PTSD:Final battle of war, it's time for us to fight for them

Speaking out on PTSD
PTSD is a wound. No one would be ashamed of a bullet wound. Why be ashamed of this wound? End the silence and break the stigma. More than you know suffer from this wound. Trauma is Greek for wound.


PTSD Final battle of war 05:01

Music from Ken Burns, The War
Norah Jones American Anthem Lyrics

All we've been given
By those who came before
The dream of a nation
Where freedom would endure
The work and prayers
Of centuries
Have brought us to this day

What shall be our legacy?
What will our children say?
Let them say of me
I was one who believed
In sharing the blessings
I received
Let me know in my heart
When my days are through
America
America
I gave my best to you

Each generation from the plains
To distant shore with the gifts
What they were given
Were determined
To leave more
Valiant battles fought together
acts of conscience fought alone
these are the seeds
From which America has grown

Let them say of me
I was one who believed
In sharing the blessings
I received
Let me know in my heart
When my days are through
America
America
I gave my best to you

For those who think
They have nothing to share
Who fear in their hearts
There is no hero there
Know each quiet act
Of dignity is
That which fortifies
The soul of a nation
That never dies

Let them say of me
I was one who believed
In sharing the blessings
I received
Let me know in my heart
When my days are through
America
America
I gave my best to you
http://www.metrolyrics.com/american-anthem-lyrics-norah-jones.html

When they come home from war, their battle is not longer fought with guns but fought with their life. Some will come home with the memories, move on and live out the rest of their lives whole. Others will come home with haunted by all of it. Of friends they lost, horrific images replaying as the wound of PTSD cuts deeper with each passing year. Survivors guilt leaves them wondering why they were spared when others were not. They wonder what they could have done to save the life of a "buddy" or why their buddy surrendered his life for their sake. So many questions go unanswered. This wound of war is not new. It has been documented in every century that man has fought against others. It knows no national boundary. It knows no race. It acknowledges no social standing. It only knows a human was exposed to traumatic events that are not part of normal life.

All we've been given
By those who came before
The dream of a nation
Where freedom would endure
The work and prayers
Of centuries
Have brought us to this day

When you read the letters and historical accounts of battle from the foundation of this nation, you can find the pain we now call PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Men and women who were willing to surrender their lives for a cause greater than themselves, the defense of this nation and what they believed in. In the Revolutionary War, it was about the freedom of this nation. Some wanted to remain under control of England and fought against the Patriots. Each side had people dedicated toward fighting for what they believed in.

In the Civil War it was about freeing slaves so they were no longer regarded as possessions. Those who wanted to keep things the way it was also fought for what they believed in. Each side paid the price with their lives and for the survivors, they paid with their minds.

When the "whites" spread out across the nation, they fought the native Americans in order to take the land the Indians had held since the beginning of time. Both sides again were willing to die for what they believed in, for their families and friends as well as their futures.


What comes after the traumatic event spans generations and nations, civilizations all affected by the killing of others in war.

What shall be our legacy?
What will our children say?
Let them say of me
I was one who believed
In sharing the blessings
I received
Let me know in my heart
When my days are through
America
America
I gave my best to you

We, as citizens do not expect to walk out our front door to bomb blasts or gun fire. When it happens in the worst neighborhoods of the US, there you will find many suffering from PTSD. Still we as citizens find it very hard to understand that when we send men and women into combat, we are sending them to risk their lives, their bodies and their minds. Combat is not part of normal life. No matter how well they are trained to participate in it, they are never trained to recover from it.

Each generation from the plains
To distant shore with the gifts
What they were given
Were determined
To leave more
Valiant battles fought together
acts of conscience fought alone
these are the seeds
From which America has grown

We can talk about the other causes of PTSD from crimes to natural disasters but the cuts of PTSD do not penetrate as deeply as they do for those who participate in the event itself. For police officers, the cuts are deeper than for firefighters. Firefighters are ingrained with the need to help those in danger. Inside they do not believe they would have to take a life in order to save. Firefighters develop PTSD even though they do not kill but their lives are on the line on a daily basis. Police officers have the same desire to save lives but they also have the extra requirement of the ability to take a life when necessary. Police officers develop PTSD because of what is required of them.

For those who think
They have nothing to share
Who fear in their hearts
There is no hero there
Know each quiet act
Of dignity is
That which fortifies
The soul of a nation
That never dies

When we are talking about veterans of combat, we are talking about those who have experienced traumatic events over and over and over again. It can begin to cut them with one event, then additional cuts come with other events.

It is those who are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of this nation who do in fact give their best to this nation. They were born with the requirements and abilities to go above and beyond what average citizens are born with. Some will say that war makes them heroes but I totally disagree. These people were born that way. Had there been no necessity at all to have a military, they would have been doing something else to be of service to others.

When you read stories about veterans committing suicide or others living with PTSD, you find accounts of how they were before they joined the military. Clear signs of the character of the hero were already there. You will also find a compassionate person. Someone who cared deeply for others. This is one of the requirements for PTSD to enter. They know when they participating in combat, it is another human who is paying the price. It eats away at them. Some may come to terms with the idea they killed the enemy, others will never achieve that. Some may not be able to understand that it was not their time to die while others did. Humans do not have the ability to fully understand why some live and others die. This happens with every tragedy.

I'm sure you've seen the picture of the lone house standing in Texas on the beach after Hurricane Ike destroyed all other houses around it. No one can explain why that happened. No one can explain why some died or others lived right next to someone who died. We cannot explain why some recover from illnesses but others do not in the same exact set of circumstances. When the event occurs in combat, it is the same set of unanswerable questions.

The final battle of war is being fought by all living generations of warriors. They gave their best when it was time for them to be asked to go, just as they gave their best before the day they deployed.

America, America, I gave my best to you.

But we have not reciprocated in kind. We let them come home to a nation that was not ready to care for the wounds they would carry within them. This was no surprise. It was no "unknown" that could not have been prepared for. It has lived in the souls of every generation since the beginning of time yet we did not prepare for veterans of Vietnam any more than we prepared for the veterans of wars before. We had no excuses after Vietnam left to use.

The Vietnam veterans demanded this wound be treated and compensated for. They demanded the researchers, medical community and government put their best minds to work on finding a way to help the veterans heal this wound. They demanded it not just for themselves but for all veterans of combat.

Because of them, the others in this nation are being treated for the wound caused by trauma from mental health providers. Police departments and fire departments across the nation have begun to come to terms with this wound. Citizens are being treated after they suffer through traumatic events. All that has been accomplished this far, we owe to the Vietnam veterans who said no more will one generation abandon another. Yet there is still so much more that has to be done. This is evident when a family has to bury a veteran after they have become a civilian yet again. When the risk of their life being sacrificed for the sake of the nation is sacrificed because the nation refuses to take care of the wounded, this cannot be an acceptable loss.

We see Vietnam veterans still taking their own lives. Gulf war veterans still take their own lives. They are joined now by Afghanistan and Iraq veterans unable to find the help they need to recover and heal. Why? Why aren't we all fighting this battle along side of them?

We did not go into combat with them but we can fight this battle with them right by their side. We can do this by contacting congress. We can do this by contacting the media and telling their stories. We can do this by making sure our own communities are educated on what PTSD is and how to help these men and women who gave their best to us. We can make sure no veteran ever has to fight the government to have their wound treated. We can by contacting our religious leaders to address their spiritual needs. We can by forming support groups where they will be free to talk knowing they will not be judged by uniformed people, but by those who fully understand what PTSD is.

This is our battle for them. This is for their sake and for the sake of all generations who came before them. It's time we gave our best to them.





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

My other videos

PTSD I Grieve 08:40

PTSD Not God's Judgment 06:00

Hero After War08:27

Coming Out Of The Dark Of PTSD 04:25

Wounded And Waiting Part One08:00

Wounded And Waiting Part Two07:27

When War Comes Home Part One04:33

Nam Nights Of PTSD Still08:33

A Homeless Veteran's Day04:00

Women At War08:02

The Voice Women At War09:49

Point Man Int. Ministries Is There04:41

Veterans Every Day

Wounded Minds PTSD and Veterans

Death Because They Served PTSD Suicides

When War Comes Home Part Two07:10


For others coping with PTSD

IFOC Chaplain Army Of Love07:14

PTSD After Trauma04:44