Blog: Memoirs From Nam

A Blog Created for Writing to Heal

Blog: Memoirs From Nam (2010-2022)
Created for Vietnam War Vets for Writing to Heal

In 2008, I was starting to make a lot of online friends with Vietnam War veterans who saw that I was a Vietnam War widow on my profile. It followed soon after that I was asked to join several Veteran, Vietnam War, and Military websites in Facebook and LinkedIn.

In talking with these veterans, I found so many were dealing with PTSD and survivor guilt and not dealing with it very well. They had buried so much pain and were unable to talk about it, except between themselves and others who had been in Nam.

By working with my Grief Therapist, I was finding a lot of healing through writing about my own PTSD and being a widow. I made the decision to start a Blog in my husband’s memory and entirely dedicate it to Vietnam vets.

It would be a safe, non-judgmental place to talk to and share with each other through writing about anything they cared to write about.

The articles began pouring in, slowly at first, then faster. Then books the vets were writing about their experiences. A few were so comfortable writing for the Blog, that over time, they shared a lot of actual battles, skirmishes, and experiences from the war in Vietnam.

Other topics the vets wrote about were Bob Hope Christmas Shows, the Donut Dollies, Dustoff Helicopter evacuations, their living conditions, and much much more.

If there are Substackers interested in History, Military, War, or Vietnam, I urge you to read a few of the articles. They’re all written in first person by these dedicated veterans who were there.

In closing, I’m going to include a bunch of Notes to me from the lower right column of the blog. I’m proud of what they had to say …

Notes From All Over ...

April 2015
I see your smile and I know it’s a reflection of your heart. I read your poetry and I know it is a reflection of your soul. I feel your concerns and know that I have made a lifelong friend. Thank you for touching those of us that are not sure where we fit in. --Doyle Watters

January 2014
CJ Is a LADY whom I’ve never met in person, but I have a sense of her. She has opened doors for Vietnam Vets, like myself, through her webpage to read and to write of our experiences. THIS is HUGE in that it allows us to tell OUR stories with NO filters, free to articulate our history/our feelings/our pain!

We can get the BIG chunks out and NO ONE will question us, because CJ has her own CREDS and we ALL know that and respect that! NO BS, or attacks, allowed on her site! CJ is many things to many of us; to me---she’s a LADY! ~~Michael Van Strien

January 2014
I wish I had known Doug, but I know exactly what he was like, what he stood for and did. He had a rare quality given to only a select few that gave him courage beyond description --fearless and driven to help fellow vets. The worse it was, the braver a combat medic was. Nothing could stop them from getting to you, nothing. Again, a debt I can never repay.

We’re in this together, no matter what, Ms. CJ. Thanks as always. Without you I would simply be one of many unknowns who came through this world and would have left here in the same manner. I’ve said all along, you are a part of us always. ~Michael Lansford

December 2014
Thank you, CJ, for all you do. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
~Chip Schmerder (retired vet, D.O.D.)

November 2014
CJ, Thanks again for your devotion and energy to make us Vietnam vets feel welcomed and appreciated. You are an angel in our midst. Please accept a copy of my novel as a small token of appreciation for all your efforts. Memoirs From Nam is a place we can all believe in, as it provides a forum to express our feelings. I think you’ll find yourself somewhere among the pages of “Landon’s Odyssey.” Enjoy!
~J.A. Gasperetti

May 2014
CJ, Your work is amazing. We have all been there and relive scenes like these all the time. I believe that the rest of the world needs to SEE what we live. CJ, I am humbled by what you are and what you do. Peace. Namaste.
~Clarence Bopp

May 2014
CJ, Everything I’ve ever read on your blog has had a purpose of healing behind it. You should feel like part of the team cuz you are. The baggage God gave you to carry from that war, I don’t think many Vietnam Vets would want to endure. You work so hard to help us deal with the past, but even the shrink needs to talk to somebody at times. I’m not a professional, but I paid attention as I was traveling through life, and I learned from all the bad parts, especially the eleven years of PTSD therapy. If you ever want to talk, I’m here for you, just as you’re always here for us.
~Larry Blouin/WarHippy (Deceased - R.I.P. My Friend)

December 2010
I’ve only been following you for a few months now, but I feel I’ve known you a lifetime. Kindred spirits? Common upbringing? Whatever the reason, thank you for being you. Thank you for your blog. Thank you for giving us a place to open up and let the pain out.
~David Westfall

April 2014
CJ, Doug was our brother and as his wife, that makes you our sister. We are always here for you when you are in need. It’s not often we get women like you, who have had a personal loss like you have. I personally want to thank you for sharing your thoughts. It’s not only cathartic for you to talk about it, it’s also cathartic for us to hear. Any time you want, I would be honored to escort you to The Wall in DC. I haven’t been there to visit my brothers in many years. It’s time for me to go again. Peace be with you my sister.
~Nico Lorris

May 2014
CJ - I want you to know how much I like everything you post on this page. Some of it has helped with my PTSD. Please keep up the good work.
~Nam Vet, Harry Andrus

August 2012
Words that fall gently upon the soul are as silver feathers of hope. We all have buried so much. As these hurts surface, it is a great gift to have your hand to hold. As we touch, and rest, in each other’s open hearts, healing blossoms forth and all else falls away as dust.
~Anonymous

August 2013
CJ, Thank you for this website. My husband is a Vietnam Vet and will be sending you some stories. He also likes what you have done here.
~Nancy Payne Shivers

July 2011
What an amazing tribute.
—Sincerely, Lisa Barretta

May 2014
Either knowingly or not, you have helped us (me for sure) by asking the question, “Do You Still Think About Vietnam?” We are one. Here’s a hug. God bless you.
~James Hathorn.

May 2014
CJ, you keep doing what you’re doing. There are many of us that appreciate your efforts and understand your personal loss. SEMPER FI.
~Donald “Tack” Tackett

May 2014
CJ, you do a wonderful job with Memoirs From Nam. For years I have written about the bad times and the good times I spent in country. Several times you have posted things I wrote. It’s good not only to write but also read what you have written. Somehow it gives us strength to overcome those deep hidden problems. CJ, you keep posting, because I for one will be a faithful follower. Semper Fi. ~Dave Ramsey

May 2014
This series of extremely well written articles are truly must reads for all vets, especially Vietnam vets. I share them with my dad (a Nam vet) who enjoys them very much. He is 88 years old. These vets are aging. We can’t let their stories get lost. We can’t let the kids think Hollywood’s version, or Jane Fonda’s ilk, is what Nam and our brave soldiers were like and about.
~Heather Anthony

It’s a great group of guys and … I love them all.