Wyoming Veteran J.C. Dye Details Return From Vietnam

J.C. Dye joined the United States Marine Corps at the age of 19 and was deployed to Vietnam to work at fire support bases.

Two years after his service ended, Dye returned to civilian life without a formal diagnosis for the mental health struggles he faced.

“Life just starts over,” Dye says in the upcoming documentary. “I didn’t realize I had PTSD. We didn’t know what that was.”

An excerpt from the film “Crossing the Threshold” is currently touring Wyoming to showcase the experiences of six veterans from various backgrounds.

The film will stop in Riverton on Nov. 10, Jackson on Nov. 11, and Lander on Nov. 12.

Dye grew up on a ranch in Montana before enlisting and now lives in Fremont County as a nationally recognized painter and sculptor.

Wyoming Public Radio’s Hannah Habermann interviewed Dye in his Lander art studio in June.

During the conversation, Dye described a head injury sustained in Vietnam that resulted in a traumatic brain injury and gaps in his memory.

He recalled being overrun in the A Shau Valley, after which he has no memory of the next five months of his tour.

Upon returning home, Dye took a job on a ranch within days and became busy raising children and managing property.

He said the drinking began shortly after his return and escalated over many years until his pancreas failed, requiring hospitalization.

Dye stated that he chose not to take medication for his post-traumatic stress because he did not want his mental stability to change for his art career. “I know I'm sad. I've been sad since I came home,” he said. He noted that he has not laughed hard enough to fall to the floor in 50 years. Dye expressed frustration with how society views war, noting that modern conflicts often involve distant drone operators rather than families losing relatives on the front lines. He said his post-traumatic stress is largely caused by watching children burn from napalm. “I think if that doesn't touch you, you're not human,” Dye said. He criticized the government for spending billions on new wars while struggling to care for veterans from previous conflicts. “I love this country, I just don't like our government,” he said. Dye used the analogy of a ranch manager who gambled and drank while cattle starved to describe how politicians are often re-elected despite poor performance. The documentary aims to share these personal histories with the public to encourage greater involvement and care for those who serve.