Real veterans. Helping real veterans.

USA Veterans First was founded by service members who understood that coming home isn't just about a change of uniform — it's about finding a new squad.

Hi — my name is Dennis Uram. I’m a U.S.M.C. combat veteran (Vietnam), 1966, 1967, 1968.

I spent parts of three years in Vietnam, mostly in the mountains and jungles outside of Da Nang, Duc Pho, and Quang Tri. Our base camp was 13 miles out of Da Nang. We would be deployed from the base camp into the mountains or jungles by helicopter, dropped off on search-and-destroy missions. We were dropped off in areas where we were getting enemy fire.

We were part of a group called the Tunnel Rats. We would find hidden caves and tunnels, and we would have to climb into the cave to try to find Viet Cong, or to clear the cave out looking for P.O.W. captives. After we cleared the cave and removed any U.S. military, we would destroy the cave by blowing it up.

Any personnel we would find — dead or alive — we returned to base camp. Parts of them or all of them. Everyone wanted their child, their son, back one way or another. I was also part of a flame-thrower patrol that would destroy caves after clearing them out. It was not a very good job, finding U.S. soldiers in the caves dead or alive or tortured. Sometimes they did not even know who we were — friend or foe.

I was also put on night patrol on top of a mountain to protect the Army as they would build base camp — a night sniper and radar detector.

They would helicopter us into a base camp that was being fired upon at night and that the enemy was trying to overrun. They would put us on guard duty with flame throwers. The enemy would not try to overrun the camp when the flame throwers were on duty — no one wants to get burned to death. They used to call us Shake and Bake.

In those days, coming back to the United States was not an easy time in life for U.S. veterans. There was very little help and understanding of what veterans go through when fighting in a war. Killing people changes your life forever — you’re never the same person coming back home from war.

Remember this, soldiers — that I told you this: if you go to war, and you draw first blood, when you come back home you will not make a good dad or father, or a very understanding husband. At least I did not. Remember, you will remember what you did for the rest of your life. P.T.S.D. sucks.