John Wesley Fisher is the director of CORE (Community-Reconciliation Vietnam), an organization that supports veterans on healing journeys back to Vietnam. John served in the Vietnam War  in 1968, out in the front calling in artillery. He returned home and started a 40-year chiropractic career. Today, he lives with his wife in Maine and is the author of five books. He has returned to Vietnam on eight occasions before departing on a six-week solo adventure to Saigon, the Mekong Delta, Pleiku, the central highlands, and Dak To, where John served during the Vietnam war. Dak To was the scene of massive battles during the Tet Offensive, and this return trip forms the basis for the book DAK TO Rx: A Veteran Returns to the Land of His Nightmares. John joins me today to describe his new book, its healing story, and Vietnam's beauty and culture. He discusses how Vietnam veterans brought the war home in their souls and minds and how this differs from the Vietnamese soldiers who leave the war in the past and live in today. He shares the Tet holiday traditions and the philosophy that the Vietnamese people live by, which helps them project love and forgiveness to American vets. John shares a My Lai massacre survivor’s story that demonstrates the teachings of Confucius philosophy and discusses how you can heal your mind, being, and soul. John also shares why American veterans need to remember the health of their families. "The past was a long time ago. We live today. That is their motto.” - John Wesley Fisher This week on the Stigma Free Vet Zone Podcast: How the culture of philosophy and acceptance brought Viet Cong soldiers back into the community without the war trauma experienced by American soldiersHow John has found nothing but forgiveness in VietnamHow returning to Vietnam and making new memories can lessen the impact of your nightmaresThe beauty of the caves, mountains, and monasteries of Marble MountainThe traditions of the Tet national holiday and why the 1968 offensive became known as the Tet OffensiveA survivor’s story of the My Lai massacre and belief in helping American soldiers with the dishonor of this eventHow the accepting and forgiving nature of the Vietnamese has helped John and returning veteransHow Confucius philosophy teaches the Vietnamese people to be mindful and live in the momentHow to treat your mind, soul, and being and why you should recognize that this is not a mental illnessWhy veterans need to recognize the health of the family Resources Mentioned: COREDAK TO Rx: A Veteran Returns to the Land of His Nightmares This episode is brought to you by… The Orban Foundation for Veterans is dedicated to bringing greater hope, understanding, resolution, and togetherness on issues of civilian readjustment for all military veterans and their families. Orban Foundation for Veterans promotes the importance of education, identification, understanding, acceptance, and resolution of many of the complex and severe responses to war and military life. Visit our website to learn more about the Orban Foundation for Veterans and to support our mission. Helping Veterans & Their Families Transition to Civilian Life Thanks for tuning into this segment of the Stigma Free Vet Zone podcast, the show dedicated to helping veterans and their families make the transition from the military to civilian life and culture. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. For more stories, insight, and resources on coping with military-related trauma and PTSD,

John Wesley Fisher is a Vietnam veteran, serving as an RTO during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam in 1968. He has since traveled the world on a healing journey visiting places such as Australia, New Zealand, and across the United States. John has returned to Vietnam on 14 occasions and has just released his latest book, DAK TO Rx: A Veteran Returns to the Land of His Nightmares. John is also the director of CORE (Community-Reconciliation Vietnam), an organization that arranges veterans' trips to return to Vietnam in support of healing their souls. John joins me today to discuss his experiences of returning to Vietnam for a solo trip, which forms the basis of his latest book. He shares the places he visited while hiking and backpacking with local guides and former Vietnamese soldiers and his companions' stories and beliefs. He discusses the disconnect he felt from his soul following the war and how the Vietnamese people's culture better prepares them to leave the war in the past and move on. John also discusses the healing he has found through spending time in nature and beneath the jungle canopy in Vietnam. "We are not soulless, but we are estranged from our souls.” - John Wesley Fisher This week on the Stigma Free Vet Zone Podcast: Traveling along the Mekong Delta and hearing Vietnamese views of the American SoldierComing face-to-face with the skulls of blind kill victims in a Vietnamese memorialHiking and backpacking through the Jungle and visiting the villages of the MontagnardsThe cultural mindset of the Montagnards and Vietnamese and why they don't experience post-war traumaStanding on the graves of villages destroyed by American helicoptersHow the war and killing leaves you estranged from your own spirit, mind, and beingHow John finds relief and heals his soul under the jungle canopy and escaping in natureWhy John starts his day with yoga and meditationTaking steps to consider the health of your family and spouseFinding peace through forgiveness and love Resources Mentioned: COREDAK TO Rx: A Veteran Returns to the Land of His Nightmares This episode is brought to you by… The Orban Foundation for Veterans is dedicated to bringing greater hope, understanding, resolution, and togetherness on issues of civilian readjustment for all military veterans and their families. Orban Foundation for Veterans promotes the importance of education, identification, understanding, acceptance, and resolution of many of the complex and severe responses to war and military life. Visit our website to learn more about the Orban Foundation for Veterans and to support our mission. Helping Veterans & Their Families Transition to Civilian Life Thanks for tuning into this segment of the Stigma Free Vet Zone podcast, the show dedicated to helping veterans and their families make the transition from the military to civilian life and culture. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. For more stories, insight, and resources on coping with military-related trauma and PTSD, visit our website and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn. Don’t forget to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us raise awareness and help our brothers and sisters and their families transition to civilian life. DISCLAIMER: The information and content shared in each episode of the Stigma Free Vet Zone are for informational purposes only. The Stigma Free Vet Zone hosts, Mike Orban & Bob Bach, are not, nor claim to be, medical doctors, psychologists,

John Wesley Fisher served on the front lines during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam in 1968. He brought home invisible wounds of war and experienced a disconnect with his soul. Following a trigger in later years that left him plagued by jungle nightmares and caused his marriage to break down, he wrote a series of books, including Angels in Vietnam, Not Welcome Home, and The War After The War. Today, John is the director of CORE (Community-Reconciliation Vietnam), a nonprofit organization that supports veterans by organizing trips back to Vietnam. John joins me today to discuss going home and dealing with the war after the war. He shares how he initially used traveling, surfing, study, and work to keep his mind occupied and avoid thinking about his war experiences. He shares the personal repercussions of the war, including flashbacks and nightmares. We discuss the different avenues of healing, including journaling, and highlight the importance of interviewing psychologists or the people that you choose to help. John also discusses spirituality and reconnecting with your soul and how different cultures support their returning veterans.  “I never even told anybody I was in the war. I just kept my mind occupied” - John Wesley Fisher This week on the Stigma Free Vet Zone Podcast: How traveling provided an escape from the war and gave John time to process his wartime experiencesSurfing in Australia, discovering the chiropractic profession, and John’s commitment to studyingHow the deployment of John's nephew to the Persian Gulf War caused flashbacks, nightmares, and the breakdown of his marriageWhy it is crucial to interview psychologists and find the right person for youFinding help by unloading experiences through journaling and writingJohn's experiences of soul retrieval therapy and finding a connection with himselfExpressing the veteran's point of view in The War After The WarWhy John was compelled to return to Vietnam as part of his spiritual healing processHow to search for the answers that you need and recognizing the roles of family, culture, and destiny in our belief systems Resources Mentioned: COREAngels in Vietnam by John Wesley FisherNot Welcome Home by John Wesley FisherWar and the Soul by Edward TickThe War After The War by John Wesley Fisher This episode is brought to you by… The Orban Foundation for Veterans is dedicated to bringing greater hope, understanding, resolution, and togetherness on issues of civilian readjustment for all military veterans and their families. Orban Foundation for Veterans promotes the importance of education, identification, understanding, acceptance, and resolution of many of the complex and severe responses to war and military life. Visit our website to learn more about the Orban Foundation for Veterans and to support our mission. Helping Veterans & Their Families Transition to Civilian Life Thanks for tuning into this segment of the Stigma Free Vet Zone podcast, the show dedicated to helping veterans and their families make the transition from the military to civilian life and culture. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. For more stories, insight, and resources on coping with military-related trauma and PTSD, visit our website and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn. Don’t forget to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us raise awareness and help our brothers and sisters and their families transition to civilian life. DISCLAIMER: The information and content shared in ea...

John Wesley Fisher was conscripted by his country to fight in Vietnam in 1968, in the Tet Offensive. He served on the front lines, of which he never expected to survive, and brought home wounds that could not be seen. John has spent his postwar life traveling, studying for his doctorate and 40-year chiropractic career, and living with his wife of twelve years in Maine. He has penned five books about his experiences and has traveled back to the land of his nightmares on fourteen occasions. John is the director of CORE (Community-Reconciliation Vietnam), a nonprofit organization that supports veterans, civilians, and humanitarian travel to Vietnam. John was raised in San Diego where he dropped out of junior college to pursue his surfing passion and was crowned the 1967 Class A Surfing Champion for the United States. One month later, he was drafted into the Army. John joins me today to discuss his Vietnam service and the haunting memories of the blind kills that have stayed with him since. John shares how he was drafted, the experiences of basic unit training, and the feelings of fear for what might come as he arrived in Vietnam during the deadliest month of the war. John discusses his selection for the intelligence squad and how this later resulted in his position in the field as a Radio Transmission Office (RTO). He also shares his feelings of responsibility for the deaths caused by his artillery calls and his harrowing final months in Vietnam following his entire gun squad's deaths while he was pulled out to write a letter home to his family. "The blind kills from calling in artillery on villages, on forces, on everything just haunted me for years and years and years.” - John Wesley Fisher This week on the Stigma Free Vet Zone Podcast: How dropping out of junior college made John eligible for the draft, just as big things were about to happen for him in the surfing worldJohn's basic unit training and the fearful experience of reporting to be shipped out to VietnamThe dilemma of not wanting to kill but also not wanting to be killedHow Phase Two of the Tet Offensive put more names on the American Memorial Wall in DC, during May 1968How being picked for an intelligence squad and gaining top-secret clearance resulted in John being sent forward as an RTO (radio transmission office), instead of being positioned on a batteryLearning in the field and calling in his first fire emission as a forward observer and RTOThe tragic event that took place while John was Surfing in Cameron BayWhy the positions of the RTO and Lieutenant are the most vulnerable rolesJohn's obsessive actions and counting the bodies and blind kills he was responsible forThe realization that it would have been easier not to have come back than deal with the feelings the war leftCoping with losing his gun and its entire crew during his final month of service Resources Mentioned: CORE This episode is brought to you by… The Orban Foundation for Veterans is dedicated to bringing greater hope, understanding, resolution, and togetherness on issues of civilian readjustment for all military veterans and their families. Orban Foundation for Veterans promotes the importance of education, identification, understanding, acceptance, and resolution of many of the complex and severe responses to war and military life. Visit our website to learn more about the Orban Foundation for Veterans and to support our mission. Helping Veterans & Their Families Transition to Civilian Life Thanks for tuning into this segment of the Stigma Free Vet Zone podcast, the show dedicated to helping veterans and their families make the transition from the military to civilian life ...

Kaitlin Miller lives in Saint Louis and is the daughter of former guest, marine recon, and Vietnam veteran, Dan Van Buskirk. Dan recounted his war experiences, his participation in Guitars for Vets, and his work with training service dogs for veterans. Kaitlin grew up in Alsey, Illinois and went to school in Saint Louis and has worked in several roles in the service industry. Today she works in accounting with some senior project management responsibilities at Gaus & Associates. Kaitlin has been married for eight years and has two young boys. She has a passion for helping veterans, animals, and people through her volunteer and non-profit skills. Kaitlin joins me today to discuss how the war within the home of veterans affects family connections. She shares the challenges that she experienced after her father returned from Vietnam and highlights how helpful the support from the VA and other groups can be. We discuss why it is important to reflect and look inwards at how living with a veteran affects you and shares how she expressed many of her feelings through art. Kaitlin discusses the need for an online portal to connect the children of war veterans and how spirituality and a connection to nature have helped her.   "The war can come home and doesn't just stay there.” - Kaitlin Miller This week on the Stigma Free Vet Zone Podcast: The family challenges experienced by the children of Vietnam veteransKaitlin's struggle to keep family connections alive and end the cycle of cutting contact when problems ariseWhy it is vital not to pass judgment and be in tune with veteran parentsHow Kaitlin felt proud of her father, even though there were hard and challenging timesHow the stresses and experiences of war can affect a marriageHow Dan sought help through the VA and other groups and how it benefited their relationshipWhy it is vital to focus on how things affect you as well as how war affects themWhy you should spend time looking back at how the ‘war within your house' affected youHow Kaitlin has expressed her feelings through artMoving forward and helping those around usWhy the children of veterans would benefit from having a platform to connect with others who went through similar experiencesWhy spirituality and a connection to nature is a huge part of Kaitlin's life Resources Mentioned: Dan Van Buskirk & Linda Bobot on Forging Sacred Relationships with Service DogsGuitars for Vets This episode is brought to you by… The Orban Foundation for Veterans is dedicated to bringing greater hope, understanding, resolution, and togetherness on issues of civilian readjustment for all military veterans and their families. Orban Foundation for Veterans promotes the importance of education, identification, understanding, acceptance, and resolution of many of the complex and severe responses to war and military life. Visit our website to learn more about the Orban Foundation for Veterans and to support our mission. Helping Veterans & Their Families Transition to Civilian Life Thanks for tuning into this segment of the Stigma Free Vet Zone podcast, the show dedicated to helping veterans and their families make the transition from the military to civilian life and culture. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. For more stories, insight, and resources on coping with military-related trauma and PTSD, visit our website and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn. Don’t forget to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us raise awareness and help our brothers and sist...

Today, Chuck joins me to discuss going back to Vietnam to build libraries with the motivation to see freedom celebrated within the country. He shares how looking at the past and the Vietnam war should be seen from the perspective of gaining wisdom. Chuck discusses how war's viewpoints differ between the infantry, special forces, and pilots and shares how rewarding Vietnam veterans find returning to the country. He shares how Vietnamese culture is remarkable and highlights their unique strength in handling and recovering from disasters. Chuck also discusses the continuing problems and risks associated with unexploded bombs and landmines and the projects that are helping the people affected by them.

Today, Chuck joins me to discuss going back to Vietnam to build libraries and his experiences of friendly fire. He shares his motive for volunteering for the draft, his feelings, and his curiosity surrounding Vietnam.Chuck discusses how the ‘old-timers’ looked after the new guys, how returning from the war affected him, and how he became an attorney, defending veterans and fighting for VA benefits. Chuck also discusses his passion for building libraries in Vietnam and his belief that knowledge and information creates freedom.

Todd joins me today to discuss how grasping opportunities can put you in your perfect role in the military and how he made a smooth transition back into the civilian world. Todd shares how he landed rewarding roles, first as Lockheed P-3 Orion aircrew and later working on special projects with VPU-2. He discusses the stresses that a military career can put on spouses and family and the support and resources that the military provides at the outset of a military career and retirement. Todd also shares the values of bonds and brotherhood, which can last a lifetime.

Carol joins me today to discuss the reckoning that occurred a decade after Chuck returned injured from Vietnam. She shares the challenges and emotions associated with being the wife of a Veteran who has seen extensive action. Carol shares how Chuck kept his Vietnam experiences to himself for ten years, before his father's death caused a day of reckoning. She discusses their reconciliation and finding peace through religion and philosophy. Carol also highlights how communication and counseling can help Veterans and their spouses as well as the importance of avoiding shaming and blame.

Chuck joins me today to discuss the emotions of war and healing through work and our relationships. He discusses how working in Navy hospitals is a hard introduction to the reality of war injuries and his feelings of fear as he arrived in Vietnam to serve the regiment nicknamed as “The Walking Dead.” Chuck reveals the toll that his time in Vietnam has had on his body and mind. He highlights how the stigma and treatment of Vietnam veterans affected him and the healing process that required the support of his relatives, finding meaning in his experiences, and how his work became a form of his own therapy.