From North Carolina-
The faces drift back to Houston Matthews from across four decades.
Marines he fought beside in Vietnam are with him always, especially on Memorial Day, when he salutes fellow riflemen killed at such places as Con Thien and Khe Sanh.
It was during the 1968 Siege of Khe Sanh – one of the most controversial battles of the Vietnam War – that Matthews received the wounds that cost him an eye and a leg.
A retired Episcopal priest from Gastonia, Matthews kept the war bottled up inside for years, haunted by memories of friends who didn't come back.
About nine years ago, he first got professional help for post-traumatic stress. Recently, he started counseling soldiers back from Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, he's about to launch a project friends have been urging him to do for years: Write a book that blends his experiences in war and the ministry.
“I want to encourage any veteran who is still struggling,” said Matthews, 62. “I want to help broken people get in better shape emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. To help them get things under control.”
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http://www.charlotteobserver.com/local/story/744129.html
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