Veteran shares his story
VIETNAM veteran Richard Lester spoke to the congregation of Scots Pioneer Church at Mardan South about his experiences on Sunday, prior to Anzac Day.
“Soldiers are put into a bubble and I did not know anything. When I returned home I felt alone and misunderstood. It was a difficult time for me,” Mr Lester said.
“I will never forget coming home emotionally lost with a crippled soul. The military strips you of yourself and turns you into a soldier.”
Monday marked the 48th Anzac Day since his return from Vietnam and the former soldier said the memories of his 1967-68 service were “still raw.”
“Hardly a day goes by when I do not mourn for victims of violence,” he said.
“I ask why we are still so prone to rushing to war. Our military heritage consists of hundreds of cemeteries and mourning families but we still struggle to meet the needs of our returned servicemen.”
Conscripted at 20, Mr Lester said he had no choice but to serve his time to avoid a two year jail sentence.
“The real pain of war is often left in shadows. The personal stories are often lost and there still seems to be a code of silence when it comes to talking about grief,” Mr Lester said.
“War is hell and for most of us it is unexplainable. People used to often say that ‘war makes a man’ but in my experience I think it makes broken men.
“The call to arms is still strong for some perceived victory but the promise of victory is short lived. There is no peace for many returned veterans and in the end many take their own lives. I am 70 and I feel lucky to have survived. But I am still searching for a place of peace 48 years later.”
Mr Lester found peace in putting his words to paper and won second prize in a Department of Veterans Affairs writing competition in 2010 for his reflections.
“I find it really liberating to put my thoughts down on paper,” he said.
“I have had many sleepless nights over the years and it has been a wonderful way of expressing my thoughts.”
Mr Lester returned to Vietnam last year with son Rowan.
“I considered my trip to be my final farewell to Vietnam and to my days as a soldier,” he said.
“Vietnam was a place of wonderful reconciliation and I no longer see it as just a battlefield.”
“I hope that we can work towards a better world. We should work for peace.”
Congregation: from left, Henry Reid, Rodney Emmerson, Hazel Capwell, Richard Lester, Shannon Noonan and Sam Nicita at Scots Pioneer Church, Mardan South on Sunday following Mr Lester’s presentation for Anzac Day.
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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Apr 27 2016. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
