Nan Mahon: Vet finds solace in writing

Bill McDonald celebrated his 21st birthday in a bar in Phu Loi, South Vietnam. The year was 1967.

"It was a sad day," he said. "The Army gave me a three-hour pass, and a couple of my buddies and I had about four beers in a little place just outside the base camp."

He spent the next year dodging bullets while working as a helicopter crew chief.

Now, after a career with the U.S. Postal Service, the 61-year-old veteran is spending his retirement speaking, writing and making films about his experiences in Vietnam.

He's hoping he can help other veterans come to terms with their experiences.

"People hated the war and hated the warriors. It wasn't our war, we did our duty," McDonald said. "But the American people could not separate the war from the veteran."

The required tour of duty in Vietnam was one year, and troops came and went in rotation without really knowing much about one another. Most of them, like McDonald, were draftees.

"One of the worst things we did was get rid of the draft, because the Army now is not representative of the whole," McDonald said. "It creates a class system in America and segregates society. Children of privilege do not go."

While McDonald was in the jungles of Vietnam, he served with the 128th Assault Helicopter Company and was assigned to a maintenance plane called "The Witch Doctor." The plane carried tools and parts to repair downed helicopters. He would often stand on top of the aircraft making repairs while under enemy fire.

After six weeks he became a door gunner and crew chief on Huey helicopters. "We flew out over the jungle to unload troops and supplies, and to pick up troops and bodies. We could never spend more than seven seconds on the ground," he said.

In Vietnam, McDonald found consolation in writing about his experiences -- scribbling on scraps of paper, napkins and even an old MRI container. Sometimes he wrote poetry.

But, it was not until years later that he would put his thoughts together in books and films.

When he came home, McDonald found that even his family did not want to hear his stories. People would ask how many people he killed, a question he says is the rudest thing you can ask a veteran.

But McDonald picked up his life again. He married his high school sweetheart, Carol, and graduated from the University of San Francisco. The couple moved to Elk Grove in 1979.

And, after retiring as a Postal Service safety officer after 30 years, he returned to Vietnam.

"In March 2001, a small group of veterans went to Vietnam as part of a peace patrol," he said. "Everywhere we went, college kids asked us questions about our culture. About two-thirds of them were born after the war, so they have no memory of that time."

Veterans from both sides of the conflict also sought them out to talk about the war.

McDonald is working on a documentary about the experience called "Back to Nam -- A Spiritual Journey." It is scheduled to be released on DVD in 2008.

But this isn't his first creative endeavor. McDonald, who goes by W.H. McDonald Jr. on his books and films, has self-published a book of poetry, "Purple Hearts," and a book that recounts his experiences "A Spiritual Warrior's Journey."

Because he found writing to be such a healing experience, he established the Military Writers Association and has a Web site called the Vietnam Experience.

He also has worked on a PBS special, "In The Shadow of the Blade," which took him to many countries and across the United States.

McDonald is often asked to collaborate on projects. He is helping to put together an anthology of war experiences titled "God in the Foxhole" and was part of a documentary crew in 2002 that interviewed veterans about the effects of the Vietnam War and the impact of the Huey helicopter experience.

He has served as an advisor for many nonprofit organizations, including the Sharon Ann Lane Foundation, a group that helps with the opening of medical clinics in Vietnam, and the Sgt. Patrick McCaffrey Foundation for War Veterans, established to build spiritual retreats for post-traumatic stress disorder patients.

McDonald has been an adviser to the Peace Garden established in Sacramento's Capitol Park and is an advisor to one planned in Ho Chi Minh City. He plans to return to Vietnam for that dedication in 2008 or 2009.

His medals are on display in the Elk Grove Historical Society Hotel and Stagestop museum this summer. They include the Purple Heart, two Bronze Stars and the Distinguished Flying Cross, among others.

"Medals and trophies do not mean as much as being at peace with myself and spending time with my grandchildren," McDonald said.

About the writer:

• Nan Mahon is a freelance writer living in Elk Grove. Her column runs once a month in The Bee.