Posttraumatic Stress Disorder &Ndash; Our Veteran’s Personal Battles After Serving Their Country
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, commonly known as PTSD, has affected untold numbers of America’s military veterans after they valiantly serve their country in times of war. One would think that America, the land of the free because of the brave would put as much effort into preparing veteran’s for their return to civilian life as they do in preparing them to go onto the battlefield defending our country’s freedom and way of life. However, the sad fact is that America’s military health care system is severely lacking in serving those soldiers by ignoring the thousands of men and women who return home crippled, some physically as well as emotionally.
It is not uncommon for veterans to return home to welcome home parades and grateful citizens, which is the least that we should do for them. However, it should not end there, we should not say ‘Welcome home, and thanks for all your service to our country’, and leave it at that, expecting them to pick up as civilians where they left off, with no ill effects of the things they saw and experienced in battle. You may be asking yourself ‘doesn’t the government have some kind of program to help them?’ The answer is yes, there is a program with the Department of Veteran Affairs, and you can visit their website at http://www.ptsd.va.gov/index.aspto find out more about PTSD.
The program is in place to help our veterans; however, with today’s macho military culture in addition to the deficient military health system, veterans are not getting the help they need. The fact is that many military officers and superiors discourage, and sometimes order, veterans not to seek the help they may need. The message is made clear to soldiers that they are looked upon as weak when they ask for help. There are documented cases, such as Army veteran, Courtney Lockhart, who served in Iraq, who returned home with deep emotional scars. Lockhart was a member of the Fort Carson, Colorado brigade, serving in the Sunni Triangle in 2004- where some of the deadliest fighting has occurred. Lockhart, who suffers from PTSD, now faces life in prison for the murder of Auburn University freshman, Lauren Burk.
Documentation shows that 12 soldiers from this brigade have been arrested for murder, or attempted murder since their return from Iraq. These soldiers came from all walks of life, from all over the country, of various backgrounds; however the one thing they have in common is their inability to find any sense of normalcy or peace once home. These statistics are not uncommon, it is also documented that since the start of the war- after 9/11- cases of PTSD has soared nearly 500 percent. Many of the lucky ones who were treated received little more than powerful mood-stabilizing drugs. PTSD is not an excuse for committing heinous crimes, and not all veterans come home and commit murder. The Colorado brigade also has a 1,100 percent increase in the use of drugs and alcohol among its veterans. At the same time, four of the six staff positions for the substance-abuse office at Fort Carson are empty, with cases piling up daily.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or some form of it, has existed as long as wars have been fought; and it will continue to exist as long as soldiers lay their life on the line to serve their country. When we send our soldiers off to war on foreign soil, we pray everyday for their safe return. When they return home safely from war, they begin another kind of battle- trying to forget, or at least learn to live with, the horrors of war they witnessed, and for some that may last for a short period or for years, and some for the rest of their lives. They can not face this battle alone, they all need support from their family and friends, but most importantly their country- that they fought for- should not forget them either, assuming they will get back to their civilian life with no problems.
If you have a veteran in your life, take time to look for symptoms of PTSD, which you may find on the Department of Veteran Affairs listed above.
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