“Army veteran Bruce Olav Solheim said ‘it’s liberating and absolutely essential for all of us to tell our own story.’”
“(Navy veteran Donald Pageler) has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and dangerously high blood pressure. The latter, he said, was greatly relieved when he was finally able to summon the strength to talk about the ordeal.”
“(Army veteran Al) Harvard, of Coto de Caza, said he doesn’t talk about his combat experiences in Vietnam — he still struggles with the traumatic memories.
Still, he said he valued participating in the storytelling project and hearing the stories of the other servicemen.
‘I was particularly enchanted by the inflections and the passions that surfaced as the weeks went by,’ he said.”
“Over six weeks, the participants met at Heroes Hall to learn more about one another and develop Tuesday’s event. In many cases, they said, those gatherings were the first time they felt comfortable to share some of their experiences.”
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