Stars & Stripes LTTE: The ‘hilarity’ of PTSD

[lebkuchen]

In "Less important whining," (letter, Feb. 16) the writer made a comment about post-traumatic stress disorder being a "joke." I would like to address that.

It’s true that PTSD is a joke. PTSD is the hilarious anguish that nearly ruined my Vietnam veteran father’s life. PTSD is the comedic parade of the faces of those who died beside me or those who died at my hands that keeps me awake at night. PTSD is the barking laughter of a backfiring car that makes me jump. PTSD is the amused snicker of a piece of trash on the freeway that I swerve in a panic to avoid.

PTSD is the mocking guffaws that haunted whole generations of heroes before it was taken seriously. PTSD is the dark grimace that stains a young man’s face when he commits atrocities in the name of revenge. PTSD is the answer to the "knock-knock" joke when the person knocking is a frustrated servicemember fragging his leader. PTSD is the punch line of the highest suicide rate the armed forces has ever seen.

PTSD is the bemused snort of spouses who are afraid to wake their loved ones when they cry out in sleep. PTSD is the amused look on a child’s face as they ask with fear and worry, "What’s wrong with Daddy?" PTSD is the echoing laughter that haunts the alleyway where a homeless veteran freezes to death while crying out the names of those he left behind.

No, dear reader, PTSD is not a joke. The joke is any chain of command that would allow a noncommissioned officer who thinks PTSD is a joke to lead and mentor soldiers. And it’s not a funny joke; it’s one that ends with tears, a flag-draped casket and one word: "Why?"

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=60842

[Mojorabbit]

1. Wow

now that is a beautifully done letter.

[Chulanowa]

2. Fucking awesome. Definite K&R

I don't think there's a better way to put it.

[lebkuchen]

5. Stripes has been getting some eloquent letters since Obama's swearing in

and some of them are eloquently correcting their superiors, as was the case with this letter, written by a SPC in response to a SGT. Both are in Iraq.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=60693

Less important whining


People whine too much in today’s Army. It’s all about incredibly stupid things, too.

Contractors whining about not getting beer. Gays and supporters of gays whining about homosexuality not being permitted in the Army. Post-traumatic stress disorder. Officers saying soldiers drink too much?!

What is going on in these people’s heads? Whatever happened to the whining being about only having one liter of water a day in 130-degree weather? Whatever happened to whining about getting a chili mac Meals, Ready to Eat for the 10th time in a row with the candy and bread stolen out of it? What happened to whining about rolling out in a canvas-top Humvee while the uparmored ones sit at the base? Oh yeah, we’re not fighting that war anymore. Now that things are ridiculously easy to get, we have to complain about very ridiculous things.

Not all soldiers got to have beer for the Super Bowl. Soldiers drink a lot; it’s been like that since soldiers have been around. PTSD is a joke.

People are whining about some really dumb stuff. Uh oh, I said PTSD is a joke. Sound the alarm for a new wave of whining!

[hootinholler]

10. WOW a sphincter put in its place.

:greenbounceythangojoy:

-Hoot

[rpannier]

3. Good letter

About 25 years ago I saw a comic who said maybe we should go back to calling it 'shell shock.'

People seemed to give a damn then

[SeattleGirl]

4. Sounds like George Carlin

I saw him several times, and I think I recall him talking about that in one of his shows.

And I agree: I think "shell shock" is a more appropriate term.

[rpannier]

8. Now that you mention Carlin

I believe you are right

Thanks :yourock:

[tomp]

14. at least two problems with that terminology.

ptsd is not just about military trauma.
military trauma is not just about bombs.

[babylonsister]

6. Thank you! Wow. nt

[JohnnyLib2]

7. That speaks for vets I know.

K & R

[bobthedrummer]

9. K&R

[ensho]

11. said well, thank you

nt

[medeak]

12. Slammed Ann Coulter in same link!

Loved this even more..

Coulter: Wrong and offensive

Regarding Ann Coulter’s Feb. 9 column "Single moms are to blame, not poverty": Her words were offensive enough to elicit anger bordering wrath and demeaning enough to draw tears. I am very disappointed that Stars and Stripes would even run such a piece.

It is no secret that the military is in general conservative and that there are many Stripes readers who are sympathetic to Coulter. However, this column went beyond far beyond opinion and dangerously approached slander. Coulter compares smokers and single mothers and finds smokers to be the more productive and "cool" of the two. I work in a squadron with many smokers and about as many single mothers as those in a dual-spouse home, and Coulter could not be more wrong in her conclusions.

The single mothers in our squadron are hard-working to a fault, giving countless hours of overtime. Several even secure extended child care on their own dime because they exceed the 10 maximum hours that the Child Development Centers will allow.

The smokers in our squadron take many smoke breaks throughout the day and with only a few exceptions are the least fit. Fitness is an integral part of readiness, and consistent work stoppages — smoke breaks or otherwise — without question lead to inefficiency. It is one thing for Coulter as a smoker to find those who share her addiction guiltless but it is another completely unacceptable thing for her to paint single mothers as guilty and less productive members of civil society.

Stripes should run columns that encourage single mothers — and, for that matter, all members of the Department of Defense — and refrain from the demoralizing and degrading banter that Coulter so thoroughly enjoy

[lebkuchen]

13. ...was hoping someone would notice

Stripes' LTTE slamming Coulter or Rush are nothing new, but still, it's always a cathartic read.

[Infinite Hope]

15. My brother has served and I've seen the truth of PTSD in him. n/t

[proReality]

16. K&R

Yeah, it's really funny to watch my 88-year old father jump out of his skin with every loud noise, bringing up vivid horrors of WWII. Really funny that there has been no treatment for him all these years because "he's a man and has to learn to suck it up."

[Political Heretic]

17. PTSD is a clinical disorder as outlined in the DSM-IV

If people like this aren't going to accept the consensus of expert doctors and trained professionals for over two decades now, then they aren't going to accept anything.

PTSD is not someone having a "hard time" coping. It's symptoms go far beyond that. Not everyone who experiences trauma will experience PTSD, but for those who do the experice is real and can in some cases by quite debilitating.

The VFW recognizes PTSD as one of many disabilities that veterans may experience - I guess I would ask this guy why he would mock our verterans or the sacrifices they made by his ignorant comments.