Charlie Company 2/22 66'-67'

Van Karg believes that connecting with the community

and others is the most important thing a

Veteran can do to help heal the sometimes "invisible"

wounds of combat.

Karg is a Vietnam Veteran who works to help others

find the support and connection that helped

him transition from a solider to a civilian. As the

14th District National Executive Committeeman

for the Disabled American Veterans, he works to

serve all Veterans and their families and lives every

day by that mission.

On June 13, Karg will gather with many of the

soldiers he served with in Vietnam to reconnect,

reminisce and remember their experience in Vietnam.

The group is planning to attend the Minnesota

Honors Vietnam Era Veterans event as part of

their reunion weekend on the Minnesota State

Capitol grounds in St. Paul, Minn.

Karg is looking forward to this year’s reunion. He

remembers how close this group became after

basic training and while serving in Vietnam.

"When you work with that many guys in close

quarters you start to think the same way and take

care of one another," said Karg.

The group, based out of Ft. Lewis Washington,

served together from September 1966 to September

1967, mainly in the southern region of Vietnam.

He remembers being the most fearful when the

unit first arrived in Vietnam. He recalled the

actual environment of war being far different from

their training.

Karg remembers his return to the United States as

less than positive.

"Well I didn’t have any bad experiences when I

returned, you know they talk about how people

got spit on and called names and what not. That

didn’t actually happen to me," he said.

However, he recalls that he and others didn’t

receive the welcome Veterans before them had.

"We didn’t have the welcome home ceremonies,

and when we got back to our communities, we

weren’t welcomed into the American Legions

and the VFWs, we had to go in and make ourselves

welcome," he said.

Karg also feels strongly that this situation, and

others like it, were extremely detrimental to

families of service members.

"Our families got hurt by it too, even our children.

In school children would come up to my

children and say, my mom and dad told me this

about your dad, about being a baby killer. Well

that hurt my kids too and that’s not the right way

to go about it," he said.

Karg feels that today the reception of returning

service members by the public and Veterans

organizations has changed – and for the better.

However, he believes many Vietnam Veterans

and their families remember the hurt, and may

still be hurting.

"If they don’t open up, they’re holding it in, and

until they open up to the public it’s going to stay

that way," he said.

Karg reiterates that it is important for all Veterans

and their families to connect with a community.

"Get active in something. If you get active in

something then someone is going to talk to you

and you’re going to let things out. If you don’t

get active in a community then you won’t let

things out," he said.

He attributes a vital part of his healing process

to his connection, and the opportunity to reunite,

with his fellow service members. He said it

is the most important thing he and his unit have

ever done to move forward.

"We actually didn’t get together until three years

ago, 39 years after we served," said Karg.

He is excited about the June 13 event at the State

Capitol.

"This is the perfect time for this reunion, we’re

expecting 40 men from Minnesota and Wisconsin

to come to this reunion," he said.

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I talked to Van today, he says everyone of you are invited to come to this reunion. You may reach Van for details at:  vlkarg@hutchcel.net

He hope you all can make it back for this one, if you can't, he hope to see you all in Seattle!   *Jim Neeley*