Veterans pen poems to cope with trauma

Veterans pen poems to cope with trauma

By Courtney Vaughn
Hi-Desert Star
Published: Wednesday, December 1, 2010 2:09 AM CST
LAUGHLIN, Nev. — When rival motorcycle gangs opened fire in a Laughlin casino in 2002 during an annual River Run event, Landers resident Mike Bower took cover under a black jack table. Suddenly, he was no longer in Nevada. He was at Firebase Spear in Vietnam. Bower is one of nearly 5.2 million Americans living with post-traumatic stress disorder, an anxiety disorder that is brought on by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic or life-threatening event.

According to the National Center for PTSD, experiences such as combat or military action, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, sexual assaults or serious accidents qualify as traumatic events.

The agency estimates that 6.8 percent of Americans will experience post-traumatic stress disorder at some point in their lives, with women being 2 1/2 times more likely than men to develop the disorder.

Those who suffer from chronic PTSD can experience symptoms that cause them to relive their trauma.

During the brawl at Harrah’s Casino, members of the Hell’s Angels and Mongols biker gangs exchanged gunfire in an open casino area, killing several people and injuring many more, including bystanders. Bower nearly suffered a heart attack as he trembled and sat catatonic under a gambling table.

Bower’s condition caused him to relive the terror of fighting in Vietnam when shots broke out in the casino. He remembers frantically searching for his weapon, a terrifying scenario he experienced in combat.
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Veterans pen poems to cope with trauma