Whidbey Crosswind, November 29, 2019

Whidbey Crosswind

Coming to grips

The Puget Sound Veterans’ Monthly | December 2019

Whidbey veteran opens up about trauma ❚ pg. 2 Whidbey Crosswind is a supplement of the Whidbey News-Times.

SERVING WHIDBEY ISLAND’S VETERANS, RETIRED MILITARY PERSONNEL AND FAMILIES

Honor and indignity A Whidbey veteran opens up about his 50-year journey to find peace after Vietnam

By EVAN THOMPSON

The next six months were more of the same: one miserable, hot and violent day after the next. Then Doering was transferred to a motor pool to complete his 13-month tour.

Everett Herald

For years, Greg Doering wanted nothing to do with Veterans Day. He shunned parades, ceremonies and appreciation of his service. They brought back painful memories.

The damage was done. Combat had drained his spirit and made him short-tempered and paranoid. He sought refuge in booze and marijuana.

But in 2004, he put a sticker on his truck acknowledging he was a Marine combat veteran. It was a gift from an old buddy from Vietnam who knew Doering suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. His friend felt he deserved recognition.

Already running on four days without sleep, he partied hard the night before his flight home. It all caught up to him on the plane over the Pacific Ocean. He was a mess.

But Doering, 71, of Clinton, was conflicted. Half of him was proud of the distinction he’d earned. But the other half was deeply troubled by his experiences in Vietnam, in 1968 and 1969, and what happened when he returned home.

Until recently, he’d shared his combat experiences with only a few.

He’d told even fewer of what happened next: He said he was sexually assaulted by care providers in the psychiatric ward at Camp Pendleton in California.

Years of therapy, counseling and writing have helped Doering find some peace. It’s his struggle between honor and indignity.

“Over the years, the layer of trauma has been peeled away,” he said. “I have learned to let go of the bitterness as much as possible. I knew I was injured, but not broken.”

Doering joined the Marines in December 1967. He felt duty-bound to do his part — his father was a World War II veteran.

“I knew I was acting weird,” Doering said. “I (had) a sense they were assigning people to shepherd me on the plane. In clinical terms today, I had severe PTSD.” When his plane landed at a Marine base in Southern California, he asked to be sent somewhere quiet so he could rest.

Greg Doering (center) with members of his mortar squad in Vietnam. (Photo courtesy of Greg Doering) Enlisting also served as an escape from a shaky home life. His parents were alcoholics. His father, who suffered mental breakdowns triggered by war memories, killed himself when Greg was 15. His mother was emotionally and physically abusive.

The Marines offered stability.

“I loved the Marine Corps in the sense of discipline, order and boundaries,” he said. “And if I was going to die in Vietnam, I always appreciated the fact that they never left their dead behind.”

Doering was assigned to be a truck driver, but the Tet Offensive of 1968 — a massive surprise attack on American forces — put him on

the front lines as an assistant mortar gunner.

He was sent to the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Vietnam, called the DMZ for short.

Marines grimly joked that it stood for “Dead Marine Zone.”

Doering hauled water, rations and mail to the combat bases of Ca Lu and Vandegrift. It was a fun job at times. He has a picture of himself grinning widely at the driver’s seat of a Mule, a small utility truck.

But danger was constant out in the bush. Doering, whose job was to carry mortars on his back, helped search the jungle for the North Vietnamese Army.

But the enemy found them.

Doering’s company suffered heavy casualties in an ambush at a place called Hill 512.

Doering was taken to Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. He said he was given a couple of red pills, and he passed out.

Doering, under fire for the first time, was ordered to take the wounded to helicopters. He slipped as he helped carry a wounded corpsman, causing the man to scream in agony.

The next morning, Doering awoke feeling refreshed. He asked a corpsman for his uniform so he could leave. But he was told he needed special authorization.

The violence and chaos had a profound impact on him.

That’s when Doering noticed grates on the bulletproof windows and heavy mesh wire around the nursing station. He was in a psych ward.

“The emotional intensity, the chaos … I was changed after that,” he said. “I have a picture of myself leaving Hill 512 and the look on my face says it all. The energetic, fun-loving jokester was gone. The reality was too much.”

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His nightmare then got much worse. Doering said he was assaulted by corpsmen with a tool used to SEE DOERING, PAGE 3

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DOERING, FROM PAGE 2

insert suppositories into coma patients. A shocked Doering disassociated from the attack.

He was lucid enough to hear a doctor storm in and stop the madness.

He woke the following morning, freshly bathed and wearing new pajamas. But his nightmare continued.

Doering said he was threatened with further abuse if he refused to take antipsychotic drugs. He said he was labeled a schizophrenic.

Three months and three hospitals later, he received a medical honorable discharge as a lance corporal.

Doering, deeply scarred by the ordeal, later described it in a 89,000-word manuscript.

But he never pursued legal action.

“I was never able to get over the embarrassment of feeling like a failure as a Marine,” he said. “The label of schizophrenia exacerbated the feeling that I had no grounds or credibility. It was so haunting to work through that, I could not see the point in dragging myself and family through something I did not understand.”

The following year after his discharge was a blur.

“I came back home and I was 70 years old, mentally,”

he said. “I had to deal with things that people didn’t have to deal with. You were old before your time.”

Doering qualified for a 100% disability rating from the Veterans Administration, and earned an associate degree at Seattle Community College in 1972. He blended in with the anti-war movement, growing his hair long and denying his service. He started a family and began a career as a dental lab technician.

But he was haunted by his past. He was prone to outbursts and resented authority. He divorced, lost his business and was fired from three jobs. Then, in 1983, he met his soon-to-be second wife, Carol. They married in 1984, and with her support, he confronted his Vietnam experiences. He volunteered with a program that helped veterans and was counseled to address his PTSD.

reached a tipping point. He needed help.

His savior was Arlington resident Harold “Doc Woody” Woodruff, who served as a Navy corpsman in Vietnam.

Doc Woody was a hero among local veterans. He was a social worker in Everett who specialized in outreach for homeless Vietnam vets.

Woodruff was the first person Doering told about his experiences at Camp Pendleton. Doc Woody said he was ashamed of his fellow corpsmen.

By 1998, his struggles had

Doc Woody died in 2004 at age 58 from Agent Orangerelated health problems.

Before his death, he gave Doering a Combat Action Ribbon sticker to put on his truck.

“My trauma was severe, deep and horrendous, but I did stick with a system that helped me up and lifted me out of it,” he said. “And thank god for my wife. If anybody deserves a medal, it’s her for what we’ve been through in 35 years.”

But it didn’t bring him pride — at least, not yet.

He was appreciative when strangers thanked him for his service. But deep down, it still hurt.

Instead of “Happy Veterans Day,” he suggests people ask, “Are you at peace?”

Doering has wondered that about himself. Just the other day, a woman thanked him for his service.

She told him how painful it was for her as a girl to see what was happening with the war. That would’ve turned his stomach into knots not long ago, but not this time.

His journey to recovery has come a long way.

“I’m at peace enough with the experience to accept any expression people want to offer.”

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Still, the war wouldn’t let go. Though he was never violent, Carol recognized when he was struggling.

“There are some people who lash out, but Greg goes inward,” she said. “He beats himself up and gets into a quiet, depressive state. He would act on his behaviors by overspending, overdrinking and overeating.”

Woodruff connected Doering to another counselor, putting Greg back on the road to recovery. Doering opened up about his trauma with counselors and other Vietnam veterans.

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Speak slowly and in short sentences with only one idea per sentence. For example: “Hi Mary. I’m Jane, your friend.” or “What a beautiful day. The sunshine is nice, isn’t it?” or “Tell me about your daughter.”

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Immigrants who served their chosen country honored

By JULIE MUHLSTEIN Everett Herald

Long before he settled in the United States and joined the Army, Ahmad F. Al Rawi put his life on the line for this country.

“It was dangerous for people who helped the U.S. military in Iraq,” said Al Rawi, 34. A husband and father, he’s now a staff sergeant working at the U.S. Army’s recruiting office

in Lynnwood.

“I had to do it.”

Fernando Moratalla was 14 when his family moved to Washington from their homeland of Venezuela. An aunt and uncle were U.S. citizens here. He dreamed of joining the Marine Corps while at Shoreline’s Shorewood High School. He was 20 when the 2001 terrorist attacks killed nearly 3,000 people. “9/11 solidified my choice,” he said.

Now 38, Moratalla is a Marine veteran whose duty included two deployments to Iraq. He works as an Edmonds Community College security officer.

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The Army recruiter said his family was running a store in Baghdad when U.S. troops would come in. He had earned a university degree and learned English in Iraq. Americans talked with him about being a translator. More than translating words, Al Rawi said his role was “to shrink that gap between two cultures.”

In his homeland, some would have branded him a traitor, he said. His link to the Americans was so perilous he used a false name. Yet those links “helped me immigrate to the U.S.,” Al Rawi said.

“It was a long and very diffi-

DAN BATES / THE HERALD

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ahmad F. Al Rawi (left), an immigrant from Iraq, and U.S. Marine veteran Fernando Moratalla, from Venezuela, spoke at the Edmonds Community College Veterans Resource Center. cult process.” He came first to California and later to Kansas.

In Kansas, he met his wife — she’s an Army veteran.

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to immigrant veterans, the celebration honored all U.S. military vets and mark the 10th anniversary of the “Boots to Books and Beyond” monument on campus.

Navy Seabee, is director of the Veterans Resource Center. He said it was Peter Schmidt, a former dean, who was instrumental in bringing the monument to campus.

The sculpture, with bronzed boots atop a stack of books, includes a plaque: “To All Veterans Past, Present and Future.”

Schmidt, now director of behavioral health with the state Department of Veterans Affairs, also spoke at the event,.

Chris Szarek, a retired U.S.

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The Edmonds Community College Foundation launched a $1 million campaign to support student veterans, and by 2014 the college had an expanded Veterans Resource Center. Szarek said about 180 military veterans are current EdCC students.

Students and staff stopped by for morning coffee while Al Rawi and Moratalla talked about their journeys. Gold Star Mother Myra Rintamaki paid a visit. Her 21-year-old son Steven Rintamaki, a Marine corporal from Lynnwood, was killed in Iraq in 2004.

She had a surprise for Moratalla. He was thrilled when he opened an envelope Rintamaki handed him Tuesday. Inside was a card with the signature of James Mattis. The former secretary of defense spoke in May at Seattle’s Museum of Flight during the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park — and Rintamaki was there.

For the veteran from Venezuela, the signature of the retired Marine general nicknamed “Mad Dog” Mattis was an immediate keepsake.

Allowed to join the Marines with a permanent

resident card known as a green card, Moratalla said he became a U.S. citizen on July 13, 2005. Three days later, he was deployed to Iraq. His first deployment was in Al Anbar Province, and the second was in the city of Barwanah.

Part of the 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion, Echo Company, Moratalla was first attached to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines and later to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines.

He left the military as a corporal.

“Every Marine is an infantryman — we adapt,” he said, explaining that amphibious assault vehicles aren’t ideal for

desert duty.

“Going there and coming back were both tough,” Moratalla said.

It was a challenge to be in classes with 18-year-olds who “haven’t explored the world.”

At EdCC, he earned a degree in information technology.

He’s worked at the college since 2010.

Moratalla said many Americans aren’t aware of the military’s diversity. In boot camp, he met recruits from Africa and China.

“I felt very welcomed in the Army,” said Al Rawi. “The Army honestly gave me a life.”

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(Dan Bates / The Herald

Fernando Moratalla, a U.S. Marine veteran, hugs Myra Rintamaki at the Veterans Resource Center at Edmonds Community College. Rintamaki is a Gold Star Mother whose Marine Corps son Steven was killed in Iraq in 2004.

Moratalla is an immigrant from Venezuela.

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Dec. 6-21: “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

Presented by WICA. The beloved holiday film comes to life as a 1940s radio broadcast in the world premiere of a new adaptation by David Ossman.

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4 p.m. beginning from First and Main streets. The route goes down North Main to Front Street, then up Alexander to the Coupeville Library.

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Musicians, service and youth groups, pets, families and floats will march up and down First and Second Street.

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EVENTS, FROM PAGE 7

kids to meet Santa and get their photo taken! (Santa photos 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., donations for photos welcome). Saturday night, 6-7:30 p.m., carols led by Mel Birch, hot chocolate, tree lighting, a visit from Santa Claus and the announcement of the Clinton coloring contest winners. www. discoverclintonwa.com.

Dec. 7-8: Made Right on Whidbey, Holiday Art Show. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday at Coupeville Rec Hall. Ten local Whidbey Artists that will have a beautiful display of art for you to choose from! Stop by for some great company, art and goodies to nibble on.

Dec. 13-22: The Nutcracker. Whidbey

Island Dance Theatre’s 27th season production is a holiday delight for the whole family!

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19 vendors while sipping hot chocolate and taking pictures with Santa Claus.

Dec. 19: Holiday Celebration—Friends of the Oak Harbor Library. 3-4 p.m. at Oak Harbor Library.

Celebrate the season with friends, food and fun. Your favorite librarians will present the best gift books for adults, teens and children. Proceeds from a silent auction will support the Oak Harbor Library.

Dec. 21: Green Ticket Drawing. 4 p.m. at Harborside Village in Oak Harbor.

Shoppers, collect your tickets for a big prize!

Participating Oak Harbor merchants give green tickets while spending in their stores. At the end, there’s a drawing for a big prize!

Dec. 22: Red Ticket Drawing. 1 p.m. at Historic Downtown Coupeville. You or a representative must be present to win. From Nov. 1 through Dec. 2, every $20 worth of

purchases you make with participating merchants, restaurants and service providers gets you a red ticket! Five prizes drawn; $1500, $500, and 3 $100 winners! Shopping local has never been so much fun!

Dec. 22: The Night Before Christmas Holiday Concert. 7:309:30 p.m. at WICA. A musical celebration of the season featuring Whidbey Island Community Orchestra and storyteller David Ossman. www.wicaonline.org.

Dec. 7-23: Oak Harbor’s Christmas Village at the Blue Fox Drive-In. 3-7 p.m. weekends Dec. 7-15.

Daily Dec. 20-23.

Admission is free.

Enjoy a visit with Santa and his elves, petting zoo, games, holiday craft/gift vendors and more. Food and other vendors onsite as well.

Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve Fireworks. 9 p.m. at Oak Harbor Bay. Join this annual celebration.

VA uses innovative means to help reduce diabetic limb loss A part of an efforts by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to confront diabetes, on Dec. 1 the VA will begin regional implementation of the Podimetrics Mat, a new medical device that has the potential to prevent limb loss in Veterans with diabetes.

The technology, now in use at 15 VA medical centers, uses thermographic monitoring of a patient’s feet to identify early onset of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), which can lead to limb loss if not detected early.

Known as thermal imaging, the non-invasive test involves no radiation and uses a special camera to measure skin temperature. This allows clinicians to develop plans for preventing added deterioration of a patient’s health.

Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Marc Cuenca

BELLS ACROSS AMERICA

The fourth Annual Bells Across America for Fallen Service Members Ceremony was held earlier this year at the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s Chief Petty Officer’s Club.

Master Chief Petty Officer (Ret.) Bill Conley, left, Hailey Chittick, installation Navy Gold Star coordinator of Navy Region Northwest, center, and Shelby Bassett, work and family consultant of Fleet and Family Support, right, recognize service members with the Tribute to Our Fallen Rotating Watch, which consists of photos of fallen sailors and biographies written by family members.

The Bells Across America for Fallen Service Members ceremony is a remembrance event held across the nation to honor sailors who died serving their country and their surviving family members.

VA’s use of the Podimetrics Mat builds on a study that showed the in-home foot-temperature monitoring device was able to detect 97% of DFUs as early as five weeks before the onset of symptoms, with 86% of participants using the mat an average of three days per week.

With more medical centers offering use of the mat, VA has continued to observe similar outcomes. One VA facility found 84% of veterans are using the mat almost daily, allowing preventative clinical interventions to take place.

The mat will be available to all veterans across the country through their local Prevention of Amputations for Veterans Everywhere clinic providers.

Last year, VA treated more than 75,000 DFU cases across the country.

NAS Whidbey Personnel!

Receive up to $550 towards your closing costs* For more details or to apply for home loan financing, call Stacy today!

Stacy Warner, Military Spouse NMLS #910332 AVP, Senior Mortgage Loan Originator

Call: 360.293.9987

SWarner@BankofthePacific.com

*Up to $550.00 of your closing costs will be issued as a Lender Credit at the time of loan closing. Valid only on secondary market residential real estate purchase and refinance loan applications received and closed through Stacy Warner at Bank of the Pacific. Not valid with any other offer. Limit one credit per loan transaction. All loans subject to credit approval and standard underwriting. Certain fees and restrictions may apply. Offer expires 12.31.19.

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• Whidbey Island born and raised • Local with knowledge of the island and many professional connections • 10 years experience • Working for you 24/7 • Service above and beyond the norm • You’re not just a number, you have a unique story that I can’t wait to be a part of

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360-672-0058 TinaMarie@windermere.com #whatwouldyourrealtordoforyou

“Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong, and laughter never ends.”

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Service members make business ownership a post-military career After leaving the military, veterans often look to start a second career. For many, owning a business is an attractive career path because they have honed many of the skills needed to be successful entrepreneurs, such as ambition and a drive to succeed, during their time in the military.

“There are many unique qualities veterans possess that simply aren’t found anywhere else and make them a great fit

for business ownership,” said Tim Davis, president of The UPS Store, Inc., and former U.S. Marine Corps captain and Gulf War Veteran.

Veterans are uniquely suited for solving pressing challenges life can present, which is part of the reason they can make successful entrepreneurs and business owners.

Franchising, in particular, can be a building block for veterans’ careers as they transition

Come Worship With Us!

Nursery Available

www.concordiaoakharbor.org 590 N. Oak Harbor St 360-675-2548

Oak Harbor Worship Services..........8 & 10:30 am Sunday School ........................9:15 am Nursery Available Sunday Evening Prayer 6:30 PM at St. Mary Catholic Church in Coupeville Jeffrey Spencer, Lead Pastor Pastor Marc Stroud, Associate Pastor

To promote your religious services in the Whidbey Crosswind, please call 360-675-6611.

Sundays: 9:30 a.m. Worship 10:45 Education Hour

• Working as a team:

NW 2nd Avenue & Heller Road Across the street from OHHS Stadium

CHURCH DIRECTORY

Missouri Synod

“Franchising is an opportunity where veterans can empower and be empowered, adding value to the brands they represent,” Davis said. “I have seen firsthand how the drive and discipline gained in the military can be a great advantage for veterans looking to own their own businesses and open franchises.”

Lutheran Church

Whidbey Island Concordia Lutheran Church

from military service.

360-679-1561

oakharborlutheran.org

South Whidbey Community Church A place to begin… A place to belong!

360-221-1220 • Langley www.whidbeychurch.org

Sunday Morning Worship 10:00am Adult Sunday School 9:00am Deer Lagoon Grange 5142 S. Bayview Road, Langley Home Bible Studies available Darrell Wenzek, pastor

Veterans often know the success of an organization relies on every member working together to build a team, or a business, that’s greater than the sum of its parts. In the case of a franchise, the franchisee must embrace teamwork at multiple levels, not only among the employees of the local franchise location, but also with the franchise’s leadership team on a national and regional basis.

• Executing a plan: A franchise business typically provides its owners with a proven business model and ongoing support. However, executing the plan is up to the franchisee. All of the pieces are provided, but putting them together and creating a working business plan requires a degree of entrepreneurship.

It’s an approach that is similar to the training veterans experience in the military.

• Acquiring new skills: Franchisees typically complete a comprehensive training program to develop the knowledge and day-to-day operational skills needed to own and operate their own businesses. The training focuses on everything from marketing and operations to human resources and staff management.

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St. Hubert Catholic Church 804 Third Street, Langley 360-221-5383

Masses: Saturday 5:00pm Sunday 8:00am and 10:30am Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri. 8:15am Wednesday 10:30am Fr. Rick Spicer, pastor E-mail sthubert@whidbey.com www.sthubertchurch.org

Unity of Whidbey 5671 Crawford Rd, in Langley, just off Hwy 525 www.unityofwhidbey.org We welcome you to our Sunday Worship Celebration at 10AM. Potluck on the first Sunday of the month. While Unity is considered practical Christianity, we embrace many of the sacred teachings throughout the world. Join us for supportive and inclusive spiritual community.

Sunday Service Times 8:30 & 10:30 AM Nursery and Children’s Church available in both services 5373 Maxwelton Rd, Langley 360.221.1656 www.swagchurch.com

Home of Island Christian Academy

Sunday Service: 10:30am Children, Youth, & Adults

1780 SE 4th St. (360) 675-3032

LIVING WORD oak harbor foursquare LIVING WORD 490 NW Crosby Ave oak harbor foursquare Oak Harbor

490 NW Crosby Ave 675.5008

Oak Harbor www.livingwordoakharbor.com Sunday675.5008 Service Times:

www.livingwordoakharbor.com 8am 9:30am 11am

Sunday Service Times: (Living Word Kids all services: Middle School Service: 3 months - 5th at Grade) Wednesday’s 6pm 8am 9:30am 11am (LivingGroup WordSunday Kids all Evenings: services: Youth 3 monthsSchool - 5th Grade) Middle 4pm YouthHigh Group Sunday6pm Evenings: School Middle School 4pm High School 6pm

Saturday Worship 11am Bible Study 10am Find Respect, Honor, Friendship

Go to 31830 State Rt. 20

(The Pentecostals of Island County)

Located on Goldie Road

A SAFE PLACE TO CALL HOME Sunday Morning................10am Sunday Evening.............6:30pm Wednesday...........................7pm

360-632-7243 Pastor Greg Adkins

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Worship Hours: Worship Service: 10:00am Contemporary Service: 1:30pm Children’s Sunday School 10:30am Everyone is welcome. Come join us!

Youth Ministries-Choirs-Bible Studies Pastor David Parker ...................................................................... Pastor Erin Tombaugh....... ....................................... Young People’s Ministries Christina Queeno ................................................ Music & Worship Arts

360-675-2441 • 1050 SE Ireland St, OH • oakharborfumc.org Like us on Facebook @OakHarborFUMC @OHFUMCyouth

WhidbeyNewsTimes.com/Subscriber-Center 888-838-3000

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