Dr. Clyde Horn: Purple Heart Recipient | Vietnam Infantryman | Author | Psychotherapist

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Dr. Clyde Horn is a former Army infantryman, Purple Heart recipient, and Vietnam Veteran. He served in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade near Saigon fighting in the Iron Triangle from 1967-1968 and supported US forces during the Tet Offensive.

After the military, he helped children suffering from trauma as a psychotherapist. Despite this work and his attention to other people’s trauma, he didn’t recognize his own PTSD until 2009. His compelling story of combat, helping others, getting help himself, and eventually returning to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, will ring true for many veterans.

He has since written two books PTSD in Pictures and Words and Veteran Guilt in Pictures and Words and uses art as part of his own treatment (ArtLifting). 4:20 - Signed up for the Army without telling anyone in the family. 5:30 - Advanced training in Fort Polk, LA, in “Tiger Land.” 6:11 - The basics for any soldier: Don’t volunteer for anything. 6:33 - Drill Instructors, existentialism, and pornography. 16:51 - The “Iron Triangle” bounded by the Saigon River (W), Tinh River (E), Phu Cuong (S) just north of Saigon. 19:15 - Assigned to 199th Light Infantry Brigade near Saigon in 1967. 199th Facebook Groups (link, link). 21:31 - Description of first combat patrol in Vietnam. 26:15 - Field rotation cycle. Hot chow, shower, bed with a roof over your head, 27:59 - Moved to Cam Ranh Bay to watch President Lyndon Johnson speak. Footage from the time. 29:46 - First experience in the jungle in a movement to contact was an “out of body experience.” ‘The beginning of anxiety sets in that stayed with me for the rest of my life.’ 34:00 - First time in contact walking into an ambush. 41:21 - “I will survive” mantra. PTSD starts early during a traumatic incident. Rather than let my acute senses and reactions hurt me, how can they help me? 44:50 - Never saw a ‘stone cold killer.’ Go to Hollywood for that. 48:00 - “Hell on Earth” description of one of the hardest engagements when the 199th had two to three companies ambushed by an enemy regiment. 48:45 - Fire starts coming at us…. 54:24 - Description of engagement in which Clyde earned the Purple Heart. 57:34 - Observing a Platoon Leader being overly cocky and the perils of that mindset. 1:01:06 - Using night vision in Vietnam with an amazing observation made thanks to the new tech. 1:06:07 - Good luck charm: a gold cross. 1:09:50 - Supporting defenses during the Tet Offensive. 1:14:00 - Returning from Vietnam to - of all places - Berkeley. 1:20:55 - After retiring from psychology, Clyde has a ‘full blown’ attack of PTSD. 1:29:07 - Finally visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial aka ‘The Wall.’