Andy Adkins, Author

Resources & Help

Alzheimer's & Dementia Resources

Alzheimer's Association
Worldwide, 50 million people are living with Alzheimer's and other dementias. Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative brain disease and the most common form of dementia. Dementia is not a specific disease. It's an overall term that describes a group of symptoms.

National Institute on Aging - Alzheimer's Disease & Related Dementias
Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. It is the most common cause of dementia in older adults. While dementia is more common as people grow older, it is not a normal part of aging.

PTSD Resources

National Center for PTSD (US Dept of Veteran Affairs)
We are the world's leading research and educational center of excellence on PTSD and traumatic stress. PTSD is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault. It's normal to have upsetting memories, feel on edge, or have trouble sleeping after this type of event. If symptoms last more than a few months, it may be PTSD. The good news is that there are effective treatments.

PTSD in Military Veterans: Help Guide (PDF)
A brief 13-page document with practical tips. Written by Melinda Smith, M.A., Lawrence Robinson, and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. Last updated: June 2019.

About Face
AboutFace features the real stories of Veterans who have experienced PTSD, their family members, and VA clinicians. By watching the videos on AboutFace, you can learn about PTSD, explore treatment options, and get advice from others who have been there.

AboutFace is produced by the VA's National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, the world's leading center for PTSD research and education. The Veterans, clinicians, and family members on the site have volunteered their stories and expertise. All interviews are unscripted, and represent the thoughts and opinions of the people who are speaking.

National AARP: Free Resources for Veterans with PTSD, Other Mental Health Challenges
If you or someone you know in the veteran community is struggling with PTSD or other mental health challenges, there are a number of free programs and resources that may be able to help. This AARP site provides links to many of those resources.

Medical News Today: Five Ways to Cope with PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder is caused by witnessing or being part of a frightening or shocking event, and it can affect day-to-daylife and productivity. This article discusses a few ways to keep PTSD symptoms under control.

Vietnam Veterans Resources

Vietnam Veterans of America
VVA's goals are to promote and support the full range of issues important to Vietnam veterans, to create a new identity for this generation of veterans, and to change public perception of Vietnam veterans.

Veterans Affairs Benefits - Vietnam Veterans
Vietnam Veterans may be eligible for a wide-variety of benefits available to all U.S. military Veterans. VA benefits include disability compensation, pension, education and training, health care, home loans, insurance, vocational rehabilitation and employment, and burial.

Glossaries

Phonetic Alphabet

U.S. Navy Glossary ("Lingo")

U.S. Army & Marine Corps Glossary ("Lingo")

U.S. Navy "Falcon Codes"

Vietnamese Glossary ("Lingo")

From the "A Veteran's Journey" Blog

Writing Your Own Memoir

This 3-part series originated as blog posts in January 2020. I had written my memoir (2014), which morphed into a book. I've corresponded with many veterans who have great stories to share, but weren't quite sure how to write them, let alone publish them. Hence, "Writing Your Own Memoir." A Veteran's Journey is a weekly blog written by Andy Adkins.

Oral Histories

Oral Histories are important not only for historical purposes, but for your family's own knowledge. Many times veterans will share the stories over and over again, sometimes indulging in the potential humor. But unless specifically asked about certain events, they may choose to keep specific details to themselves. It is not unusual for a veteran to want to open up about their past military experience, but they need to be the one to choose when and where. I've counseled many veterans' family members about conducting an oral history and in almost all cases, the results were far more surprising to both the veteran and their family member. It is often a bonding experience. So with that in mind, I offer you my tips and suggested questions for conducting your own oral history.

Sample Oral History Questions to Ask [Download pdf]

A Step-by-Step Procedure for Conducting an Oral History

The following steps, questions, and tips, should provide you with valuable information on how to conduct an oral history. Our veterans (WWII, Korea, Vietnam, GWOT) are dying every day. You can help preserve their memories.

1. Develop a list of initial questions (see above link for "Sample Oral History Questions to Ask"). Focus on the basics, such as:

a. What branch of the service did s/he serve? Most veterans served with a single branch, such as the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, USMC, or USAF. But it should not be surprising if your veteran served with another branch of the military.

b. What was his/her rank? In most cases, an enlisted man joined as a private (Army, Marines, Air Force) or seaman (Navy) and worked his/her way up through promotions. Officers start as a 2d Lieutenant (Army, Marines, Air Force) or Ensign (Navy) and work their way up through promotions.

c. In what unit did s/he serve? S/he may have served in more than one unit.

d. Was s/he awarded any medals? If so, what medals and does s/he have the official citations that came with the award? While the citation would be "official," ask him/her about the circumstances. This may be a tough one (see below), but it would help explain the story.

e. In what campaigns did s/he participate?

2. Keep in mind there are typically three "phases" of your veteran’s history:

a. Before action: This is where s/he learned to become a soldier (or sailor). Initial training, then training for his/her particular MOS (Military Occupational Specialty), though not everyone had specific training, then training with the unit.

b. Action: This will be the toughest part of the interview. Keep in mind, you're asking your veteran to recall events from long ago, many of which are not pleasant memories.

c. After the war: Many veterans came home in one piece; others, not so lucky. But all veterans came home a different person than when they went over. It’s also important to try to understand how the war shaped their lives and what they did after the war.

3. Conduct the interview - this is where you get to talk to your veteran and ask specific questions. You've got your initial set of questions, but you may find you want to ask more questions that take you into a different direction during the interview--be flexible. That's fine and you should go with the flow. You've got to be interested in your veteran's story and learn to adapt to the conversation. There is no book to read on how to do this, thought there are plenty of resources; you just learn by experience. If you're interviewing your father or grandfather, be patient (both of you). These men grew up without computers, some without telephones--a proud generation that grew up not showing their emotions.

A Few Tips for You

Before the Interview, do a little research. Does your veteran have any papers or documents from the military? The discharge papers (often called the "DD-214") will provide a lot of information. Some veterans filed their discharge papers with the local clerk of the court, many of which are online. Does s/he have a scrapbook, or any photos from the time? Does s/he have the letters s/he wrote home?

When you conduct the interview, try to avoid background noises, such as phones, TVs, radios, noisy pets.

Write your initial set of questions down and share them with your veteran, preferably prior to the interview. If you don't have a script, your conversation may go all over the place. Also, letting your veteran know what you'll be asking will give him/her a chance to think about and reflect what s/he's going to say. S/he may also have several other questions to suggest you ask.

If you can get one, use an audio recorder, preferably digital. You can try to record using a video recorder, but the veteran may be self-conscious about what s/he looks like rather that what s/he's saying. Many older people don't want pictures or videos of themselves, so using audio is less intrusive and makes the person more comfortable. It's also easier, less expensive, and less time-consuming.

A digital recorder allows you to store the voice file onto the computer and playback using the computer. This is especially important when you transcribe (or have someone else transcribe) the interview. On the other hand, a video of the oral history interview would be a treasure for you and your family. Set the microphone six to twelve inches from the veteran. Test the audio (or video if you're videotaping) before you start.

Conduct the interview in a safe, comfortable environment. Try to interview the veteran at his/her home, where they are more comfortable. Before you start the interview, spend a few minutes talking about the interview in general, how it will proceed, and what you're going to ask. You don't necessarily want to just jump in there and start asking questions.

Don't rush the interview. Most veterans like to talk about themselves, but not about everything. Begin the interview by asking some of the basic questions, then transition into more specific questions. To do this right, expect to conduct the oral history interview over a period of time. It will probably take more than an hour or two and you may want to break it into several different interviews.

Don't interrupt. It's not your job to comment on what the veteran is saying, but to record the memories. Remember, you're asking someone to bring back memories (some may be difficult and emotional) that happened years ago. If you get stuck on a question, or in an awkward moment, ask him what the weather was like or were there any particular sights or smells s/he remembers.

Ask the veteran's permission to send this Oral History to the Library of Congress (see link below) or to your local university.

Be sensitive. There are some taboo subjects that your veteran may not want to talk about--at least not up front. The subject of killing is difficult, but what probably hurts more is the subject of lost buddies. If your veteran gets upset or emotional as they tell their story, you should react and show concern. Give him/her time to recuperate. You may even suggest taking a break after acknowledging this tough moment.

What to Do When You're Done with the Interview

First of all, you will probably be exhausted as will the veteran. It's natural, especially if any of the interview was emotional. Thank the veteran for his/her time and service to this great country of ours. The next steps are to review the interview. If you've done an audio or video interview, you want to take some time to digest the information. It's ok, there's no rush. Once you've had time to rest and digest, you'll want to transcribe the interview. In other words, you'll listen to the recording and type out the interview. Usually, the transcription takes the form of:

Question (or your name as the interviewer): Here's the question I asked (verbatim).

Answer (or the veteran's name): Here's the answer by the veteran (verbatim).

This is an important step, since this becomes the recorded Oral History. It will take time, especially if you've done a quality job. You want to make sure that you type the questions and answers in the order in which you conducted the interview. After you've typed it all out, review for spelling and grammar errors. Then, you'd probably like to share it with the veteran. S/he may have remembered something else, or after reading the interview, may need to make a change or two. This is very common and it is courteous. Once you are comfortable with the interview and the Oral History, you may want to share with other family members. You may also want to have it preserved with the Library of Congress.

Veterans History Project

ANDY ADKINS