Medal of Honor, Vietnam ex-POW says it takes courage to ask for help

For anyone out there thinking they don't need help or anyone would think anything less of them if they asked for it, think again. Here's one of the rare living Medal of Honor heroes talking about how it takes courage to ask for help. Oh, one more thing to know is that he was also held as a POW in Vietnam. He knows about bravery and he knows about suffering. He doesn't want you to suffer when you could be healing.

Firsthand view of life with a Medal of Honor
Recipient from Vietnam War era offers perspective
By LINDSAY WISE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Aug. 15, 2011, 1:00AM

James Nielsen Chronicle
Leo Thorsness learned he was nominated for the medal while a prisoner of war in Hanoi.

Leo Thorsness was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions above and beyond the call of duty as an F-105 pilot in combat over North Vietnam on April 19, 1967. Ten days later, his plane was shot down. Thorsness survived the crash but spent six years as a prisoner of war in Hanoi. He now lives in Madison, Ala., and serves as president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

Thorsness visited Houston last week for an event sponsored by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. The 79-year-old retired Air Force colonel spoke with Chronicle reporter Lindsay Wise about his experiences during the Vietnam War, about life as a Medal of Honor recipient and the challenges facing today's veterans. Excerpts from the interview appear below. The entire transcript is available online at chron.com's

Q: Are the challenges faced by veterans and military families the same today as when you served, or have they changed?

A: In many ways they're the same, but in one way they're different, and that is, you know, they go over there for six months or a year and then they come home. And some of those poor guys and ladies, they've been over there three, four, five, seven, eight times. It's hard to leave combat overseas in the zone and then you go home and you adjust. But we only had to do that once, you know. Now they go back over there and they come back and it's very difficult. The suicide rate is higher now. The military is changing the leadership, but it's hard to change an institution. In the olden days, if you broke a leg, it's good to go to the hospital to get help, but if you have a mental issue, you're weak or you're not tough enough to handle it and you're just keeping it inside yourself. The Medal of Honor guys now, we're making (public service announcements) and so on, saying, "Don't let the enemy defeat you when you get home. Go get some help. There's nothing to be ashamed of." ... It takes more courage to ask for help nowadays, I think, than to keep it inside. You have to have enough courage to ask for help, and that's hard, because military guys and ladies are trained to say, you know, "We're tough. We can tough it out." That kind of thing. And it takes a lot of courage to admit you may need some help.

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