All Comments on 'Half a World Away'

I enjoyed your story very much. I know a few Vietnam vets who still suffering and probably will until the day they die.

Boyd

You have done it yet again, a fantastic story with a very good understanding of "vet" issues. THANKS

I really enjoyed your story. Very touching, Funny and inspirational. Made me laugh, Cry and Cheer (Especially Billy when he wailed on Scott for what he did to Ida, and how he Defends Ida against Terry and the girls.

Thank you for writing about Veteran's from the Vietnam war. there is so much I would love to say to you about this story,

It made my day. Please I hope you continue to write more beautiful stories. Looking forward to your next one.

I really enjoyed your story. Very touching, Funny and inspirational. Made me laugh, Cry and Cheer (Especially Billy when he wailed on Scott for what he did to Ida, and how he Defends Ida against Terry and the girls.

Thank you for writing about Veteran's from the Vietnam war. there is so much I would love to say to you about this story,

It made my day. Please I hope you continue to write more beautiful stories. Looking forward to your next one.

Enjoyed your story. Raw and real. Ida and Bill remind me of people I meet on a daily basis. Thank you for an enjoyable read.

I try and not knock a person who can do what I can't do ! And you do it right, enjoyed the story and would like to read more along that line of everyday life and it's ups and downs. Thank you.!!

Sometimes it was hard to follow but overall a good effort - thank you author for your submission. The overall plot line was the most interesting and it even had a decent ending.

This is a gentle, beautifully developed romance. Both Bill and Ida have tough challenges, but they stumble and wander along together into a splendid love, a "marriage of true minds" (Shakespeare) built rock solid. God bless them and their children! The Viet Nam trauma is strange, as is the vicious girl gang fight -- but essential to the plot. As for guys like Scotty, fuck 'em!

This is an awesome story. It actually has a plot and it has heart.

I carried that shit around for 33 years and it took 2&1/2 years of therapy to help me - plus the help of a good woman. I still haven't gotten much help from the VA doctors either!!! Keep up the writing - you do a good job and your descriptions are very good, but watch the spellings. Thank you for the effort.

Carcam

I have read several of your stories - I know Bill. God bless those of us who made it home. We and God keep the memories of those who didn't.

I sat here and read least 5 of your stories. You're a very talented writer and I hope to see more from you soon.

Thoroughly enjoyed, while the build up was good, would have liked to read more of the 'action'. Look forward to more

I was fortunate and still am to some degree, I enlisted in the Navy in October of '63. I had never heard of Viet Nam. Did two tours on the flight deck of the USS Intrepid '66 & '67. Earlier, I and nearly everyone else at NAS Pensacola volunteered for swift boat duty in '65, we were SOOOO naive and stupid. While I was never on the ground I did learn that even if you are doing it right you could still get dead.

I have listened to and read about many bad experiences with the VA. I have to say that I and my son (a Coastie) have had mostly very good treatment. Myself at the hospital in Salisbury, NC and he at clinics in Winston-Salem and Greensboro, NC.

-- srgeek --

I'm a Nam vet and have been to the VA. While most of my care has been excellent, I do know Bill and I know his Dr as well. When you ask a Nam vet when he was last in Nam, his answer is often, "Last night".

A wonderful story with real people. God bless you for making a Nam vet an ordinary person rather than the oft used stereotype.

I love a good romance and I enjoy the stories of yours I've read so far.

Thank you!

I know a dozen or more Bills, all struggling at times with the memories. While elephants get the reputation for memories, Viet vets paint them all mostly green and red (not because of Christmas either). Too many of the Bills I know struggle with their demons alone at night after chasing away wives and girlfriends who eventually cannot cope with the screams ripping through the dark at night...

Your story is a testament to the struggles for the vet and the patience needed by their caregiver/spouse/girlfriend. My salute and thanks to those of you out there that fit any of these catagories and my thanks to JB for the forum to do so.

TR

First of all, I feel it necessary to state that I am not a VietNam Veteran, I am too young; however, I am a veteran of the 1st Gulf War and have my own nightmares and demons to deal with. This story, while it doesn't reflect me 100%, is close enough that I can honestly see myself in the same position as Bill.

I searched for "Veteran", and this was the only story to come up. I have always preferered younger women, although I also prefer small breasts. Guess I'm a bit of a perv, but I don't think I'm alone.

To all of our Veterans, Thank you for your service. Those of you whom have become disabled as a result of your service, are among the few. To those, I feel a kinship, while I was not a Marine, Semper Fidelis rings true for those disabled veterans were in keeping with the hightest tradition of the 'Corps. Thanks again, for all you've done.

I'm not a vet, not even in USA. But I've met enough of them and worked with a few to know what those demons can be like and how they can tear a man apart. Was Bill lucky? No, he was decent, and Ida responded to that decency in her own way. She came to realise the nature of his demons and by being there for him, could keep him from going over the top. In my book, that's a perfect working definition of love. Thank you, JimBob

You are right, most of the A-Holes that don't write are very willing to condemn. I have read most of you stories and have enjoyed them all. Please continue

It always makes me feel good to read a story where just regular ole people have a Happy Ever After.

Not only have I read many of your stories, I've reread several of them. Your characters seem to be real people. I know most of them in this story. I'm a Vietnam Vet, and that's ok. My daughter is a Desert Storm Vet and I hate what it did to her. We all need our Ida Jo to bring us back when the ghosts pull us away.

My only comment is an editor would have caught the very few hiccups. Keep writing and I'll keep reading.

Fifty years later and I still can't sleep for more than a couple of hours before the nightmares come back. Good story with a happy ending about a guy most of us Vietnam Vets have met or know. We see him in the mirror every day.

Iraq Vet here. Can relate to the nightmares. PTSD sucks. A good woman helps a lot. I would know.

I did think Aida might have been portrayed as too child like. But then I suppose I am projecting my personal values of more or less equally between husband and wife. Guess it works for them.

Also, it might have been more realistic for some of the kids to have done all right in life. Most of them do grow up.

Chilley

Vietnam and sandbox I and II have left too many bad tracks on men - good and bad

Ida and Bill both needed a special kind of love. They provided that to each other in a most tender and loving way.

A strong '5' and added to my favorite story list.

Thanks, Jay

I like how your stories come across like real people. The nicest and scariest person I know and they are the same person was in Vietnam. He was a sniper and LRRP he's a really nice guy helps out all kinds of people if you look at his eyes though you can tell there's a predator there. He's in his 70`s and I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of him even at that age he still shoots 1000 yard targets. He also still dreams of nam and seams to always be ready to fight he keeps bug out bags and weapons with him all the time says it the only way he can rest. I honor the guys who fought but I'm glad I didn't have to.

It took years for the nightmares to end, mostly, but some smells and sounds, especially when I'm exhausted, still trigger a few nights of misery. Then it's back on Ambien, and make another appointment with the VA shrinks.

The "Thanks" is for reminding me that I'm not alone, that there are lots of me out there. Your treatment of Bill's character indicates that you may grasp the basic concepts of "recovery"

I got lucky enough to have been a docent at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and it helped me a lot to be able to help others who visited it. The surviving parents were very hard for me to deal with as they visited their son's names on The Wall. They kept asking "Why?" and I couldn't tell them. Hell, I didn't know then, and two "wars" later, I still don't know why.

It was extremely upsetting to have to help a surviving wife who brought her children to see Daddy's name. Those nearly broke me.

Oddly enough, it was easier to deal with combat vets than it was to deal with the parents. They didn't ask "Why?", they pretty much knew "Why?", even if they couldn't articulate it any better than I could. The best part of it was when I could see a vet who was obviously hurting when he got to The Wall begin to let go of some of the pain and begin to heal.

I had an advantage in one sense; my fathers (both birth and adopted) fought in WWII. I had the privilege to be at several of their reunions when they'd get enough alcohol in them to loosen up and talk about their experiences. It gave me a foreshadowing of what I eventually went through, although I didn't know it at the time. My adopted father could never talk to my adopted mother about what he saw and did in Europe, but the conversations with his former comrades that I heard told me why he couldn't. Now I kind of know how he felt.

Six months in Southeast Asia, once home counseling and pills, and meeting with people that have no idea what happens a world away, Almost 20 years later eight months spent in Saudi Arabia, returning with what was determined a mild case of PTSD, now in my 60's, retired it all came back to haunt me, and only time I sleep is heavily medicated or during the daylight hours, hence this post at 5 am PST. Thanks for presenting an honest look of us veterans with PTSD. Another good read..

I guess there really is someone for everyone

Lived through Tet. Many did not. I know the horror stories but the VA hospital in Louisville treats me pretty good. I'm not Bill, but see him every time I go to the VA. Still have the nightmares and survive because my beautiful wife understands and holds me tight. She has stuck by me for 48 years, refusing to leave me when I tried to chase her away. Semper fi

and again last night.

Thanks for telling stories about real people.

Switching forward and back in time was very effective, it presented how past and present can get jumbled and mixed up and how memories are difficult to keep separate from the moment.

Well Done

Thanks for writing about a Viet vet. It kinda hit home since i'm one. Thanks!

five star story

It‘s just that I can‘t sign in the community here - eventhough I‘ve tried many times.

They say it‘s the Router/Server which causes so much trouble here in Bavaria...

Anyway...

Congratulations to this heartwarming story...

My uncle is a marine in his seventies now ( you‘ll never loose the attitude) and I Heard many stories alike from him.

So I know, that you Must have very good sources providing lots of valuable information you can use in your stories...

This is the second one I read... from you. And I feel that I can‘t stop before I read them all.

In the past 5 years I‘ve read a thousand of Stories here- but never ever felt the need to leave a comment.

And now this is my second comment on a story.

What I like most is that you‘re not writing about sex in each and every sentence like so many others here who seem to have othing else on their single minded brains.

But you put a Great story on the „paper“ which really sems to mirror life.

Thank you so much !

Alatah

Alatah@aol.com

(Yes, I‘ve heard it before... It‘s Kind of a dinosaur account with aol... But I never wanted another one. Don‘t change a working thing)

One damaged, decent soul helping another damaged, decent soul. Nicely done.

I liked this a lot.

Bill may be a little rough around the edges, but he has a heart of gold! And he cares deeply for Ida, and carefully nurtures her. I imagine him with a bit of chest hair for that manly body. He is a very sexy man who has proven himself. Congrats on a great story, and I was glad to see it end so well for Ida and Bill. More power to them -- and to you as the writer!

The love of a woman can chase the worst demons away.

i loved it, Im a nice guy, and i never get the girl. I like when the good guy wins.

pretty good, thought provoking, about both main characters

Loved the story.

This one was a hard one with the flashbacks to Vietnam but a good story.