Hero: Vietnam veteran helps veterans while dealing with PTSD

By Lindsey Henley
WSLS10 Reporter
Published: March 7, 2008

    Vietnam veteran, Randy Vest, compares life to combat.
    “It’s just like combat itself, you don’t quit in the middle of it.  You just keep going,“ Vest said.
    With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, he knows first hand sometimes that’s easier said than done.
    “It doesn’t take a whole lot to cause you to have flashbacks, nightmares, things like that at night,“ he said.
    It took Randy more than 30 years to finally face his problems.  He says once he left the combat zone he was back at home within a couple of days.  Unfortunately, there were so many negative feelings, as well as stereotypes toward the Vietnam War, he didn’t want to talk about it until the War in Iraq.
    That’s when Randy finally admitted he had a problem.  With the help of a good friend, David Amos, he went through the long process of applying for compensation from the U.S. Government.
    “I can’t remember how many times we’re in here and I’m just like, forget it, I’m tired of this.  David would just calmly say, you know, I wish you’d think about it, I just wish you’d think about, and so we finally got it done,“ he said.
    Now, along with working on cars on his used car lot, he keeps busy pushing other veterans to file their disability claims as well.
    “There are a lot of veterans who are shy or actually afraid to come forward,“ he said.  “It’s not about getting something for nothing.  These guys deserve everything they get.  Most of them deserved it way back then.“
    As Vest raises one of the three American flags he flies in front of his car lot, it’s clear, the same fire that gave him the courage to fight for his country in the first place, keeps him fighting for veterans today.