A SOLDIER'S PERSPECTIVE
THE WEB'S LEADING MILITARY BLOG SINCE 2004
In the military, especially in combat arms the training centers on becoming effective warriors without a concentration in developing into a full identity and individual.
The identification and reinforcement of values, social skills, anger management techniques along with stress management training would enable soldiers to realize better coping strategies when coming out of the combat zone thus giving mental injuries of war validity .
In addition the military needs to teach mental health sensitivity training and PTSD awareness as a standard, in basic training and continuing throughout their careers.
Training in these areas would give our soldiers an extra set of tools and weapons in fighting the psychological effects of combat and war. Training them before hand of what they may face upon going home would prepare them if they develop PTSD.
Our soldiers know full well that if they give the wrong answers to the PTSD and psychological screenings upon returning from Iraq and Afghanistan they will be kept from seeing their loved ones sooner.
Additionally, most Vietnam Veterans exhibited signs of PTSD years after coming home. Although I exhibited signs within the first year, it was 10-14 years before my PTSD became debilitating.
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Army Review of PTSD Will Reinforce Combat Veterans Not to Seek Help
CJ, we thank you for your service and all you have been through and ho
SSgtJ
RG, I respect what you have had to go through. We thank you for your service and pray for you daily.
Many of my fellow Vietnam Veterans and I have had to deal with PTSD for over 40 years. (I pray that my Iraqi Veteran son is spared this horror.) Over the years, I have personally done a lot of research on the subject. As you know, most people miss the root cause of PTSD. It has nothing to do with people skills or anger management training. It has to do with putting your experiences in balance. Certainly the WWII veterans who came home from combat on a slow ship, had more time to adjust to the civilian world then did the Vietnam Veteran who often flew home within days of being in the field. The VFW and other veterans organizations helped give those veterans a safe place to unwind and balance their mind. The returning veteran (for the most part) did not have go alone into a hostile environment where they were constantly told that they were the problem. That changed in the 60′s. We returned home to ridicule and outright hostility. Many of us, like you, have had to deal with renewed symptoms due to the current environment we now live in.
How our society treats its veterans has a great effect on the development or severity of PTSD. As long as we treat our veterans like villans or victoms, they will have a very hard time putting things in the proper perspective. Most of our veterans are neither villans or victoms. They are veterans who did what HAD to be done.
We need to treat the problem, not the symptoms.
Roman General
SSgtJ, I am not saying that the root cause of PTSD is people skills and anger management training. PTSD is not a condition of moral constitution.
The WWII soldiers had an estimated 15-25% PTSD rates, most went on in silence while suffering, while having the greatest support of all the wars in American History. Their generation was taught that you had to be mentally tough and talking about war experiences and mental anguish was largely looked down upon.
The factors vary greatly and can influence the severity. Vietnam Veterans did not have the support of our nation and were vilified. This had a large influence on our returning veterans of this era.
Desert Storm Veterans went to war with the full backing of the world, our nation and the majority of its citizens. I still developed PTSD. The length of engagement was short, but the intensity of combat for my unit was great. I being the point vehicle driver had a front row seat to witness literally thousands possibly tens of thousands of enemy combatants die within 100 hours of the ground war.
Our soldiers in the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan have seen more time in combat with an average of 2-3 tours of duty. Most have had an average 10 months in between engagements.
My original point of this post was to say that if our soldiers have the kind of training I have suggested, then they would be better able to handle the mental anguish from the effects of war. Treating the symptoms is part of the problem.
No, this is not a one stop fix to all that ails our returning soldiers and veterans. This post is one of many that i have written in the this area.
Read my blog, PTSD, A Soldier’s Perspective and you will find that I agree with most of what you have said along with the research to back up my arguments.