A group of black South Florida Vietnam vets have found comfort telling each other their untold war stories over the last few years. Now, they're telling those tales to the world. The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8195 in West Park has about 400 members. Most of them are African-American.
About 23 of them put together a new book called "Post 8195: Black Soldiers Tell Their Vietnam Stories."
The stories bear witness to the cruelty and brutality seen by most servicemen in the Vietnam War. But they also highlight the unique conflicts faced by black soldiers. Post Commander Bobby White calls the publication of the book an historic event.
"During that time, we were fighting a war in America for our own civil rights. And we were fighting for America in Vietnam", White said. "So the black soldiers had to find their own identity and their own culture at some point within that conflict."
White says all the veterans who contributed to the book suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of their experiences in Vietnam. He says the idea for the book came about after the veterans starting telling their stories in group therapy sessions as part of their PTSD treatment.