Used to be a heavy drinker, faced post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) because of the war, suffered from depression, had a broken family, and then returned to Vietnam to find a way to correct his past mistakes. Witnessing his military career, Manus Campbell has found happiness and peace for himself.
Manus Campbell is now a resident of Hoi An and Quang Nam
The Vietnam War in the years 1965 – 1966 was fierce. In the state of New Jersey (USA), Manus Campbell was 19 years old, had just graduated from high school, received a call to military service and had only one month to spare. Prepare before entering the battlefield. Campbell was so shocked that he had to drink alcohol to relieve his sadness. Coming to Vietnam in 1967, he was on the staff of Battalion 1, Marine Corps 4, stationed in Phu Bai, Hue, then moved to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Quang Tri. When returning to America, Campbell went through difficult times in his life, and after nearly 40 years, he returned to the old battlefield (in 2006) and became attached to this land.
Post-war and pain
To gradually forget the cruel images of war and smoke as well as to control the startles and screams in the middle of the night, Manus Campbell spent more than 30 years. He recounted: “They train you to go into war, not equip you with knowledge about post-war life. Everything is completely turned upside down, like a wound in the soul. To face society , I need to find something to stimulate myself, so I often drink half a bottle of gin or vodka before leaving home to meet friends.”
Familiar image of veteran Campbell with a camera by his side
Returning to America, with each passing year, Campbell’s life became more and more bad. Initially, he worked as a police officer in New Jersey, wearing bulletproof armor and carrying a gun around his waist, with the simple thought: “This is something I can do like when I was in the marines.” Campbell got married without knowing he had been exposed to Agent Orange. His wife became pregnant, but doctors discovered that the fetus had no arms or legs when it was 12 weeks old. Yet, Campbell faced a series of problems due to PTSD. Besides waking up and screaming in the middle of the night, he is very afraid of the sound of helicopters. On the battlefield, the sound of a helicopter is a sign of water and food delivery, or the beginning of an operation, or becoming the target of firepower. The smell of burning wood is also another obsession. Every time he smells it, many cruel images of war come back…
Working as a police officer for 10 years, Campbell left the profession, then had a very serious car accident, lost his ability to work, and owed the bank an amount of up to 30,000 USD. Although he tried to find a job, he couldn’t find a suitable job. His mind was always wondering: “How can I do this?”. Campbell suffered from depression and his marriage collapsed…
“The connection of friendship”
JAMA Psychiatry – A journal of the American Medical Association (AMA) has published research showing that up to 217,000 US veterans who fought in Vietnam face PTSD syndrome related to war obsessions and more than 1/3 of them Some of them suffered from depressive disorder. Particularly in Campbell’s case, facing life was difficult, returning to the old battlefield to visit, or take a short trip, was once unthinkable. But then everything changed!
Campbell took souvenir photos with the girls whose education he fully sponsored
After that, Campbell started meditating and he gradually found a solution to help himself change. Thanks to that, Campbell was able to stop drinking and escape his post-war obsession. “In 1997, I did a six-month meditation course and that was the last time my mind was filled with images of the war,” he said. In 2006, 38 years after leaving the battlefield, Campbell participated in a meditation trip in Bodh Gaya (India) and the idea of returning to Vietnam suddenly came to him. That thought lingered and urged in his mind, and Campbell spent more time updating information about Vietnam through friends. On Christmas 2006, he came to Vietnam and spent 10 days visiting My Lai Relics, Hoi An, Hue.
After that trip, Campbell actively encouraged many other American veterans to return to the old battlefield to face the past and especially overcome their own fears and experience Vietnam from a different perspective. “Me and another American veteran reunited with 8 Vietnam veterans. These meetings are very valuable, because people on both sides of the front line who were once enemies, now sit together and it’s interesting that we have shared opinions. sharing and wanting the same thing, is human connection, friendship,” he shared about the memory of meeting Vietnam veterans for the first time in 2012.
Take photos, write poetry and love
Returning to the old battlefield, for Campbell, is not to review memories, but to find ways to contribute to healing the wounds of war and express the desire for peace. His way of acting is to help children in difficult circumstances in Vietnam. Campbell said: “I believe education is the most important thing we can bring to children, it is also the area I care about the most in Vietnam. I am a victim of Agent Orange so I also want to help Help children harmed by this poison.”
Campbell gives gifts to children at Children’s Hope in Action in early 2024
In recent times, Campbell has actively supported the Children’s Education Charity (CEF) and is currently also a member of the association’s Board of Directors. Campbell said: “During Covid-19, I donated money to help poor families have food until now. I also sponsored full education for 9 girls.” He is also closely associated with the Ky Anh Center for Raising Children with Disabilities co-founded by Ms. Jackie Wrafter since 2008. Ms. Wrafter said: “Without benefactors like Campbell, we cannot continue to achieve success. my job”. Another organization is HIVOW (Helping Victims Affected by War), founded in 2009 by Campbell himself, helping to build schools so children can have a place to live and study.
Asked more about the achievements of charity activities, Campbell said: “Since 2013, every month I have sponsored the Children’s Hope in Action Organization in Hoi An to help disabled children at the center have food and opportunity to go to school”. He further confided: “The effects of Agent Orange make it impossible for me to have children anymore, but in Vietnam, I feel like I have hundreds of children. This year I’m very happy because I sponsored a child from my fifth grade. 8 just graduated from college. I’m proud of this, and it’s a reward for the work I’m doing. My children bring me joy and happiness.”
Currently living in Hoi An, in addition to helping children, Campbell spends time on poetry, painting and photography. In Hoi An, he also found his other half, Doan Trang, and his stepson, Quoc Anh, 10 years old.
Campbell’s camera angle took a photo of “the most beautiful old woman in the world” Bui Thi Xong
Campbell shared: “I married Doan Trang in 2020. Photography is the way I connect the beauty of life and Vietnamese people. I like taking portraits and street landscapes the most. During Covid-19, I paint a lot of abstract paintings and continue to meditate every day. I am grateful for the life that has allowed me to live until today, and given me a lovely wife and son in Vietnam.” (to be continued)
