a barrier that has been overcome, in part by the writing therapy program at Charles C George VAMC.

Memorial Service, 60 Rare Vietnam War Photos. Photograph. www.groovyhistory.com. May 24, 2008. This photo is of men praying over the hats, guns and boots of lost soldiers at the Wesley Bowling Plaza Memorial Service, Phoenix, Arizona.

My Son Was Killed in Vietnam for What? Photograph. http://quora.com. This photo is of a protest sign that questions the death of someone's son who was killed in Vietnam. It enhances our exhibits section depicting the protests that took place during the Vietnam war.

Nam, Mai. Downed Pilot. 1966. This photo depicts a pilot ejecting from his plane in 1966. The pilot was captured and held in a POW camp until his release in 1973.

The Nation, March 5, 2020. Accessed March 5, 2020. A protest photo demanding "End the Vietnam War Now" is another visual we used to show the barriers faced at home by returning soldiers.

Page, Tim, Scoop.com, The Nation, Associated Press, The Washington Post, and Life Magazine, eds. Various Photographs. pinterest.com. Accessed February 25, 2020. Several photos were found on the pinterest.com site to help tell the stories on our exhibit. Each is cited separately on the exhibit.

Perkal, Alan, Michael Ireland, and Mike Smith. "An Evening with Brothers Like These." Lecture, Fairview Public Library, Fairview, NC, February 4, 2020. A lecture following a variety of readings was given by several Vietnam veterans from a collection of poems and prose that they wrote in their creative therapy writing classes.

These writings explain their struggles with dealing with the bad memories that caused them to suffer PTSD and the effects of Agent Orange over the past 50 years. The cover of their book is on our exhibit.

Photo of John McCrae. Photograph. www.alamy.com/stock-photo/johnmccrae. This photo of John McCrae was used on our exhibit beside the famous poem he wrote "In Flanders Fields".

POW Tiger Cage. Photograph. www.shutterstock.com. Accessed March 4, 2020. This photo is of an actual Vietnam Tiger Cage used to imprison POW's as a means of torture. We designed our exhibit using wire and size dimensions to give the effect of the small space and added footprints to encourage viewers to "step inside" to experience how it might have felt to be confined in such a small space for a long amount of time.

Protest Signs. Photograph. www.quora.com. Accessed March 4, 2020. This photo is another protest scene of a large crowd of people holding a flag for peace. Members of the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang are waving a flag at a rally in support of the men in Vietnam.

Smith, Mike. Interview. Fairview Public Library, Fairview, NC. February 4, 2020. Mr. Smith described the lack of respect for authority by many returning Vietnam veterans and the reasons why. Many times, they were not allowed to return fire when being shot at and therefore it was difficult to regain the trust of others in authority.

Soldier Comforting Another Soldier. Photograph. Accessed March 5, 2020. http://thestrategybridge.org. This photo enhances the moral injury section of our exhibit by showing an emotional soldier being comforted by another.

Soodalter, Ron. Wounded Warrior, The Shock of War. 1864. Andersonville Confederate Prison, Andersonville, GA. This photograph shows Corporal Calvin Bates whose feet had been amputated. The trauma of war often sent Civil War soldiers to insane asylums.

Soots, Kris. Interview. Asheville, NC. October 23, 2019. Ms. Soots wrote us a letter thanking us for participating in welcoming the Blue Ridge Honor Flight back to Asheville. She also invited us to the next one and encouraged us as we continue to support the "Brothers Like These" in our service project. She explained in her letter the goals and some of the things that the Blue Ridge Honor Flights do for all veterans.

Spanger, David. "Because I Didn't Want to Know Names." Speech, Asheville Community Theater, Asheville, September 2019. This story gave insight as to how Mr. Spanger felt after realizing that friends, he made one day, may be dead the next day, so he decides not to make new friends. We used a quote from the story to show another side of Survivors Remorse.

Stepp, Lauren. "Time to Talk About It." Bold Life, January 29, 2020. This article explains how writing about their PTSD has helped the Brothers Like These break the barriers that they have faced. Now that the program is growing, their goal is to continue helping other veterans do the same.

The Thousand Yard Stare. Photograph. May 6, 2019. https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world- war-i/tragic-tale-of-a-vc-recipient.html. This photo is of a wounded soldier who is in a state of shock, called the "thousand-yard stare", a frequent symptom of "shell shock", which is what PTSD was called during the first World War. This photo adds to the impact of our topic.

Utley, Ray. Soldier Who Lost Legs in Vietnam Collects Silver Star. Photograph. This newspaper caption and picture helped us understand that some Vietnam veterans did get recognition after the wars. Physical disabilities were barriers for many Vietnam veterans, especially since this was before many buildings had handicap access.

Vance, William, Master Sgt. PTSD Soldier with Missing Pieces. 2009. Illustration. U.S. Air Force Illustration, Falls Church, VA. This illustration was the inspiration for the main event side of our exhibit. It shows a soldier with missing pieces symbolizing his struggles with trying to fit the pieces of himself back together again after combat.

Various Authors. Brothers like These, Poetry and Prose. Laurenburg, NC: St. Andrews UP, 2017. Most of our project is based on the stories by the authors in this book. We have met and interviewed several of these Vietnam veterans and have used their experiences to show how this group of writers have faced and broken barriers of their own PTSD symptoms. Many of their direct quotes are on our exhibit. We have dedicated our exhibit to these authors and intend on donating it to them to be used at their public readings.

Various Local Officials. "Veterans Day Memorial Ceremony." Speech, Charles C George VA Medical Center, Asheville, NC, November 11, 2019. Speeches were given at this Veterans Day Memorial Ceremony by several of our in local officials. We met veterans of World War 2, the Korean and Vietnam Wars while handing out cards that were made by local school children. The ceremony ended with a 21-gun salute.

Veterans Finding a Name on the Vietnam Wall. Photograph. www.onsizzle.com. Accessed March 4, 2020. This photo is of two veterans checking the Vietnam Veterans Wall in Washington, DC for names.

"Vietnam Vets Recall Their Homecomings - Often Painfully." Deseret News, 1989. Famous quotes used at Vietnam War protests, were found in this publication, "Not Our Sons, Not Your Sons, Not Their Sons" and "Hey, Hey, LBJ, How Many Kids Died Today?".

The Washington Post. End the War Now! Photograph. www.washingtonpost.com. Accessed March 4, 2020. This photo shows that the Vietnam War was not a popular war and many protests took place during that time. The country was divided which added to the barriers faced by many returning vets.

What Have We Done? Book Cover. Amazon.com We used this book cover to add to the effect of our exhibit's "Moral Injury" section. It is a question that many veterans suffer with.

Wounded Warrior, the Shock of War. Photograph. May 1862. https://www.historynet.com/the- shock-of-war.htm. This photograph illustrates conditions at the Andersonville Prison where Corporal Calvin Bates has had his feet amputated. Such trauma often led soldiers to develop what is now known as PTSD and sent many to insane asylums because doctors didn't know how to treat their symptoms.

WWI Shell Shocked Soldier Being Treated with Electrical Shock Treatment. Photograph. http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com/2008/NMH2/index.htm. 2008. This photograph shows how people in the medical field used to deal with patients exhibiting PTSD symptoms. Electric shock treatment often proved noneffective in curing symptoms.

Secondary Sources

A&E Television Networks. "History.com." History.com. Last modified October 2, 2017. https://www.history.com/topic/inventions/history-of-ptsd-and-shell-shock. This article gave us information about the history of PTSD and how it was misunderstood in past years. It covered time periods from the Civil War, World War 1 and 2 and gave the different names that were associated with what is now known as PTSD. Many veterans were sent to insane asylums, some never recovered and were misunderstood and misdiagnosed.

Aii POW-MIA. "Histories: The POW MIA Bracelet." www.aiipowmia.com. Last modified March 8, 2008. http://www.aiipowmia.com/histories/histbracelet.html. This site gives the history of VIVA, (Voices in Vital America), the organization that first made the bracelets worn by the public in support of Vietnam POWS. The bracelets were first made in 1970. Over 5 million bracelets were sold. This was a positive step in overcoming barriers for military people and their families by bringing public awareness and support for their release.

American Express. PBS, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/two-days-in-october- student-antiwar-protests-and-backlash/. Accessed 19 Jan. 2020.

An article about the protests that happened while the war was going on in Vietnam gave us insight into how many veterans felt upon returning home. Many vets put their uniforms away and never talked about their experiences, which added to their PTSD symptoms.

Arts & Entertainment Networks. "WWII in HD, June Wandrey." history.com. Last modified 2020. http://history.com. This article helped us understand that it wasn't just soldiers who were affected by PTSD from war, nurses also exhibited symptoms of their own.

Associated Press. Vietnam, the Real War. NY, NY: Abrams, 2013. This book had lots of photos and showed us through images and graphics what Vietnam was really like. The protest photo was taken from this book.

Barlowe, Sara, Caleb Cole, Graham Carter, and Savanna Reimels. Kids Like These 4 Vets. N.p.: Non-published, 2018. A Haiku Poem written by school children from Cane Creek Middle to describe Agent Orange was used on our exhibit to give many descriptions of the effects of Agent Orange.

Bedi, Shireen. "A Peek Behind the Curtain: PTSD Barriers and Stigmas." Schriever Air Force Base. Last modified June 20, 2018. Accessed February 6, 2020. http://www.schriever.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2001933567. The caption for the picture on our exhibit helps convey the symbolism between missing puzzle pieces and PTSD. This also became the inspiration for the design for one side of our exhibit.

Carroll, Dillion, Siegfried Sassoon, and Robert Graves. "How Doctors Discovered PTSD." Washington Post. Last modified June 26, 2018. http://www.washingtonpost.com. This article gave us a several quotes that helped us understand the types of nightmares that vets had after the war. The article also gave us information and statistics about the effects of PTSD and how they pose barriers to healing from PTSD.

Chu, Jane. National Endowment for the Arts. ncdcr.gov. Last modified 2016. https://www.ncdcr.gov/press-release/historic-healing-arts-and-military-partnership. This article explains the importance of creative arts therapy in the life of a veteran recovering from PTSD.

Department of Public Health. "Diseases Associated with Agent Orange." Agent Orange Newsletter. Last modified June 2017. http://www.publichealth.va.giv/exposures/publications/agent-orange. This source gave us a list of diseases associated with the herbicide, Agent Orange, that was used to reduce foliage in Vietnam. Many Vietnam veterans suffer today from the symptoms of coming in contact with Agent Orange, which is another barrier many will never be able to overcome. We posted some of the diseases on our exhibit.

Doyle, Dan. "Jimmy Stewart Faced His PTSD While Acting In It's a Wonderful Life." TheVeteransSite.com. fttps://blog.theveteransite.greatergood.

This article described how actor, Jimmy Stewart, used the memories that caused him PTSD to his benefit for emotional scenes in the movie "It's A Wonderful Life", when his character is contemplating committing suicide by jumping from a bridge.

Green, J. Walter, comp. Vietnam, The Real War. This caption and photo on our exhibit depict people protesting to end the war.

Greene, Bob. "Vietnam Vets Recall Their Homecomings--Often Painfully." www.deseret.com. Last modified February 4, 1989. https://www.deseret.com/1989/2/4/18800994. Many veteran's experiences are listed in this article telling of how hard it was to come home to a nation of protestors. They speak of being called baby killers, being spat upon and the chants of the crowds. We put some of those quotes on our exhibit to show the barriers they faced of not getting the homecoming that they needed and deserved.

Hearth, Katey. "Survivor's Guilt: The Monster Haunting U.S. Vets." www.warriorsset free.com. Last modified April 1, 2016. http://www.warriors set free.com. This article gives us the definition of "survivor's guilt" and explains that survivor's guilt is a big part of PTSD.

"History of PTSD." Word Press. Last modified December 2, 2011. http://www.historyofptsd.wordpress.com. Percentages of Vietnam vets with PTSD were taken from this website and used on our exhibit.

"History of PTSD." www.gowarriorsproject.org. This website gave a brief history of PTSD and was used on our exhibit as an introduction to the photographs we attached.

Knight, Lewis. "Lest We Forget." mirror.co.uk. Last modified November 11, 2018. http://mirror.cco.uk. This phrase, "LEST WE FORGET" is often used to remember fallen soldiers from World War I and is shown with a poppy, another symbol from John McRae's poem, Flanders Field.

Known by Many Names. Image. Korsgaards Commentary. March 26, 2014. http://www.korsgaardscommentary.com/2014/03/lets-talk-about-ptsd.html. This image explains how PTSD has many names. It is an illustration of a soldier cowering in a hole in the ground symbolizing being covered up by his PTSD symptoms.

Lam, Kristin. "Healing PTSD." www.usatoday.com. Last modified December 5, 2019. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/natiion/2019/12/05/usps-ptsd-stamp-veterans- affairs-fundraising. The Postal Service has released the "Healing PTSD semi-postal stamp which symbolizes the PTSD healing process. This is a positive step in bringing awareness and to help fund PTSD research.

Maciaszek, Miko. The True Story behind "In Flanders Fields." http://readersdigest.ca/culture/story-behind-flanders-fields/. This piece of art is of John McCrae writing the famous poem "In Flanders Field". The article helped us understand that not only soldiers have PTSD, but also the doctors and nurses who worked in the war. A quote in the article helped us conclude that John McCrae must have suffered from PTSD. "He was never again the optimistic man with the infectious smile."

National Center for PTSD. N.p.: PTSD National Center for PTSD, n.d. A press release gives information about the VA's commitment to provide the most effective care for PTSD. The National Center for PTSD was created in 1989 for this purpose, helping to overcome a barrier of healthcare.

National League of POW/MIA Families. "History of the POW / MIA bracelets." www.pow- miafamilies.org. Last modified 2017. http://www.pow-miafamilies.org. This article informs people about POW/MIA bracelets that we have on our project board. It gives the history and reasoning behind their popularity during the early 1970's.

National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study. Image. www.publichealth.org. 2013. http://vvaveteran.org. This chart on our exhibit describes treatments for PTSD.

PBS American Experience. "People & Events: The Hanoi March." PBS. U.S prisoners of war were subjected to extreme torture during their captivity. Jeremiah Denton, a captured Navy Pilot famously blinked T-O-R-T-U-R-E in Morse code during an interview confirming to U.S. intelligence that U.S. prisoners were being harshly treated.

Roberts, Timothy. "POW / MIA Military Flag Will Now Fly Permanently at Key Federal Sites Across the USA." www.TheVeteransSite.com. http://www.TheVeteransSite.com. This article reports a barrier being broken by POW flags being flown at federal sites. This is a historic event and serves as a daily reminder that these heroes, and their families are not forgotten.

Smallwood, Karl. "10 Terrible Things Done to POW's." History.com. This article provided the dimensions used to build a tiger cage which prisoners of war were kept in while in captivity. Those dimensions were used to create the walls of our exhibit to give the viewer the feel of how uncomfortable it must have been in one of these cages, especially when forced to stay in them for long periods of time.

Soldier. Photograph. Accessed February 11, 2020. https://onsizzle.com. We chose this photo because it looks like the soldier is asking "imagine how it felt to be kept in a cage this size for days weeks months while being held captive as a prisoner of war". We wanted those who view our exhibit to see the size of the cage it is built like, and to wonder what it would be like to have to stay in a cage of that size for a long period of time.

Summit Marketing Group. Blue Ridge Honor Flight. www.blueridgehonorflight.com. https://www.facebook.comblueridgehonorflight. We used the Blue Ridge Honor flights logo to post our pictures of when we participated in welcoming a group of veterans home from Washington, DC. The partnership of Brothers Like These and Blue Ridge Honor Flights is important to our project since some of us have participated in welcoming veterans at the Asheville Airport and we intend to do so again this spring. Photos of this event are posted on our exhibit.

Tartakovsky, Margarita. "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Treatment." Psych Central. Last modified January 9, 2018. http://psychcentral.com/ptsd/posttraumatic-stress-disorder- ptsd-treatment/. This website includes many treatments that have been used to treat PTSD and notes that writing therapy works for some.

Unknown. www.warvideos.net. https://www.vietnamwarvideos.net. This video reference gives information about the mortality of soldiers and agent orange. It also describes the years of the war and its aim of preventing the spread of communism in South Vietnam.

U.S. Dept of Veteran Affairs, ed. Public Awareness Statement. VA.gov. This public service announcement reports that 60,000 veterans died by suicide between 2008 and 2017. the suicide rate was 1.5 times the rate of non-veteran adults.

Washington, D.C. the Nation's Capital. N.p.: Coffman Publications, n.d. Pictures of the Vietnam Veteran Memorials that were used on our exhibit were taken from this book.

"What is Moral Injury?" The Moral Injury Project. Last modified 2009. http://moralinjuryproject.syr.edu/about-moral-injury/. The definition of moral injury is attached to our exhibit. Many soldiers suffer for committing what they believe to be moral crimes that they never would have committed under normal circumstances.

Where was Agent Orange Sprayed in Vietnam? This photo highlights the areas of Vietnam where Agent Orange was sprayed.

Who Created the POW Flag? www.theveteranssite.com. This caption tells about the creator of the POW flag. A WWII veteran designed it for the National League of Families of American Prisoners. We used a real flag as a backdrop for our exhibit which we designed to resemble a POW tiger cage.

"WWII in HD, June Wandrey." www.history.com. This article helped us understand that it wasn't just soldiers who were affected by PTSD from war. Nurses also exhibited symptoms of their own. June Wandrey, a WWII nurse, was one of those nurses affected. A letter she wrote describing how "those soldiers faces still haunted her".

EXHIBIT ARTIFACTS EXHIBIT ARTIFACTS EXHIBIT ARTIFACT 2 POW BRACELETS. MAJOR RICHARD CASTILLO (BRONZE) & COMMANDER - 2 NEWSPAPER ARTICLES JOHN McCAIN (SILVER). THE DATE -1972 CHECK FOR POW BRACELETS PAYMENT ABOUT ON EACH BRACELET IS WHEN THEY JOHN McCAIN WERE DECLARED MISSING IN ACTION (CASTILLO) & CAPTURED -1972 VIETNAM WAR LABELS (McCAIN). -1972 LETTER POSTMARK - - AUTHENTIC POW FLAG -1970 PEACE SIGN STICKER

ALL ARTIFACTS ARE FROM THE ESTATE OF ROBERTA HUNTLEY, CHESAPEAKE, VA

FRONT RIGHT BACK (STEP INSIDE POW CAGE) FRONT LEFT

SIDE 1 OF 6 SIDE 2 OF 6 SIDE 3 OF 6

SIDE 4 OF 6 SIDE 5 OF 6 SIDE 6 OF 6

SIDE 1 of 6

SIDE 2 OF 6

“Psychologists only began designating PTSD as a defined disorder in 1980, but there is evidence that ancient and not-so-ancient warriors suffered from the after effects of war.” Dillon Carroll, How Doctors Discovered PTSD, Washington Post, 2018

John McCrae, 1915, alamy.com/stock-photo

SIDE 3 of 6

The Agent Orange Registry exam is a free evaluation. Eligible Veterans include Veterans who served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975, or other locations where there is documented use, storage, or testing of Agent Orange and other tactical herbicides. https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/benefits /registry-exam.asp.

SIDE 4 of 6

SIDE 5 of 6

SIDE 6 of 6