Posted on 11/11/2015 4:15:18 PM PST by pboyington
First, we must express our sincere gratitude and respect for all those Veterans who carried the Flag before us, all those who served on our left and on our right and all those who picked up the Flag and moved forward after us. No matter where, when or in what role, your service is appreciated and recognized. And, Happy Birthday to the USMC – Semper Fidelis!
As the first Veterans’ Day to be discussed from the Veterans’ Perspective, we must address one of the most important topics to be share with the civilian community.
A Tragic Myth of PTSD – Senator Dianne Feinstein said “If Individuals are having nightmares and panic attacks about the atrocities they have committed overseas while following orders from a war criminal like former President George Bush, then quite honestly they deserve it.†I pause here to let that sink in.
“Traumatic†Does Not Mean Criminal or Sinister – Senator Feinstein’s statement perpetuates a myth that we believe is at the heart of many Veterans’ issues. The myth is that the trigger or cause of most PTSD trauma is some horrible crime, atrocity or “wrong†that was done while in combat. Many of the portrayals of PTSD – even those that are nothing but well intended – often perpetuate this myth. A recent case in point was a widely circulated video showing how dogs can help Veterans with PTSD but depicting the “trigger†event for PTSD for the soldier being portrayed was him witnessing a young women being killed. While some may have such experiences, the vast majority of Veterans suffering from PTSD did not experience or witness a war crime or civilian atrocity that serves as the trigger for their PTSD. This myth creates a stigma that further complicates the difficulties Veterans have in dealing with the very real symptoms of PTSD.
Partisan Politics to Blame – We understand how this myth came about and how it remains alive. It was born out of the highly charged partisan political debate in the US that afflicts just about every issue. Most Post 9/11 Veterans who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan – or even prior to 2003 and after 2003 – can point to a difference in the way their service was perceived by civilians. Many Veterans may even share in those political thoughts that place “value†judgements on the service in one Theater over the other. So, should it be any real surprise that within the hearts and minds of many, or at least some, people in this country there is this belief that the Post 9/11 Veterans deserve or brought these problems upon themselves?
Adds to Uniqueness of the Veterans’ Perspective – Regardless of how or why the myth came about, it is the very fact that this myth exists that makes it even harder for Veterans to be fully understood by civilians. Could this be part of the problem facing Veterans seeking meaningful employment? Does this have anything to do with the reasons why the VA seems unable to be put on the right track? The Veterans Perspective does not pretend to know the answers to these questions. However, we do know that this myth MUST be called out for what it is – falsehood.
Call to Action – On this Veterans Day 2015, we ask that you do whatever you can do to help us in defeating and burying this myth. Take a vow to call out those who claim that US Soldiers commit war crimes unless there are specific instances / events being called out (and my bet is that there are criminal charges related to those events). Explain to children how the truly virtuous aspect of our Veterans is that they serve US ALL – they do not get to choose the fight nor the enemy but are rather an extension of our will. Help people to understand that PTSD does not equate to atrocities or war crimes. Most importantly, help people to understand that many people have PTSD and can be fully functioning and contributing members of society and are not ticking time bombs. These are truly measurable ways to help honor and THANK our Veterans!
Thank you for posting.
I knew someone with PTSD. He said that he got very nervous being in crowds, because he could never be sure that someone wasn’t using the crowd as a cover from which to snipe at him.
For a lot of people, PTSD is the fear of being attacked, after having spent many months in a heightened state of awareness in a combat zone.
I’ve never before heard of PTSD being a reaction to observing or committing a war crime. Leave it to liberals to try to poison the perception of a real psychological issue that some troops experience after being in a combat environment.
PTSD is not limited to military personnel and veterans. It can happen to anyone as a result of any traumatic event.
Diane Feinstein,bitch extrodanare.
Hey Pappy, glad to see someone representing that hero. PTSD certainly has biochemical basis. A Veterans study from 2007 proved that the PTSD fraternal brother from a Viet Nam era combat fraternal brothers group had demonstrated about a 300% increased incidence of heart disease and cancer. No one is faking the cancer and heart disease in combat vets with PTSD.
Yes it can happen to any one. I think I suffered PTSD or something like it after my son was killed. I continued to relive the policemen telling me that he had been killed. It ran constantly like a negative movie film in front of my eyes. I could see through it but I was mesmerized by it and I was powerless to stop it. Most bizarre thing that has ever happened to me.
One day at the office, one of my young co-workers asked me how it was that I served multiple tours in Vietnam as a combat infantryman and I didn’t get PTSD. My rather flippant answer was “I didn’t get PTSD in Vietnam, I gave it.”
However, this PTSD question made me wonder what PTSD is and what the symptoms are, so I did a little research on the subject and found that I did indeed possess symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) concerning a traumatic and very stressful incident that occurred during my last tour in Vietnam. I was a professional soldier when the traumatic incident occurred and had accumulated over six years in Vietnam engaged occasionally in close combat with a vicious and cunningly capable enemy, but the traumatic event was not as a result of close combat with this enemy.
One day when I was totally focused on closing with and destroying the enemy, something caught my eye, I looked around and found a new enemy had unexpectedly appeared behind me; it was the American people. The same Democrat Party who had originally sent me to Vietnam promising that, “We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty,” had now sided with the Communists I was fighting. They were parading in the streets of the United States under a Viet Cong flag, were quoting from Mao’s Red Book, and were spitting on and flinging insults at returning Vietnam Veterans.
Then, a Democrat led Congress cut off funding for the Vietnam War, American combat troops were withdrawn and we abandoned a valiant ally to their fate. I was ordered out of the country in 1972, and when I arrived at Travis Air Force Base, purposely in the dark of the night, I was advised to change out of my uniform and put on civilian clothing to avoid being attacked by the American people when I entered San Francisco. I was not at all surprised when a few decades later these same people elected a Marxist-Communist as President of what was once my country.
Yes, the deep, burning hatred I feel for the Democrat Party to this day could be diagnosed as a symptom of PTSD, and I assure you, every Vietnam Veteran I know feels the same way.
That certainly sounds like it could be PTSD. I am very sorry for your loss.
I have volunteered to be the one who tells a family member that a loved one has died. Giving someone that kind of news is traumatic, too. It is something I will never forget.
No one knows how they will react in a combat environment until they get there, and many vets found themselves doing things that they couldn't live with later. I assume this article is well meaning but I don't think it adds much of value to the discussion.
One of my buddies had some PTSD going. Not on any medication, he just drank more than he should. It was a phase, we supported him, looked out for him, kept him safe, and he got better.
“My rather flippant answer was “I didn’t get PTSD in Vietnam, I gave it.â€
Good answer!
If I were a democrat, I wouldn’t have PTSD today.
What about the battle seasoned Nurse who is frequently first on scene.
This time it happens to be the 1981 Iraqi embassy bombing, with 61 dead and 110 wounded.
Trying to triage the maze of mangled bodies amidst the stench of burning flesh.
What about that brave and dedicated Nurse, Maj. E?
Hmmm...Ms. Feinstein?
What did she do to “deserve” PTSD Senator?
The fact is Ms. Feinstein, Maj. E has done more to serve this country than you ever could, having campaigned and gained office off of the death of Harvey Milk!
This much cortisone to the brain stem generates near permanent changes to the wiring of the brain.
Nobody should mock the origin or effect this has on the individual. When you see the fear in their eyes, you know.
A PTSD vet cannot travel without a weapon. They cannot sleep without a weapon within reach. They check all the doors and windows twice every night.
And, if you ever want to be around somebody who's ready for imminent battle to the death, every moment of every day, look up a PTSD vet.
It's not just about flashbacks. It's about a nervous system locked into "flight or fight" mode continuously.
Sounds like the experience my father-in-law had in WWII.
I am a PTSD vet who does a group thing with other PTSD vets...and I have never heard of "Perpetrator trauma" as a cause of PTSD. It's always about fear and lack of control over your living or dying.
Not saying the guilt of going too far doesn't have a dire effect, just that I don't think it's properly classified as PTSD.
I met someone who had PTSD while I was in Minnesota. He was afraid to ride the light rail in Minneapolis, specifically where it went by the airport. The noise in the tunnel would cause him to freak out. And when he had such an episode (covering his ears, crying), he would also be profusely apologizing to those around him - he was embarrassed by his reaction. Well I got to talking to him. Turns out he was driving a truck somewhere in the sandbox and an IED happened to go off.
I now live in Houston, where one of my neighbors is a “psychoanalyst” at the VA hospital not far from me. He is also a lefty. He considers each of his patients to be carrying the guilt of the “evil they did following the orders of Bush and Cheney”. Yes, this (censored) works in a VA hospital and messes with the heads of veterans.
I know the endless-loop movie of which you speak.
Happens to molested kids, too.
That’s why I say EVERY molester “kills” his victim, even if he leaves them still breathing.
It never goes away and Mariner is dead on.
24/7 flight or fight.
Forever.
ALL pedophiles should be gut shot and left to die.
Thank you for posting this. I struggled with this BS for over 30 years. When I came back I was made to feel ashamed that I had served. We were betrayed. And not just by the politicians. It is no wonder that so many of the Vets of my generation ended up homeless and on self-destructive paths. Instead of being embraced, we were shunned. Not once have I ever heard one of these people ever apologize for the way we were treated. I served on the U.S.S. Coral Sea during Vietnam. The first time anyone ever thanked me for my service was in September 2004 when I was at a VA Facility and it was in the form of a card made by school children. I must confess it brought a tear to my eye. Sad to say, this is not the America that I grew up in. Sadly, we have become a nation of spoiled and clueless children who have no respect for anything. There are still many good souls among us. Thank you again.
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