Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
TERRY JONESVietnam veteran John Di Sanza expresses his experiences through painting, writing and acting.
DUNEDIN - John Di Sanza watched in horror when planes hit the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City.
Di Sanza felt an extra sadness because his hometown had come under terrorist attacks. In some ways, Di Sanza's mind also had come under attack as memories of the year he spent with the U.S. Army's 5th Special Forces Unit in Vietnam came back to trouble him.
His memories became more vivid in March and April as he watched American and British soldiers defeat Saddam Hussein's army. Di Sanza was proud of the military and of his country.
Then came the images of sailors being welcomed home and the Iraqi people cheering coalition soldiers as they entered Baghdad. Those television images set off feelings of anger, fear, guilt and confusion.
"Even though I was and am so proud of our men and women in uniform for the great job they did, I began to feel some of the feelings I battled when I came back from war," Di Sanza said.
"Myself and other Vietnam vets were spit on and called baby killers. No one even said welcome home, much less meet us with a band and celebration. The guys in uniform didn't start the war in Vietnam, nor did we lose any battles, yet we were told we lost. It threw me into guilt and depression for years and took me a long time to feel good about myself again."
Now 56, Di Sanza was just a teen when he went to war.
"Believe it or not, it didn't hit me during a battle that those people over there didn't like me and wanted to kill me," he said.
"It happened when I was alone, drunk and away from my base camp without proper authority. Somewhere between Saigon and Da Nang one night, a group of teen thugs were chasing me trying to kill me. Thank God an old mamasan took me into her house with her family and cleaned me up. ... There were other close calls for me in the eight months or so I had left there after that ... but that one night was a reality point for me."
After his discharge from the Army, Di Sanza spent 13 years battling a variety of personal demons. His marriage become a casualty of his drug addiction. His ex-wife and son moved to Florida in 1968. Di Sanza made the move to Dunedin in 1979 to be near his son, Marco.
Slowly, Di Sanza started to rebuild his life. He even started a house painting business. He also remarried, and he and Susan have 18-year-old twins John and Emilie. Di Sanza credits Susan and his three children as sources of help and strength.
Another outlet that has helped Di Sanza heal has been writing. About 10 years ago, he started to express his feelings and memories through writing, and in 1997 wrote and starred in a play, No Band Played. He also has written a book about his wartime experiences titled Johnnie Saigon. (Di Sanza is seeking a publisher).
In 2002, Di Sanza began to paint and has honed his skills as a self-taught artist with a variety of styles. Many of his pieces have sold, and others are on exhibition at Snooty Judy's Fine Art Gallery on Skinner Boulevard in Dunedin.
Through writing and painting, Di Sanza has found peace of mind.
"I am so proud of the young men and women fighting in our military right now. I am going to find ways to let them know that and welcome them home. It is very important that we all let them know they did a good job and they are welcome back home."
- If you know of someone in your community who would make a good candidate for our Faces column, please send information to Terry Jones, c/o Seniority, the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.
To learn more
For more information about John Di Sanza's work, log on to www.livedart.com