It is caused by a traumatic event in a person’s life that is outside the normal scope of life. It can be caused
by COMBAT, a terrible car accident, a natural disaster or a man made disaster such as the World Trade
Center airplane crashes.
For us COMBAT VETERANS it is probably caused by the horrible things we saw, had to put up with, and
sometimes even did to survive. This could be anything from watching / holding your buddy as he died,
getting wounded, killing the enemy up close and personal or seeing the results of your firing on the enemy.
Maybe it was because of digging up graves to get a body count and smelling the odor of rotten flesh. The
smell of burning flesh or even the smell of burning s**t as it drifted across the base camp.
We did NOT think anything of our actions at the time. It was just surviving the war and trying to get back to
the “World”.
I believe a lot of US HAVE IT, but do not want to admit it, because it would show a sign of weakness in the
male ego. That could never happen to me, you say. Well, I am here to tell you that it can and probably has
happened to YOU. Let me give you some things to think about.
Who are your closest FRIENDS? Betcha they are COMBAT VETERANS and not too many of them either.
Do you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat?
When you go to a restaurant, where do you sit? With you back to the entrance, NOT VERY LIKELY. You sit
where you can see the whole place, and who is coming and going.
Have you ever gone off on someone for a minor little thing? Are you quick to get angry at someone? Have
you come close / or attacked someone for a stupid reason?
How many times have you been married? Is your wife afraid to come up behind you for fear of getting hit?
Do you check your house inside and outside to make sure it is secure before going to bed?
Did you “crawl inside a bottle” or become a workaholic?
This are just some of the signs of PTSD.
WILL YOU BE CURED? NO
CAN YOU LEARN TO DEAL WITH IT? YES
WILL YOU HAVE TO TAKE MEDS? MAYBE
WILL THE V. A. RATE YOU WITH A DISABILITY? YES, IF YOU CAN PROVE IT AND SHOW A DIRECT
LINK TO YOU COMBAT EXPERIENCES.
How to deal with it is a personal thing. There are many thoughts on how to deal with PTSD and several
websites are out there in cyberspace telling a person how.
Here is what I think is one of the better sites www.ptsdmanual.com . It is maintained by a COMBAT VET,
MSG. I. S. Parrish, USA Retired. He also gives pointers on how to file a claim, writing the STRESSOR letter,
very important to have this, and several other things that are helpful. He is also pushing his book.
As I get more time, I will update this page as I have many pointers that can help you thru the V. A. System
and also how to deal with PTSD.
End.
P.T.S.D.
What is it and how do you get? Better yet, how to you treat it or cure it?
P.T.S.D = Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Before I go further, you are probably wondering what does this guy know
about P.T.S.D?
Well, I am rated 100% for P.T.S.D, 20% for scars and disfigurement, 30%
for bi-lateral hearing loss and tinnitus, and 10% for a depressed scar.
I do not have any formal training in treating PTSD, but have been in a
support group that meets once a week since 2003.