Nancy Randolph is a Vietnam-era veteran. She is a great graphic artist and did the production work on my book and does the lay-out of most of the Global Network's posters and our newsletter. She recently called me and said she had been invited to receive an award and speak at the 9-11 Remembrance event on the Brunswick town green. She wanted my advice on what she should say. After our conversation she used her 90 seconds to say the following:
“Thank you, Chick for your invitation and thank you to the organizers of this event to honor veterans. Thank you all who are here today.
I ACCEPT this certificate and memorial coin on behalf of myself a Vietnam Era Veteran and my spouse Peter Caron a Gulf War era veteran and my brother Bob a Vietnam Vet who returned home and killed himself.
I accept it on behalf of all veterans and their families who have suffered from the suicide of a veteran. A veteran commits suicide at the rate of one per day.
Today’s recognition of veterans is only a beginning—let’s take care of those who come home—when they come home seemingly whole but broken.
Many are broken owing to guilt from things done during war that should never be done in wars that should never be waged. We send people to war to do what we would not and then fail to care for them. Every returning war veteran should be screened and cared for to prevent suicide.
Yet, the best care for the vet will be to remove our United States from senseless wars done in the name of corporate interests and not in the name of defense. Let’s take care of those who take care of us.
Thank you for this opportunity to say what I have wanted to say since 1978 when my brother took his own life after returning from two tours in Vietnam without physical injury.”
Nancy E. Randolph
Vietnam Era Veteran
Topsham, Maine
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