PTSD Veterans (deployed, civilian, benefit, military)

[jg22]

An interesting interview with a few veterans discussing PTSD.


YouTube - PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (Veterans and War)

[leaana]

i know someone who is a vietnam vet who killed a child boy in vietnam. he thought he was armed but after he checked him, he found out he wasn't. he, of course, having a conscience and a good person has never gotten over that.

there are so many sad unknown victims from war. my friend's grandmother lived during the korean war and she worked in a factory as a young girl with many other young children. one of the girls was raped and after she had the baby, she fled as she was young and frightened. the grandmother who was so poor herself and did not have enough to eat herself was told to chew up some rice like gruel with her spit to feed the baby as she had no milk of course. she carried him everywhere she went on her back. they call it 'oboba' in korean and babies were straddled to the mother's back while working. that child boy survived until two years old and died of malnutrition. he didn't even have a name.

may these poor souls rest in peace who enter the world in such tragic circumstances.

[toosie]

Thanks for posting this. I think this is a bigger issue than most people realize or even want to think about. What many people don't understand is that it can take many months, even years, after returning home before a veteran realizes s/he's having troubles associated with his/her experiences and time while deployed.

Many people have protested or are vocal about ending the war and bringing our troops home but far fewer do anything about what would really benefit these men and women - making sure there is adequate understanding, care, and attention for our veterans from all wars.

[GregW]

I was not quite civilized when I went to 'Nam and less so after I came back. I still am not civilized but I fake it pretty well.

[ArmyPoohFan317]

PTSD is a crazy disorder, crazy in that it is very debilitating in many ways, yet goes undiagnosed in a vast majority of people, civilian and military. There is a push by many of us in counseling circles for the APA to recognize CSD, Combat Stress Disorder as separate from PTSD. The 2 have MANY similarities, but also some differences as well.

The part that frustrates me is that there is so much red tape in getting diagnosed and treated for CSD/PTSD, and if left un-treated the results can (worse case) be catastrophic, as we have seen in the news recently. Yet, it is a disorder that can be dealt with with treatment (and hard work), and it shouldn't be a black mark that prevents promotion.

Ok, so it is my soapbox, but counseling military persons with CSD is my life's work.

[stycotl]

i have friends that are actually suffering from it, whether they want to admit it or not, and i know people that do everything that they can to fake it so that they can get out of deploying. what pisses me off about that is the fact that the selfish malingerers not only abandon their duties and force others to carry their weight, but they then make it harder for people that are actually suffering to get help, and they make it seem shameful and weak to even look for help.

EDIT: i just noticed that i left myself out of my post. my wife would say that this is denial on my part. i still have problems associated with combat and i have been home from iraq since august of 06. i deal with it better than some people, but there are areas in which i still struggle; my temper is a lot worse these days.