I was in Southeast Asia (Vietnam and all) 1968, Joined VVAW in 1970. My eldest son has 14 years of his 20 year enlistment completed. I don't know where he is currently deployed, security reasons. His wife and 2 children are in the states but I don't see any of them enough.
Nightmares? Ask my 3 ex wives. It's been 39 years and I still see the faces, sometimes just the eyes. Can't take cordite either, the smell makes the memories come to life. Bless my first wife, I broke her nose in my sleep during a nightmare, she forgave me eventually.
Love them when they come home, they will talk about it when they can. Some never do. PTSD is real and it never goes completely away. Most of my buddies drank themselves to death, the ones that stayed out of jail.
thanks for asking, it's a subject grunts don't like to remember.
Doctor G