Veteran’s retreat offers a source of healing from experience of war

Katie Ballalatak Prairie Catholic correspondent

ROSEN, Minn. – For Roger Karels, the plan was to spend his life farming the family land near Rosen. Like many others, however, his plans were disrupted when he was drafted into the Army in the summer of 1967. He had just two months’ notice.

Karels headed to basic training, where he excelled in his training. For one who had never had much experience with guns, it was a source of pride to him to be among the top-ranked in his class. Then, in early 1968, Karels left for Vietnam.

His first memories upon landing was the smell, a mix of aviation fuel, diesel fuel, and gunpowder, along with the excessive heat and humidity. From there, the experiences grew horrifying. Karels recalls that they often did not know who the enemy was and that conditions were often incredibly difficult. He tells a story of meeting a man from close to home, just 70 miles from his family farm. Before there was time for much conversation, the man was killed, the victim of a grenade. Karels didn’t even know the man’s name, only the town he was from and the date he was killed.

Another night, Karels was sent out on watch only to find the gun he was assigned to carry had a defect and wouldn’t have fired. He was out all night without a working weapon. “Why wasn't that checked?” Karels wonders.

Karels drove an armored personnel carrier (APC). He was wounded by shrapnel during the Tet Offensive (a coordinated series of North Vietnamese attacks) and was airlifted off the battlefield during the night. He spent weeks recovering before returning to action. Only later did he learn that the soldier who took over driving his APC was killed just two days after Karels was injured.

It wasn’t all bad. Karels speaks with fondness of the local children. The soldiers did humanitarian work, standing guard while medics administered shots and medicine to the children.

Karels arrived home to Minnesota in 1969 during a record-setting blizzard. He recalled landing at the California airport and watching flight after flight get canceled. “No one would help us,” Karels recalls, even though they wore their Class A uniforms. As they searched for a flight out, an airport worker stood quietly off to the side. Finally, the man approached them, saying, “I’m a Vietnam vet too, but no one knows. Where do you want to go?” With the man’s help, they made it to the Sioux Falls airport.

Returning to civilian life

Back on the farm, Karels began to piece together civilian life. He joined the American Legion, where he’s now been a member for 52 years. He has also attended reunions of the Blackhorse 11th Armored Calvary Regiment, the unit he served with in Vietnam. But the transition was far from easy. People will ask when he served in