Veterans, PTSD, and the insurrection.

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   PrettyPantherposted 4 years ago

   I am sitting in our car waiting to pick up my autistic son from work. My husband is outside the car, pacing and watching. He is worried about a car with heavily tinted windows that circled around and parked two rows behind us.
   
   My husband is a veteran who did three combat tours in Vietmam and subsequently served in assignments at the Pentagon, NORAD, and more. He once regularly walked the Halls of Congress as part of his job.
   
   Watching white supremacists, Nazis, and Trumpers desecrate the Capitol and attempt to halt a constitutional process has triggered his PTSD. He is worried because we are Democrats living in a rural county, a real hotbed of angry Trumpers.
   
   To make matters worse, his son, a recently retired marine, has disappeared since the day of the insurrection, when he told his brother he was going to D.C. for the rally and protest.
   
   This event has been difficult for combat veterans who are shocked to see Americans breach the Capitol and terrorize legislators in an effort to overturn democracy. They have given so much for this country and it is breaking their hearts.
   
   I am also wondering what role PTSD might be playing in the actions of veterans who are convinced the election was stolen? Could this be a factor in the volatility of some who believe the election was fraudulent?
   
   He is now back in the car, and constantly checking his surroundings. He is insisting we practice shooting in the mountains today, as it is not raining, a rarity in January in Oregon.
   
   Sadly, I am seeing a profound effect on many veterans, and I hope we can all be kind to them as they process these tragic events  My husband is very level headed. He just wants to be prepared.
   
   I do not personally feel at risk like my husband seems to. How have recent events affected you and your family?

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      GA Andersonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      That was a hellava snapshot. I have never had felt concerns like yours so it is an effort to try to emphasize with you. But I do understand your thought.
      
      GA

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      Sharlee01posted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Good question --  My community also has lots of Trump supporters. Each Saturday since the election they hold what I would call rallies outside and on our City Hall grounds. Signs and flags have not been taken down, it appears more have been put up. Tonight on the news they reported the National Guard would be deployed at our State Capitol from tomorrow until after the inaugural. It has been reported that the protesters will come prepared and carrying weapons. This all is very concerning. So, to answer the question-- It has not affected me personally, but it is very concerning.  It makes me wonder when will this all end and will it end without violence. My husband is a vet, and he has never shared or I should say refused to share anything about his tour with me or anyone that I know of. He was sickened by the attack on the Capitol, as I was. He said I never thought I would see the day that American's could attack our Capitol.
      
      What you have shared makes me realize this unrest is affecting some more than others. And I am so sorry to hear it is affecting your home life.
      
      I just hope at some time soon we can move on, and find solutions that might satisfy most.

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         PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         I think a lot of people are worried and reacting in different ways. Having a family member joining in with the insurrectionists (apparently, we don't know for sure) has made me wonder about the  veterans who participate as well as those who abhor what is happening.

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            Sharlee01posted 4 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, it is clear there is a split with how Trump supporters are reacting to him losing at this point.  Like I say, my husband is discussed with what went down at the capitol. What scares me worse is the unknown at this point. No way to know how far some of the far-right groups will go. I really feel the large majority that showed up at the Jan 6th protest were not there to cause trouble. It looks like the attack was at least loosely planned by an element that showed up with a purpose to overtake the Capitol.
            
            I will admit I desire change, I had even hoped and felt an investigation might have worked to ease tension. But, this all is very unsettling. I would guess most Republicans are not willing to take up an actual physical battle.
            
            I guess this week we will have to hold our breaths.

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      Ken Burgessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      I can't speak to your husbands experiences while in the military.
      
      But like many others that have served, I have been to foreign lands and seen situations far removed from 'normal' American life.
      
      There are two things that come from your husbands experiences for certian.
      
      One is that he understands our government and how it works differently than most Americans think of it working.
      
      The second is he has seen cultures/societies far different than our own, where the values of/for life and liberty are far different.
      
      Not all military people have these experiences of course, but all military people who have served many years and seen combat probably do fall into this realm.
      
      We see the world in ways that people who have not had these experiences could ever hope to.  Some are wired better to handle these revelations than others... all of us who survived them, have an eye for trouble that others do not.

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      abwilliamsposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      I have a nephew living in Portland, that I and the rest of the family are very worried about. He is in the hospital right now. Not sure what all is going on, but he is no longer thinking straight. He is mixed up in a crazy, disorganized, uncaring, unfeeling place and although, he is an adult, his parents need to get him out of there, quickly!
      This Country seems to have gone mad, I don't blame your husband for his uneasiness, it's not longer the Country it once was.
      Please thank him for putting his ass on the line, for my freedom! This is some payback he and all that have served or are serving, are getting huh!

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   The Masked Marauderposted 4 years ago

   PrettyPanther. What a heartwarming, descriptive post. The moment I read it I felt the need to respond. After reading your post I feel that my earlier position in regard to the "failed Vietnam War" would require further clarification and felt I needed to to do so.
   
   While I readily admit that my college career at the University of California at Berkeley consisted of being a member and defacto leader of various radical protest groups, I feel it necessary to explain that I was never targeting our serviceman (and today women).
   
   In fact, before protests I was adamant that no national guard members should be abused verbally or physically or anyone I saw doing so would not need a police nightstick across the head for I would deal with them myself on the spot. The protests weren't about our brave brothers and sisters but about the governments failure to support them,
   
   In closing and on a personal note, I would like you to thank your husband from me for his service to our nation and his commitment and bravery in doing so. I a greatly admire and respect the duties he performed to protect our freedoms.
   
   Sincerely,
   The Masked Marauder
   
   Postscript:
   Perhaps you should think of writing for a living. You do it well.

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   Kathryn L Hillposted 4 years ago

   We struggled an entire summer watching the utterly destructive antics of Antifa.
   The governors and mayors of blue states and cities just let them have at it.
   
   Trump's supporters are peaceful.
   Yet look at the protective forces brought in to protect Kind Joe.
   Something is off.

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      PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, something is off, that is for sure. I just don't think we would agree on what.

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   MizBejabbersposted 4 years ago

   My husband is a Vietnam era veteran with PTSD. He was stationed at Tachikawa Airbase as an aircraft mechanic in the early part of the war, but later was transferred into the CIA, following a family tradition. Most of his experiences that caused the PTSD occurred during the stint with the company, so a lot of people don’t believe him when he says he has PTSD. He was co-pilot on a B-52 when it was shot down by a SAMS missile in Vietnam, and he was the only survivor of the crash. It is difficult for today’s military doctors to believe he has PTSD because his official records show that “he was only an aircraft mechanic.” However, he was accepted into in-hospital PTSD therapy at the regional VA in our state.
   He said the therapy itself was a traumatic experience for him because the it negated much of the deprogramming he received when he was released from the company. He was forced to find his own outlet, which was to talk with others of like mind and experience in chatrooms as the internet grew.
   Currently, he participates daily in a particular chatroom and does a podcast once a week. In it many more liberal and middle of the road people have been keeping up with the temperature and plans of the Trump supporters. We live in an area of avid Trump supporters and don’t dare put up a political sign to the contrary in our yard.
   The discussions of the last four years prepared him for the rush on the Capitol, so he was expecting that. I don’t believe anything could have prepared him for the degree of violence that occurred that day. But I don’t think it affected his PTSD the way it affected many veterans because those days are over for him. My husband is a very spiritual person and as a native Cherokee, he practices Shamanism. He has only one word for the "QAnon Shaman" who is now trying to use his alleged shamanism as a defense: Bullshit!

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      PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Wow, thank you for sharing that. My husband was NSA so his PTSD was also fueled by events after the war. It irks me no end how the VA  makes it so difficult for veterans who did classified work to receive the full benefits to which they are entitled. My husband's "official" records don't show everything he did and the NSA won't release the real records so he is being denied disability that he is entitled to.
      
      As an aside, I love that your husband practices shamanism. We need more of the old spirituality in this world and a lot less of the monotheistic, dogmatic religion that most people follow these days

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   Mark O Richardsonposted 4 years ago

   All of these riots are crazy. We'll have to wait and see what happens.
   People should handle losing elections more gracefully.

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   Kenna McHughposted 4 years ago

   I understand your husband’s concern as we are all concerned with the plight of this country.
   
   It reminds me of a story about a General in Columbia, which used to be one of the most violent countries in the world engulfed with drug wars until he took one of the most heroic and proactive measures.
   
   He heard about The Way to Happiness booklet, which statistically calms the area wherever it has been massively passed out.
   
   The General began extensive distribution of the booklet. First, his military units distributed the booklet at a soccer game where violence occurred with a vengeance. Miraculously, there was no violence at the soccer game that day.
   
   With such surprise, he continued distributing the booklet and the violence and crime rate in Columbia plummeted 70 percent. The drug wars ended and the President of Columbia received the Nobel Peace Prize.

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   IslandBitesposted 4 years ago

   I hope your husband is feeling better. Do you know about anything his son? I hope he's ok.

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      PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, he is feeling better, to the extent that he has adjusted to not knowing. We have not heard from his son but heard third hand that he is okay but unwilling to contact anyone. Not sure why, unless he is part of the so-called "patriots" who are planning further disruptions. But, I really don't know.
      
      It's insane to me.
      
      And thank you for asking. :-)

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