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Chuck Theusch lives in Greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and served with the army in Vietnam throughout 1969 and 1970. He was a member of the 11th Infantry Brigade in the Americal Division, positioned at fire stations responsible for calculating mortar rounds. He is the CEO and founder of the Library of Vietnam Project. Since 1999, he has returned to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos on 52 occasions to build libraries that educate children on unexploded bombs and landmine safety awareness, legal and medical education, and many other fields. Chuck grew up on a dairy farm and attended Kewaskum High School, where he played baseball, basketball, and football.
Today, Chuck joins me to discuss going back to Vietnam to build libraries with the motivation to see freedom celebrated within the country. He shares how looking at the past and the Vietnam war should be seen from the perspective of gaining wisdom. Chuck discusses how war’s viewpoints differ between the infantry, special forces, and pilots and shares how rewarding Vietnam veterans find returning to the country. He shares how Vietnamese culture is remarkable and highlights their unique strength in handling and recovering from disasters. Chuck also discusses the continuing problems and risks associated with unexploded bombs and landmines and the projects that are helping the people affected by them.
“We can’t change the past, but we can change the future.” – Chuck Theusch
This week on the Stigma Free Vet Zone Podcast:
- Chuck’s desire to see freedom celebrated in Vietnam
- Why we should look at the past and use that Vietnamese-wisdom and take inspiration from it
- How the viewpoints of the war are different between pilots, special forces, and infantry
- The rewards that veterans can find through going back to Vietnam
- The Vietnamese intestinal fortitude and way of handling disasters
- The political fallout of the Chinese railroad, the Silk Road
- The ongoing problems of unexploded bombs in Vietnam
Resources Mentioned:
This episode is brought to you by…
The Orban Foundation for Veterans is dedicated to bringing greater hope, understanding, resolution, and togetherness on issues of civilian readjustment for all military veterans and their families. Orban Foundation for Veterans promotes the importance of education, identification, understanding, acceptance, and resolution of many of the complex and severe responses to war and military life.
Visit our website to learn more about the Orban Foundation for Veterans and to support our mission.
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DISCLAIMER: The information and content shared in each episode of the Stigma Free Vet Zone are for informational purposes only. The Stigma Free Vet Zone hosts, Mike Orban & Bob Bach, are not, nor claim to be, medical doctors, psychologists, or psychiatrists and should not be held responsible for any claims, medical advice, or therapy/treatment recommendations mentioned on this podcast. Any advice mentioned or shared by Mike Orban, Bob Bach, or their guests is strictly for purposes of bringing awareness to the veteran community and the services available. Please speak with a medical professional before taking any advice or starting any therapy or treatment discussed or shared on this podcast.