Originally posted on another blog in 2006 – since that time the U.S. Military and the Department of Veterans Affairs have implemented solutions similar to my suggestions. I claim no involvement or impact on that implementation, just that I was voicing what was an easily recognized problem.
Disclaimer: Although I presently work at a Veterans Medical Center, I am not a healthcare professional, nor should this blog entry be taken as any sort of professional advice – this article is my opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
I’ve been asked by a half-dozen folks to explain what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is…or, more accurately, to explain why I think it is…here’s my feeble attempt at explaining the issue in plain language, as it applies to my experiences…
(none of these pictures are of me, BTW)
I spent just over 11 years in the military. During that time, I:
Rappelled out of helicopters
Jumped out of airplanes
Hung under a helicopter on 100 feet of rope while flying at low-altitude
Jumped into a dirty lake from a moving helicopter
Participated in counter-drug operations
Did a lot of urban warfare training
And trained thousands of soldiers, law enforcement officers, and groups from state and federal agencies to do the same (including the German Army and the French Foreign Legion).
I also blew up stuff (always a lot of fun!)
Fired a lot of rounds from machine guns
Even more rounds from small arms
And shot from the smallest of the big guns.
I was trained in both summer and winter mountain warfare
And learned to call in air strikes and naval gunfire.
I was part of an organization that shared in these experiences, protected our members, eschewed interference from outsiders, enjoyed “gallows humor,” and shared every aspect of our personal and professional lives.
After I was hurt and medically discharged from the Army, I found myself working in an environment where the most exciting thing was a paper cut.
Where, instead of taking care of your buddy, everyone is out for themselves
Where the rough humor that is universally understood by military, law enforcement, and other types of folks worldwide is grounds for a lawsuit
Take note that none of my military experience included combat time…although I served during several combat operations (Panama, Desert Storm I, Bosnia, etc.), I was never deployed to these operations and never heard a shot fired in anger – at least, from a military standpoint… 
Even so, it took several years for me to adapt to civilian life…
I would have intense longings to be back in the military…so much so that I was desperately trying to find a cure for my medical condition so I could re-enlist. I was extremely unhappy and very depressed to find myself in the civilian world.
At least twice a week I would have vivid dreams where I was back in uniform. In my dreams, I would be training groups of soldiers, participating in combat (though, as mentioned, I never served in combat), or performing simple tasks such as vehicle or weapon maintenance. The vividness of the dreams would cause me to be disoriented when I woke up and it would take me several minutes to realize who and where I was…
Now, take my military experiences, the highs and lows, the adrenaline rush, the fear for your life, the camaraderie, and yes – the fun, and multiply it a thousand-fold for those individuals who have experienced combat…
Can you start to see why and how PTSD affects our returning military folks?
Another question I get is why we have such a problem with it now (and since Viet Nam), and we didn’t during earlier wars…I have a three-part theory, which I will present as my own opinion (and nothing more)…
First, we are more aware of it now than ever before…we understand the causes and symptoms, and can more easily diagnose PTSD…where before we may have treated various symptoms without realizing the underlying issue. PTSD was around for previous wars – we called it “Shell Shock.”
Second, we have different generations and different attitudes towards admitting problems and getting help than the past generations. A person afflicted by PTSD is more likely to admit they have a problem and seek out assistance than at any other point in our history…
And third – I believe this is the most important piece – in the past (pre-Viet Nam era), when a soldier was released from combat for whatever reason, the trip back to “civilization” took, at best, several weeks, and typically several months. This trip was usually accomplished by taking a ship back to the home country, and then a train to the home town…during this time, the soldier would have a chance to visit with other soldiers in the same situation, rehash memories, come to grips with the violence and turmoil that had been part of their lives, and reconfigure their emotions and mentality to fit back into the civilian world.
From the Viet Nam era forward, “civilization” was a few-hours plane ride away. This took away that period of introspection, the sharing of grief, fears, and heartaches with fellow soldiers who “had been there” and the realigning time granted – however accidentally – to our previous generations of troops. During operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, you could literally find yourself in a sustained and massive firefight one day, and walking the streets of the US the next…
So, how do we fix this problem?
I think part of the solution is to demystify PTSD, and to take away the stigma associated with it. Not every person who experiences PTSD is a ticking time bomb, waiting to go off at the least provocation, and not every person who has PTSD is incapable of coping with life’s events.
Even though we are making great strides toward this, military troops still are afraid of permanently damaging their military career if they come forward and ask for help with PTSD.
I believe another part of the solution is to educate soldiers on what causes PTSD, what the symptoms are, and what self-help tools and professional assistance are available. This education needs to take place when a soldier returns from a combat zone – even if they are not separating from the military, and also prior to discharging any soldier – for any reason.
Additionally, I believe that we need to recreate that “readjustment time” that was unintentionally so beneficial during historic wars – allow a 30-60 day decompression time before soldiers returning from combat are released to other duties or discharged to civilian life. Give them specific training as what to expect from re-entering their former lives, and how to productively deal with PTSD and other post-traumatic symptoms and issues.
One thing is for sure – at last count we have about 300,000 returning soldiers who are suffering from PTSD in some form or another…
We need to start helping them now, and fund the VA to treat them early on…
