Vietnam veteran Luke Wolfe and his wife Linda stand beside their grandson Brayden Seal, after Wolfe spoke to Seal’s 6th grade social studies classes about his experiences as a combat photographer for the Army during his tour of the Vietnam War. (Union Hill School - Somerville, Alabama/Facebook)
(Tribune News Service) — A veteran who speaks to classes about his military service overseas has found that talking to students helps him manage his post-traumatic stress disorder.
Luke Wolfe, who served as a photographer in the Vietnam War from 1968-69, has spoken to Bonita Cothren's sixth grade class at Union Hill School for three years now, most recently on Monday.
"Years ago, I wouldn't tell you a thing," Wolfe said. "I wouldn't talk about it. I just couldn't."
Wolfe has only started to share his memories of the war in the past 12 years, said his wife, Linda. While in Vietnam, Luke served in the First Air Cavalry and earned a Purple Heart.
In the classroom, he shared stories of his encounters with the Viet Cong guerrilla force shooting from the trees, how he believed the Agent Orange defoliant used by the U.S. military affected him and how Americans treated him upon his return. But he also shared memories of friendships he made in the jungle and seeing tigers, elephants and snakes.
"For the longest time, I didn't want to tell anybody anything," Luke said. "Because we were (treated as) a disgrace to the American people."
An Ohio native, Luke volunteered to go to Vietnam when he was 21 years old. He spent 90 minutes Monday sharing his memories with students and answering their questions. He brought books filled with photographs, many of which he took during his time there, and military-issued currency from his time there.
"He really gets joy out of these kids actually paying attention," Linda said. "I think that's a salve to the wounds. They're interested in knowing what went on, and the life that (he) had to live while (he was) over there."
Linda has worked as a substitute teacher in the Morgan County Schools system for 10 years — it's how she connected her husband to Cothren.
"Every year, the kids are just on pins and needles," Cothren said. "They're engaged. It makes learning more meaningful."
In total, Luke spent 24 1/2 years in the military and said sharing his stories with students helps him through some of the PTSD, a condition he also discusses with students. Linda believed that his PTSD worsened 12 years ago when their son committed suicide.
"I think that trauma brought his PTSD to the forefront," Linda said. "Because then it was really, really bad after that. I guess the trauma of that brought those memories forward."
Cothren taught two of the Wolfes' great-grandchildren, Brayden and Kara Seals, and said having a family connection made the history feel closer to home.
"It makes it not so much history, but 'Wow, this really happened,'" Cothren said. "They've just been waiting for two weeks for (him) to get here, because the things they read in the textbook, the videos that they watch, none of that is as important as your story."
Linda, who worked in the civil service for 33 years, said Luke's thinking of his great-granddaughter, Kara, helped him open up.
"I think he wanted to share some of that with her," Linda said. "That was important to be able to tell her what had happened and what he went through."
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