Chief Brody, Hooper and Captain Quint, were having a few drinks, sharing some stories aboard the Orca in the movie Jaws. While Brody seemed to have very few scars to show, Quint and Hooper were having a lot of fun with their's. The fun ended one of them opened his shirt and pointed to his chest explaining no one could beat that scar because someone broke his heart.
While it seems to be natural for men to compare wounds of the body as badges of honor, no one can seem to top the scars of the heart. Emotional scars are something everyone can understand. The mere mention of being hurt by someone causes the listener to remember the times they were hurt in their own lives. Is this the problem we have when anyone tells their story of suffering with PTSD?
I often wonder why I get attacked for posting about PTSD. I stopped allowing the comments from ignorant fools for the most part and no longer deal with them in emails. Is it because they are denying their own scars? Are the people who speak out the most about taking care of the wounded, also suffering from PTSD as well? Some develop the attitude they survived with the wound inside of them and then point out how successful they are as if they got over it because they are "manly men" with the what it takes to be strong and get over it. It's as if they are ashamed to be seen as human.
PTSD are not scarlet letters to be put behind us or ashamed of. They are letters describing a wound that cut deep inside. They are wounds needing to be healed and not buried in the back of our minds only for them to awaken with a vengeance storing up energy. The wounds we carry within need to be faced head on and challenged. It's really too bad that men, especially, cannot simply have a contest of "I'll show you my scar if you show me your's" and then share their stories with just as much competition as they do their physical scars. Making this wound more normal is what it will take to heal it.
Vietnam veterans can show their's and newer veterans can show their's but it won't happen as long as these scars are seen as something to be ashamed of instead of wounds of honor.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
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