`````Years ago, I picked up a book in a delete bin about women from the 60's who had been icons in one way or another. I knew who most of them were, but there was a person that I didn't recognize and her story was truly inspirational. That person was Chris Noel. She had done some acting and had been in films with Elvis Presley, Steve McQueen and others whose names you would know. In fact, had she played her cards differently, her career may have really taken off.
`````Chris Noel was a very attractive woman, but she also had that "it" factor, which made her appealing to both men and women. She came across as a nice person who wasn't a threat. One day she made a visit to a Veteran's Hospital, and in the amputee ward she was overcome with the smell of those suffering from gangrene. These were young men who had served their country, and they were paying dearly for it. She felt that she had to do something.
`````The politics of the time were such that people mixed up supporting troops with supporting the war. Thus, they all too often turned their back on them. By making the choice that she did, it had a negative impact on her career. It was not cool in Hollywood to be seen as siding with the war; it was Conservative...not hip. Chris didn't care, as she followed her heart.
`````She did several tours to Viet Nam. This was at a time that was very different then it is today. There were no cell phones, so if you were in country, you were really removed from things. If you were sporting a flak jacket, it was heavy and hot. The helicopter she was in was actually shot down. She became such a popular fixture for the troops that the Viet Cong put a bounty on her head of $10,000.
`````Her support did not end once the war did. She understands the agony of PTSD. The man she married killed himself as a result of it. To this day, she continues to offer assistance to Viet Nam War veterans. A new study that just came out the other day, by the way, indicates that these people are more prone to suffer dementia on top of every other ailment that they have already gone through. If anybody knows a person who has PTSD, it is a horrid affliction; people find it difficult to connect with others. They are prone to abuse alcohol and drugs, attempt suicide, engage in risky behavior and remain hyper vigilante at all times.
`````I have included a link to Chris' web site. She runs it herself and it has a number of clips from her films. There is also a petition, as there is a move under way to have her receive a medal for the work she did in Viet Nam. I do believe that she truly deserves it.
This reminds me of the time I was discussing how I felt bad for the troops in the Iraq war. I said it must be strange for them to be told that this country and its people are your enemy and how you had to kill its people just because your president told you to.
ReplyDeleteThe girl I was talking to said she didn't feel bad for them. She then refined her position to say she only felt sorry for the troops who just joined the military for a college scholarship and were deployed. I guess she was trying out her liberal persona for a bit. From what I hear she's turned into a real piece of work. I guess she thinks she married up and turned a hobby (which I can't recall her ever talking about) into a "career". Sorry back to the point...
Its good to know that someone from this generation saw that supporting the troops wasn't shameful. Sorry its 4a here my sleeping is messed up from last night and I'm just rambling along.