Posted on 07/02/2014 6:12:20 PM PDT by nickcarraway
We give our dogs lorazepam - dog valium. Get it from the vet. Problem solved.
Exactly! The ones that get me are the ones that echo and whistle off building walls just like incoming 122mm and 152mm artillery. But after the first one it just makes me thankful to be where I am and that it's only fireworks.
Life is about moving forward, not wallowing in the past. In my experience it is those who faced the least who claim to be the most damaged, and those who faced the worst of war realize that they are blessed to have gotten through it and that they will now face much lesser challenges for the rest of their lives. A man is encouraged by earned respect, but diminished by pity and lowered expectations. It is time to stop today's debilitating pity party mentality while extending genuine assistance to these grown men as they get on with their lives.
More generally, what has happened to the American male? Boys have been conditioned by government schools and single mothers to think and behave just like the girls, and a huge growth industry of "mental health professionals" has sprung up to expand the parameters of mental illness into realms that past generations did not give a second thought. Where past American veterans modestly put themselves and their pasts in perspective and got busy with the rest of their lives, too many of today's veterans shout "Look at me!" as if everything is owed to them for the rest of their lives.
It doesn't help that a fawning public, raised on feelings, now exalts victimhood and cannot distinguish it from true heroism. I knew only a handful of genuine heroes in my two decades in the Marine Corps, and their extraordinary exploits and bravery are diminished when every veteran is called a "hero" just for serving. But every kid gets a trophy now.
Veterans should be respected for their service, but it is dangerous to place any group on a pedestal above all other citizens for very long. "Military" and "law enforcement" along with miscellaneous government officials are already worshiped too much and therefore scrutinized too little, and the last thing we need is another favored group peeled off from the rest of the citizenry that they ostensibly serve(d). Mark this: if you treat anyone as if he is above the rest for very long, he will come to believe it and to act like it to the detriment of all. Citizen soldiers and veterans deserve a polite and respectful "Thank you" but in the end, they are Citizens like everybody else.
Thus concludes this veteran's rant! Semper Fidelis...
I happened to be in a hotel that was attacked by suicide bomb terrorists with a bullet entering my room. A few months later I was in Bangkok with our hotel room overlooking the river. Little did I know that to celebrate the king’s 80th birthday as his boat went down he river, the fireworks would go off parallel with our window. It’s funny now, but when that happened back then I immediately hit the floor.
My fear is that the fireworks will land in the crowds, which has been known to happen.........
I've taken Xanax for over 20 years. I have two choices. Seizure or take the pill. I had a cousin who did 2 tours in Nam. He came back OK or as good as anyone could have. He eventually retired at his 20 year mark in about 1980. He got a job and everything seemed to be going fine till the mid 1990's and he started having trouble with sounds bothering him. He underwent many test like I did all negative. Finally he went to a semi retired GP. The GP asked questions. Did you have ear issues as a child like tubes or ear infections? He said yes. Did you go to Nam? He said yes. Did you wear hearing protection? He said how could you? Doctor checked a few more minutes and said I know what's wrong. You have Inner Ear Damage from childhood and Nam. I can't cure it but I can treat it. His wasn't as severe as mine. But he spent thousands of dollars on testing.
Part of what has happened is the ability to filter noises is damaged. The dripping faucet when your trying to sleep thing. Noises sound louder at first than what they are. In my case the damage is so severe I have seizures from noises. I can also be visually triggered.
It's not a matter of it's in your head move on as some would like to think it is. It's neurological damage that has to be understood to live with it. It can begin many years after the damage is initially done and stress seems to be the what finally sets it off.
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