Veteran experiences an awkward homecoming

When I came back from Vietnam, I was the only living passenger on a C-130 cargo plane. I sat there, seat-belted in the back, with rows and rows of coffins.

They were all American soldiers.

When I arrived, I was immediately strip-searched. The rumor was— is— that a lot of heroine and other drugs flowed through coffins and shipping containers and just about every other space you could hide something illegal.

So, after enduring a long deployment in Vietnam, I arrived to hear the words “spread ‘em.”

When I arrived home, my family hosted a party. I didn’t want one, but they had a big get together, complete with a big sign that said, “Welcome home…” and had my name on it in large letters. A family member painted those words on a big bed sheet.

That was too much. Especially after what I just went through at customs.

I wasn’t in the mood for any of this. I was already on edge.

Then, while we were all talking, someone asked an awkward question…

“Did you kill anyone?”

I cussed and bolted towards the front door. I left the house right then. I didn’t have anywhere to go, but I stayed out all night.

I knew for sure that, from that moment on, even if I was surrounded by people I was alone.