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Vietnam Journey
The Vietnam War was fought between the communist North Vietnam and the democratic South Vietnam. North Vietnam attempted to overthrow South Vietnam and unite the country under one communist government. The United States joined Southeast Asia.
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DAY ONE
LAURA TORCHIA - AKRON BEACON JOURNAL
It had been 40 years since the five combat veterans left Vietnam, a country halfway around the globe where men aggressively defended their soil and women sheathed children in their arms to hide them from soldiers.
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DAY TWO
LAURA FONG TORCHIA - AKRON BEACON JOURNAL
There are countless ways to kill a person. ''Some methods are sudden, like bullets and bombs, and some are slow like substance abuse, or a chronic illness, or a psychological condition that leaves a person in isolation,'' writes the Rev. John Schluep in his book, Soul's Cry.
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Shianne Eagleheart of the Red Bird Center coordinated the veterans' healing ceremonies in Vietnam. She describes them this way: ''Our veterans' return journey to Vietnam, a country considered by many as the place of the dead, was a demonstration of their courage and heart's desire for healing.
DAY THREE
LAURA FONG TORCHIA - AKRON BEACON JOURNAL
The boy in the timeworn picture is holding an American rifle. Each day at dawn, he and others from a nearby village rushed to spend time with the guys in Mike Company, 3rd Battalion. Sometimes the child with skin the color of caramel would clean Marine Charlie Forsyth's gun.
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DAY FOUR
LAURA FONG TORCHIA - AKRON BEACON JOURNAL
Children rushed through the driving rain to greet the tour bus carrying the five combat veterans. It was only the second time the youngsters at the school in Tam Ky had laid eyes on Westerners.
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ABOUT THE PEOPLE INVOLED
Joe Caley, 64, served in Vietnam with the 25th Infantry Platoon Scout Dog, 1st Cavalry, U.S. Army. The Tallmadge resident's postwar career includes working as a cook and as a housing specialist at Freedom House, a homeless shelter for veterans in Kent. He is married with two children.
Charlie Forsyth, 61, served in Vietnam with the Mike Company 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division. The North Olmstead man is a counselor at Kent' Freedom House and is married with six children.
Ralph Knerem, 65, served in Vietnam with the 8th Maintenance Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, U.S. Army. The Streetsboro man's postwar career includes working as a lineman and driver, as well as continuing service in the Army. He is divorced with three children.
Ron Oskar, 65, lives in Springfield Township. He served in Vietnam with the 1st Logistics Command, U.S. Army. His postwar career includes working as a labor relations officer. He is divorced with one child.
Tom Saal, 65, served in Vietnam with the India Company 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. The Akron veteran's postwar career includes teaching high school, working as a case manager at Kent's Freedom House and volunteering in the psychiatric ward at St. Thomas Hospital. He is separated with four children.
Dr. John Schluep, 59, is the senior pastor at First Congregational Church of Tallmadge, founder of Warriors Journey Home Ministry, former counseling social worker and faculty member at Kent State University. He is also an Army veteran, Airborne Infantry.
Shianne Eagleheart, 53, is a counselor, internationally clinical supervisor, Native American ceremonial leader, ordained minister and the founder of the Red Bird Center, a multicultural healing center in Cambridge.
Laura Fong Torchia, 37, a senior visual journalism major at Kent State University who traveled with the local combat veterans, documenting their return to Vietnam, answers questions about her experiences during the journey.
