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Just about all of us have had a parent who suffered from PTS..whether it be a recent vet..or one that served in WW2. Some have this notion that after the conflict has ended, that all returns to normal.
It does not. For instance as a kid my most vivid and disturbing memories were of both of my bullet riddled parents were good as they could be..but they were severely damaged. Rage to the point of foaming at the mouth..followed by tears that seemed never ending..I would lock myself in the bathroom and cry...I remember saying to myself "When I grow up I am going to be doctor so I can help my my mum and dad"..
They are dead and gone now..and some how I feel that the war they waged still continues in me...hyper vigilance is part of my person....the violence and panic still reside in my core...the worry...the stress...The effects of war flow into the following generation...and made me less than what I was meant to be.
"There are violent men that try to take heaven by force"...is a bit of profound scripture...it made me wonder....There must be men in heaven..and this earth is a heaven..but is made in part a hell..and we suffer needlessly. I am a product of war..famine- revolution and deep eternal sadness. We wonder why there is so much violence in America and other places...IF you had even a grandfather that suffered PTS syndrome...YOU will be effected to a degree.
Evil and stress and violence does not stop once the guns are quiet...it goes on for generations...once it does fade...There is more war and this curse is re-fueled to make life on earth less than it should be.
My father's life was hell from start to finish...he tried to cope..but when he drank...it all came out..then it imploded back into him...as he was dying he groaned -"Who put this devil in me?"---IT WAS WAR THAT KILLED HIM...just took 40 years to finish him off.
"Just about all of us have had a parent who suffered from PTS" ? Not really.
But yes, war s**** and soldiers suffer from the violence that is inflicted upon them, that they inflict upon others and that they witness.
This is a totally politically incorrect thing to say (and it's also the wrong forum to say it on) but i do not in general perceive soldiers as heroes although i appreciate that heroic acts happen.
I see them as victims and yet also willing participants in the war machine.
"Just about all of us have had a parent who suffered from PTS" ? Not really.
But yes, war s**** and soldiers suffer from the violence that is inflicted upon them, that they inflict upon others and that they witness.
This is a totally politically incorrect thing to say (and it's also the wrong forum to say it on) but i do not in general perceive soldiers as heroes although i appreciate that heroic acts happen.
I see them as victims and yet also willing participants in the war machine.
Maybe the OP is right in some ways. My Dad was a WW2 vet and I have to wonder how it changed him. I know both my parents growing up in the Great Depression had a profound effect on their lives and, in turn, my life too.
I agree with the OP that it takes generations for certain things to fade. How many generations? I don't know. I guess it depends on if bad things keep happening on a constant basis.
My late uncle was on the beach in Normandy, France. Wasn't that called D-Day?
At any rate, his life was not so good. He never married, lived on a farm and then died of cirrhosis at 72. Maybe the war (WW2) had something to do with his life.
Maybe the OP is right in some ways. My Dad was a WW2 vet and I have to wonder how it changed him. I know both my parents growing up in the Great Depression had a profound effect on their lives and, in turn, my life too.
I agree with the OP that it takes generations for certain things to fade. How many generations? I don't know. I guess it depends on if bad things keep happening on a constant basis.
I believe he is. The boomer generation was raised by those who fought a guresome war and grew up during the Great Depression and we still bear their scars.
My dad was pulled back, and never ever talked about the navy or the war or the island landings (second wave). He kept all of it in, except for one short comment at a movie that they bleed a lot more than that when you shoot them. I never thought of my dad as someone who shot people and was damaged by the horrors he saw. I see the documentaires now (and seek them and book out, about the time) and can't fanthom what he went through. He to my recall never was pro Vietnam, or anti, just silent. But he had a box of pins and metals so he had some awful experience.
Mom talked about the waiting and not knowing and how hard it was to me. Dad it was like it had never happened, but I really wonder what he'd have been without it. Since I had my own life altering situations I see how much it changed me and wonder even more.
But the clearly identifyable thing which effected my childhood and way far into adulthood was the way they sheltered me. Part was that they both knew the Depression. Money was never discussed. My allowance never stopped when Dad was out of work for a time. I heard later from my aunt how bad things had gotten but I was judged (at 15) to be kept from it.
Maybe it was both, but I think if they'd been able to deal with the scars of the depression they'd have had to open up about the horror of the war too and they couldn't. Sadly for me, it threw me out into a world I wasn't ready for, and maybe if I had I would have made wiser decisions and my son wouldn't have had the turmoil he had from them.
Yes, it doesn't just magically 'go away'. Even when it felt like a great childhood.
My late uncle was on the beach in Normandy, France. Wasn't that called D-Day?
At any rate, his life was not so good. He never married, lived on a farm and then died of cirrhosis at 72. Maybe the war (WW2) had something to do with his life.
My grandfathers were old enough to serve in WW2 and were drafted but they never saw battle. I think one of my grandfathers was a cook in the army. I have a friend who's dad served in vietnam and she said he never liked to talk about it. He became an alcoholic after that war.I just don't know any one close to me that served.
My grandfathers were old enough to serve in WW2 and were drafted but they never saw battle. I think one of my grandfathers was a cook in the army. I have a friend who's dad served in vietnam and she said he never liked to talk about it. He became an alcoholic after that war.I just don't know any one close to me that served.
I asked my Mom about this and apparently my uncle was wounded enough to be discharged from the service. Four of them served (four of the boys of his immediate family), including my Dad. My Dad went to see my uncle as my Dad was in England at the time loading bombers. How I wish I would have discussed this with my father. He died in 2010 but was long gone before that - Alzheimers. I wish I would have had the presence of mind to talk to him before the Alzheimers.
I believe he is. The boomer generation was raised by those who fought a guresome war and grew up during the Great Depression and we still bear their scars.
My dad was pulled back, and never ever talked about the navy or the war or the island landings (second wave). He kept all of it in, except for one short comment at a movie that they bleed a lot more than that when you shoot them. I never thought of my dad as someone who shot people and was damaged by the horrors he saw. I see the documentaires now (and seek them and book out, about the time) and can't fanthom what he went through. He to my recall never was pro Vietnam, or anti, just silent. But he had a box of pins and metals so he had some awful experience.
Mom talked about the waiting and not knowing and how hard it was to me. Dad it was like it had never happened, but I really wonder what he'd have been without it. Since I had my own life altering situations I see how much it changed me and wonder even more.
But the clearly identifyable thing which effected my childhood and way far into adulthood was the way they sheltered me. Part was that they both knew the Depression. Money was never discussed. My allowance never stopped when Dad was out of work for a time. I heard later from my aunt how bad things had gotten but I was judged (at 15) to be kept from it.
Maybe it was both, but I think if they'd been able to deal with the scars of the depression they'd have had to open up about the horror of the war too and they couldn't. Sadly for me, it threw me out into a world I wasn't ready for, and maybe if I had I would have made wiser decisions and my son wouldn't have had the turmoil he had from them.
Yes, it doesn't just magically 'go away'. Even when it felt like a great childhood.
My Dad never talked about it either, to the best of my knowledge, until maybe after the Alzheimers. You know how they can remember stuff from a long time ago but not five minutes ago. I do know he was very interested in the subject, yet never got into details.
I think the Great Depression overshadowed everything. I think surviving was paramount and so the war took a back seat. I know I was raised on Goodwill clothes and used to resent the heck out of it. Funny, but now I shop at Goodwill for my clothes most of the time. Their Depression era mentality is firmly ingrained in me. I have three siblings and I'm just like my parents. My house is paid for (the others all carry mortgages) as that is a roof over my head. My car is paid for even though it's 10 years old. I never buy anything at regular price except for once in a blue moon. It's always on sale (and I mean groceries).
My childhood was one of over-protection and deprivation. I could never be a Bluebird or Brownie as they just would not spend the money. I can't say I had a happy childhood, but I know they did the best they could.
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Not really. 
