An excerpt from a blog penned by a veteran:
A dear veteran friend of mine pointed out to me that what we live with is not a disorder at all, but a very natural response to circumstances no one should ever face. Labeling this as a disorder tends to imply that the problem is with the person and not with the system. He prefers to call it Post Traumatic Stress, or Post Traumatic Stress Awareness, which is far more accurate, and here I offer some insight as to what that means to me personally.
I am not a doctor, nor am I a certified counsellor. What I am is a combat wounded veteran who has spent the last several years fighting either the military, the Veterans Administration, or some combination thereof. I have hit rock bottom and come back up for air, and struggled to stay afloat. When I originally got out of the military I thought all of my problems would be over. I would soon learn that they had just begun. I would spend the next two and a half years fighting a battle against alcohol abuse, the ghosts of my dead friends, my sense of self worth, my understanding of where I fit into the world, or if I did. (read more)
This brave soldier is saying what I’ve always thought. War creates trauma in a sensitive soul and PTSD is a natural response to a heinous experience. PTSD after a war experience suggests ones humanity, not weakness. Thank you Bobby for sharing your important struggle and insights with us.
More on Trauma and PTSD here.
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