(NEXSTAR) — What would it be like to return to the very battlefield where you fought and watched your fellow soldiers fall? Some veterans recently found out during an emotional return to a rubber tree forest in Vietnam, where a brutal battle unfolded during the war.
Veteran Jim Roop served as executive officer of the 173rd Assault Helicopter Company. He says that toward the end of the war, a lot of helicopter units were staged out of the forest. Roop says he didn’t think he’d ever be back here.
“No, I didn’t [think I’d ever be here again],” says Roop. “I wouldn’t. I had no desire to come back but all of a sudden, that desire changed.”
Veteran Richard Wisland also fought in the forest, as did Bob Monette, who visited the forest, too.
“It definitely brings back memories. I didn’t think it would,” says Wisland. “I just thought of things that have gone by over the years. It’s emotional.”
It’s a surreal feeling that Monette also echoed.
“It’s emotional for me, too,” says Monette. “That’s part of what keeps me coming back — to get guys like Dick [Wisland] to the spots where he survived and he left battle buddies behind. Even though he cried, it’s a good cry. It’s a healing cry.”
Watch their candid reactions in the video at the top of this page.