The Reality of PTSD

[unhappycamper]

The Reality of PTSD
Craig Barnes
Author, playwright, trial lawyer, negotiator, frequent commentator on public radio.
Posted: December 16, 2009 06:50 PM

Many years ago when I served in the infantry, my closest friend was a young West Pointer named Burt. He was a first rate soldier. When we rotated out, I came home and Burt went on to Vietnam. He led troops in combat and won a Silver Star for heroism.

A little while later, still in combat and still in the jungles, Burt won a second Silver Star. Almost no one ever wins two Silver Stars. I was not there and Burt, afterward, would never talk about it, but I heard that he had a lot of trees shot out from under him and he saved some people.

Then Burt won a third Silver Star. Maybe in the annals of American war there are less than a handful of men who have won three Silver Stars. But after that third one, Burt disintegrated. He came home on leave and told his wife he would never carry a rifle again. The Army sent him back but he refused to carry a weapon. Then the Army sent him home.

Over the years thereafter, I would call and ask Burt: "What are you up to?"

~snip~

As best as I could tell, that is all Burt did for many years. War and destruction, killing and terror had taken the innards out of the man and he had memories that no person could erase. All this was before PTSD was understood but it doesn't take much imagination to see that a soldier does not get rid of the pictures of slaughter lodged in his brain by just coming home.


Rest of article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-barnes/the-reality-of-ptsd_b_394415.html

[Cetacea]

1. Thanks. A real description of a devastating disorder.

And not one that goes away with "positive thinking" .

[no_hypocrisy]

3. I've known two soldiers who returned from Vietnam with PTSD.

The first one has nightmares 45+ years after the fact. Not a single night of peace since then. When he's awake, all he has to do is look at the perpetual jungle rot between his toes to get a flashback. His platoon was sent as a decoy for the Vietcong and he was one of two soldiers left alive. He had a nervous breakdown, had to be sent back to the States, but the Pentagon didn't want North Vietnam to know U.S. soldiers were cracking up. So my friend went to Walter Reed where he was treated for "combat fatigue" instead of a nervous breakdown. The charade and lies scarred him and he had to climb out of his abyss alone. He's compensated for his experience but it's still in him. He's been able to hold jobs and raise a family. Fortunately the VA recently gave him access to a psychiatrist where he feels safe to discuss his trauma.

The second one returned to the States as an officer, gregarious, happy, and seemingly without a problem. A successful insurance salesman, later an executive. Married and a son. A Jaeger in Germany which is a privilege. (In Germany only Jaegers can own and shoot weapons.) And when I met him in 1979, his descent had started. Drinking. First it seemed like male bonding drinking with the Hunters. Then it bled into his employment. And loss of that employment. And loss of his marriage and home. Onto a new woman and a child which he lost. And a DWI and loss of license. When his family came looking for him in Germany, he was sleeping in the streets literally. They took him back to the States where he continued to drink. I'll speed up the story to right now. He's in a Veterans Hospital with lung and throat cancer from smoking 3 packs a day and malnutrition from anorexia, has depended on his family for any financial support as he can't work, still dependent upon beer and cigarettes, and a shell of a man. Before he went into the hospital, his only choice of companion was a barfly who is paranoid schizophrenic. He told me about his missions in the war theater which seemed more like assassinations than defense or tactical offense. He too had nightmares and cried easily when he discussed the horrors he saw. He won't find peace while he's alive.

[Cetacea]

8. Thank you. That is war-related PTSD I always understood it to be.

I knew a man who lost his entire battalion in WW11. He was found wandering the swamps, alone, two weeks later. He basically spent the remainder of his life in a nursing home.
He was allowed to walk around town and thankfully, everyone was kind to him.

[unhappycamper]

11. I had an uncle who fought in the Korean War and came back 'shell shocked'.

He was in VA hospitals for the remainder of his life. It's a sad thing for a youngster or family to see.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. They're now saying that memory loss is the best thing for PTSD.

Soon, our soldiers will become cyborgs.

[TexasObserver]

2. Recommend

[Locrian]

4. Brigadier General Rhonda Cornum

Thanks for the link. Part of is burns me up - how about we send Rhonda Cornum over for a few tours of duty?!

"In the same week the Pentagon's new director of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness gave an interview in which she said that the Army is spending too much time treating PTSD. Talking with the author Gail Sheehy, Brigadier General Rhonda Cornum said we should concentrate on the healthy soldiers and train the fittest to be able to absorb a "kick in the gut" and get back to combat."

[TexasObserver]

5. The arrogance of this brig general talking crap about soldiers.

I guarantee you that the general has never been kicked in the gut in all her years of service.

[MrScorpio]

6. What we're seeing is the result of eight years of politicians being promoted in the military

Unfortunately, a ton of officers with back bone and who cared for the troops have jumped ship because of Bush, Rumsfeld and their fucked up wars.

The people who stayed behind and sucked up to the new regime are people like this Brigadier General.

The military brass is going to be like this for quite a long time until these assholes are replaced with officers of conscience.

[Cetacea]

7. "the Army is spending too much time treating PTSD"

either their not treating PTSD or they are exceptionally cruel.

[omega minimo]

9. Okay, let's see. Bogus war. Gung ho "patriots." Bogus president. CERTAIN PTSD.

That's why I protested.