In some ways, imprisoned Vietnam vets do differ from other inmates _ they tend to be more cooperative, more reclusive, less involved with gangs, said Wilson, the Cleveland State professor. While some are hardened convicts, he said, others have no criminal mentality but their post-war lives have unraveled. Wilson said there's a direct link between post traumatic stress and drunken driving, disorderly conduct, assault and weapons charges. Reibel, who was found guilty but mentally ill of child torture, said his anger simmered for years. Records show he had a history of assaulting his son before his arrest. ``I thought about (Vietnam) everyday for 10 years and was afraid to say anything,'' he said. Some also say the public's intense anti-war feelings made their return all the more traumatic. ``Everybody that came back from World War II was a war hero,'' Armstrong said. ``When I come home, (I thought) `Man, I'm a war hero.' (But) you're one of the four horsemen. You're death riding on a horse.'' Most Vietnam vets readjusted well, but Armstrong and others got into bar fights, drank heavily, drove recklessly. Some called it their death wish. Others say Vietnam destroyed their priorities. ``Things that were important before I left weren't important anymore _ friends, family, success,'' said George Fisher, who robbed a shoe store to support a drug habit he picked up in Vietnam. The notion of right and wrong blurred, too. ``When you grow up and they teach you ... don't hit a girl ... when you get over there ... what if this little 16-year-old kid happens to be a girl and firing that Mauser at you?'' asked inmate Ken Everhart, convicted of criminal sexual conduct against his wife, from whom he was separated. ``People look and say, you're ... sick, pathetic,'' said Everhart, who's been married five times. ``I say, you beat me down. You've got me down. I'm tired. I'm tired. I'm 41 ... years old. I've been fighting Vietnam for 21 years now. Vietnam destroyed my value system.''
