For decades, many Vietnam veterans carried the memories of war, and the pain that followed them home, largely in silence. Now, a new documentary produced and narrated by actor and veteran advocate Gary Sinise is bringing a group of those veterans back to Vietnam for the first time, as the country marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the war.
The Washington Examiner attended the world premiere of Where We Once Stood at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, where veterans featured in the film gathered with their families and fellow servicemen for a first look at their stories on the big screen.
The scene inside the historic hall offered a striking contrast to the welcome many Vietnam veterans remember receiving when they returned home. Veterans arrived wearing Vietnam veteran hats, jackets, and other gear — symbols of the service that, for some, had once made them targets of public anger and hostility.
Navy veteran Buddie Joe “BJ” Penn remembers being told not to wear his uniform, even while working at the Pentagon.
“You go out in a uniform, and people would throw things at you, spit on you,” Penn told the Washington Examiner. “It was almost a disgrace to wear our uniform, to be a service member at the time.”
At the premiere, those same veterans were greeted with handshakes, hugs, and memorials of their service lining the halls. They laughed together, introduced themselves to one another, and pointed out their pictures on the wall. Many were swapping stories with fellow veterans who understood something about their experiences few others could.
For many, the night was less about reliving the war than recognizing the men who had lived through it. Where We Once Stood, produced and narrated by Sinise in partnership with Veterans United, follows a group of Vietnam veterans as they return to the places that left the deepest scars, hoping to help them heal.
For Penn, returning to Vietnam meant confronting anger he had carried for decades.
“I was angry when I left Vietnam,” Penn said. “I lost a lot of friends. I left a lot of friends over there, and I was really apprehensive about going back because it wasn’t pleasant either going there to fight the war or coming home.”
The anger had affected him so deeply he had never visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.
“I lived in Washington, D.C., I lived in Fairfax, Virginia, and I have never been to the Wall,” Penn said. “I was so angry I couldn’t go to the Wall.”
Traveling back to Vietnam with a group of fellow veterans gave Penn an opportunity to confront those feelings in a way he had not been able to before.
“Going to Vietnam with a group of people that we went with, all Vietnam vets, we were able to talk about these things and relieve the burden that we’ve been carrying all these years,” Penn said. “I’ve told the gents within our group things I have never told anyone else about, the demons that we faced while there, and those that followed us home.”
The veterans also traveled to North Vietnam and visited Hanoi and the prison where American prisoners of war had been held. For Penn, the experience was ultimately healing.
“The visit was healing. It was a healing trip for all of us,” Penn said. “We have all changed our attitudes and our opinions about going there. We’re so glad we did. So glad we had the opportunity to go back.”
For retired Air Force Lt. Col. Robert Jeffrey, the journey was deeply personal.
Jeffrey spent seven years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam after being shot down. His weapon systems operator, George Smith, was killed when their aircraft was shot down.
“I never recovered his remains,” Jeffrey said. “That was really my main reason for going there. From that standpoint, I needed closure.”
The search for his crash site didn’t go as planned. The land had changed drastically in 50 years, and the roads along the rice patties were now vineyards and small man-made ponds. Many grave sites had been disturbed and moved.
“We drove a number of the roads for quite a while, and I never could see those features,” Jeffrey said. “But Pam finally said, ‘Well, you know what you can take away from this, is this is the closest you’ve been to George since you were shot down.’ That moved me.”
“Overall, I’m glad I did it,” Jeffrey said. “I’m glad I went. There was closure for George, although it wasn’t the closure I had wished for.”
The idea for the documentary came from Veterans United, a company specializing in serving military families through VA home loans.
Pam Swan, the company’s vice president of military relations and business development, said the project grew out of a desire to recognize Vietnam veterans while there was still an opportunity to hear their stories firsthand.
“What generation do we focus on that we are losing that opportunity to hear from them and give them the honor that they so deservingly should have?” Swan said. “And we came up with this idea: What if we took them back and started a healing?”
Swan started to become emotional as she described how veterans opened up during the journey about experiences they had never previously shared.
“They are our legacy,” Swan said through tears. “Our Vietnam veterans are our legacy. What they’ve shared with us, what they’ve been willing to let their guards down and tell things that they’ve never even told their family, their spouses, and they’ve opened up to us, and they’ve started to heal.”
Penn hopes the movie encourages veterans who are struggling to reach out and get the help and support they need.
“Everyone comes back with baggage, good, bad,” Penn said. “If you have trouble, if you’re not doing what you should be, just get some help.”
For Jeffrey, the hope is the film reminds Americans of the veterans who returned from Vietnam and the welcome many felt they never received.
“One of my hopes for this film is it’ll reawaken our country’s conscience,” Jeffrey said. “People will extend a welcoming hand to the GIs, the veterans, all the veterans who served over there, and give them a little better closure, you know, because of how poorly they were treated when they came back.”
GARY SINISE 9/11 DOCUMENTARY WANTS TO INSPIRE AMERICANS WITH HOPE
More than five decades after the Vietnam War ended, Where We Once Stood gives these veterans an opportunity to return to the places that shaped their lives. This time surrounded by men who understand what they experienced.
The film will be available to view on Prime Video in honor of Veteran’s Day.