Valerie K Other

Experience Description

It was January or February, 1968. I had been visiting with a friend of mine that lived in the apartment three doors down from me. It was just a typical Saturday afternoon. My friend’s boyfriend came to see her and brought a friend with him. He wanted to know if the two of us would like to go to the stock car races with the two of them. We decided it might be fun so I went to my apartment to get a jacket while they waited for me. I was just at the doorway of my apartment, when suddenly I found myself walking in a thickly forested area. Looking around me, I realized I was in a jungle following a small group of soldiers (American). The two soldiers at the end of the line stopped and turned when I stumbled over a vine and helped me through a thickly wooded area. They did not seem surprised to see me (a civilian) there although they acknowledged my presence.

After walking a ways with them, I realized I was in Viet Nam. I talked with the soldiers quietly as we walked along. Then I realized that a very close friend of mine was the soldier in the lead. (He was the only soldier there that I knew.) I excused myself from the companionship of the two soldiers walking with me and started to walk to the front of the line to talk to my friend. (This friend and I were very close in high school and I was glad to see him again.) As I neared the front of the line, another soldier grabbed my arm and restrained me just before I reached him. Just then, we heard the click. My friend had stepped on a land mine. The force of the explosion threw me backward against a tree. I screamed as blood splattered my body.

The next instant found me again in the doorway of my apartment, I heard the sound of feet running as my friend, and the two boys waiting for me came to see what had happened. They found me standing in the doorway with my hands braced against the door jam on each side. I had blood and dirt splattered on my clothes and face and my right shoulder was painfully swollen and turning black. It had been dislocated when I hit the tree. We did not go to the races that day; it took some time before my friends could calm me down. I have had many such experiences and wasn't upset about that, but the fact of what I had just seen happen with my dear friend.

The problem with my shoulder, although it was reset, has persisted to this day. The doctors cannot understand the problem with it! It had been a normal day, I was under no stress, nor was I ill in any way. I was wide awake when it occurred. I was not taking any medication or on any kind of drugs and was not attempting to have any such experience. I used to think my experiences were some sort of out of body experience but as I've heard other people talk I think my experiences may be more like Astral Projections. They happen often. Sometimes with physical evidence afterwards and sometimes not.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: Numerous occurrences since age 3 (am 59 now)

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? No None of the above Just a normal afternoon for me. I decided to go to the races with some of my friends. We thought it might get cold later so I went into my apt. of a jacket before we left. My friends were waiting for me..

How do you consider the content of your experience? Mixed

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? No

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I was wide awake.

Did your hearing differ in any way from normal? All my senses were intact. I heard the muffled steps of the soldiers, the rustle of leaves on the trees, the caws of birds, I smelled the damp musty loam in the jungle, felt the humidity against my skin.

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes I was in the jungle in Viet Nam. I saw no creatures there, only the soldiers I walked with, although I did hear birds.

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? No Just the soldiers.

Did you see an unearthly light? No Not like a big bright light like some talk about in near death experiences. The only light was splashes here and there as it found its way down through the canopy of the trees.

The experience included: A landscape or city

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? First- curiosity at where I was

Then joy- at seeing my friend there.

Next shock and horror- at seeing him step on the land mine and the results.

Later grief-at the loss of my friend.

And finally, fear- after I received a letter from my mother two weeks later confirming what I had witnessed right down to the day and hour of the happening. I did not ever want to experience anything that horrible again.

Later- following my grief, reconciliation- to the happenings that have always been a part of my life.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control There was no way anyone could have known about this event before it happened. And as I said, it was confirmed in a letter two weeks later, when my mother wrote me to tell me about it.

Did scenes from the future come to you? Scenes from the world's future Not really future, I was just there at the exact time and place where it happened.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Conservative/fundamentalist

What is your religion now? Conservative/fundamentalist

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The best part was seeing my friend one last time. The worst part was the loss of my friend.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I am very careful who I share these experiences with. I use lesser experiences to feel my way in before I relate some of my heavier experiences, like this one. Few people know of my experiences. And of those that do, I'm not sure even all of them believe me.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes I have had numerous events both before and after this one.

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? I knew about the war in Viet Nam as everyone else at that time did, but I did not think about it one way or the other. I was not involved with any antiwar movements nor did I even care enough to read or keep up with any news about it. I don't know why I was projected to Viet Nam, except to maybe see my friend one last time.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? You might ask more about any physical manifestations present following the episode.