Guard Duty for Camera : War wounds: Veterans who have been standing watch over the vandalized Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Sacramento have been replaced by electronic surveillance.

The eyes of veterans who have seen so much are no longer watching the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial around the clock. They have been replaced by electronic surveillance.

But although the 24-hour presence of ex-soldiers and civilians standing guard have given way to time and technology, the emotional bond that brought 457 of the volunteers together for four months will never go away, Richard Ottis said last week.

A Vietnam veteran, Ottis and others who guarded the monument from June 17 to Nov. 4 helped them come to grips with the effects of a war that divided veterans and civilians alike.

Before vandals violated the Capitol Park monument in February and April, veterans like Ottis and civilians had great difficulty visiting the memorial because it brought back too many memories.

They took the assault on the memorial personally, and that outrage eventually gave birth to a new organization--the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Watch, Ottis said.

That group disbanded when the veterans turned over surveillance of the memorial to the State Police. But its membership has formed the core of a new Sacramento chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America.

The vandalism, the memorial itself, and the conflicting emotions that the veterans have experienced over the last few months have been a healing process, a cathartic experience that bonded those who stood guard, they said.

“Keeping watch seemed to relieve a lot,” Ottis said. “It was great being able to go out and do something for the guys who didn’t make it.”

It doesn’t matter that expensive electronic equipment has taken the place of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Watch, its members say.

What matters is that in the shadow of the monument, people were able to feel better about a war that had nothing to do with good feelings.

“There have been so many positive things that have come out of this,” Ottis said.

“I’ve made friends that I know are going to be lifetime friends. As a result of the watch, we’ve just started a chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America here. All because of the watch.”

Being at the monument for all those months enabled veterans to hear words of support that some had never heard before.

Ottis said he and other veterans were met with gratitude from visitors to the monument, a far cry from the antiwar backlash that raged against them when they returned from Vietnam.

“People would go up to vets and say welcome home, and thanks. Guys really needed to hear that,” Ottis said.

Vernon Rowe, a Navy veteran who prefers not to talk about the war, said guarding the memorial complex helped him in other ways.

“If you just go by the media and movies, you would think that all vets are dope dealers and gunrunners. They don’t talk about the moralistic values of guys who have families and jobs,” Rowe said.

“They have gotten over frustration and anger and are taking care of business. Meeting guys like this was a real learning experience. It’s been real good to hear that a lot of vets are doing well, because I’ve seen vets who aren’t.”

Like others, Rowe spent many hours guarding the monument, although he doesn’t know exactly how many. “I did whatever was necessary.”

Although many of those who stood watch were veterans, others were not.

Peggy Coombs had to deal with a confusing war on the home front.

“Helping out in this made me feel better at not having gone to the war,” said Coombs, who volunteered for guard patrol with her husband.

Coombs said the war was brought home to her when her brother enlisted. She donated thousands of hours as a volunteer in a veterans hospital during the war because of her brother’s involvement. He returned from Vietnam physically intact, but he had some emotional issues to confront.

Now that State Police are monitoring the monument on cameras donated by a private company, the lives of the hundreds who stood watch are returning to normal.

They said they feel better since police arrested a suspect in the February vandalism of the monument.

But that hasn’t stopped them from going back to the monument--something many said they couldn’t do before the vandalism last winter.

“Most of the guys involved in this are like brothers,” Ottis said.

“It’s like one big family, a group that can never be added to but can be taken away from. We’re so close because we understand what it’s like to be afraid. We know what war is really like.”