“Sounds bother me […] because I don’t like loud noises,” former Marine master sergeant and Vietnam vet Tom Roulier told CBS2 News. “I’m still paranoid if I here like a loud bang or something like that. Sometimes I’ll duck, or I’ll just quickly look around to see where it came from.”
Sioux City, IOWA - As our country celebrates its independence, some of our most patriotic Americans dread this time of year. Michael Powell proudly spent 22 years serving our country."I was in Iraq constantly under mortar attacks, small arm fire, road side bombs," says Powell. And Like many veterans, he suffers from PTSD.
Common sense moment: Fireworks bother everyone who did not have a choice to hear them! Plain and simple! Sure it sounds like a great news story to cover what veterans with PTSD go through. Because this neighborhood or that one has plenty of people with enough disposable funds to blow off fireworks for weeks. They do not care they are taking away the choice of their other neighbors to live in peace or participate, they won't care about a veteran living in the neighborhood either. OK, so, it is not just veterans jumping out of their skin. Babies, elderly, pets, anyone who has to get up early the next morning and the list goes on. If you are a veteran, have a plan for the endless annoyance of boom-boom boobs. Get headphones. Turn up the TV or music as loud as possible. Remember, sooner or later, these people will run out of money! If you're lucky, they'll be out of fireworks tonight and eating PP and J sandwiches until payday.
The City of Altamonte Springs and XL 106.7 FM are hosting yet another spectacular Independence Day celebration to honor the birthday of America! Come rain or shine, Red Hot and Boom will deliver an unforgettable night of great performances, mouthwatering eats and beautifully synchronized fireworks. Join one of Central Florida’s most patriotic traditions and come on out for a night filled with good old-fashioned fun!
Veterans have a choice to go and watch them burst in the air or stay home. What they do not have a choice on is if their neighborhood fills up with booms and gunpowder smoke.
It started Friday night and will go on until Monday, if not longer. Normally I address what veterans should do to prepare their minds for this weekend but with all the shortcomings of "PTSD Awareness" it is time to address this to civilians.
Your fun celebrating our Independence came with a price veterans paid. To you, watching the twinkle in the sky is pretty, but to them, when they saw the twinkle it meant tracers rounds and bombs bursting in the air. It meant lives could be lost, many could be wounded and yes, it also meant that they may not be going home. They remember all that.
They do not want you to give up having fun even if it comes at their expense, but at least be considerate.
Stop shooting them off for hours at a time!
Stop shooting them off as if you intend to fill your whole street with think smoke.
Most veterans are prepared for this "celebration" of freedom they paid for but they should not be subjected to endless memories of what they had to do so that you could celebrate your freedom.
PTSD Hero After War
2006
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is nothing to be ashamed of. It is because you put your life on the line and felt it more than others that you suffer today. The good news is, you can change again and heal to live a better life.
I am uploading some of my older videos and pray they help you too!
'Sounds of war' make celebrating freedom tough for local vets The Leaf Chronicle
Ayrika L. Whitney
July 1, 2016
In his neighborhood close to home — where he is not always expecting it — is another story.
Retired 1st Sgt. John Brown served in the Army for 23 years and has served in four combat tours in Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has been in therapy for his PTSD for 10 years. (Photo: Ayrika Whitney / The Leaf-Chronicle)
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Independence Day makes most think of fireworks, cookouts and long weekends spent with friends and family.
The loud booms and cracks the fireworks make usually bring "oohs" and "ahhs" from the crowd as expressions of delight light up their faces.
But for others in Clarksville, the fireworks can bring back flashbacks of war-torn countries and memories of gunfire and combat. Most of those people are the same ones who fought to preserve the freedoms the holiday celebrates – veterans who are affected by post-traumatic stress disorder.
Some spend days or weeks preparing mentally to withstand the typical holiday barrage of fireworks.
According to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Vietnam veterans are the most likely to suffer from PTSD with an estimated 30% experiencing the disorder at some point in their lifetimes.
Army retired 1st Sgt. John Brown still enjoys the 4th of July fireworks — on his own terms.
Brown saw combat in Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and served for 23 years before retiring in 2011. He served four tours in combat.
He will go to fireworks shows with his family this time of year, and for him the awareness that he is in an environment with loud noises makes a difference. read more here
EXCLUSIVE: Fireworks Trigger Waukesha Veteran's PTSD Leading to Arrest
WDJT News By Amanda Porterfield, Anchor/Reporter Updated: Jun 28, 2016 CBS 58's Amanda Porterfield has the exclusive interview. Fireworks going off at a nearby festival over the weekend scared the vet.
His wife said he fired shots into the air and that ended with him in jail. This couple says - this incident has been scary. We're not naming them to maintain their privacy.
However, they wanted to tell their story - to highlight the struggles many veterans have around fireworks and especially the 4th of July.
She says - her husband was a combat veteran in Afghanistan. He is in the reserves and has suffered from PTSD for years.
"When the fireworks went off it triggered him."
She says for her husband hearing those fireworks was like being in the war all over again.
"It just sounded really loud and really close and he's told me before the fireworks sound like the guns over in Afghanistan."
She says on Friday, he was working on his truck outside when the booms went off.
He ran upstairs - grabbed his rifle - then crouched on the side of his car - gun in the air as if he were hiding from the enemy.
"I called 911 and as I was on the phone with the operator I heard five gunshots. He shot the gun off as he was sitting by his vehicle. He was so upset he hyperventilated and passed out. He didn't hurt anyone. He thought he was being attacked." read more here
If you are among the over 400,000 veterans right here in Central Florida, you may be heading off to Red Hot and Boom to celebrate Independence Day. According to predictions they are expecting at least 150,000, like they had in 2014. It is a fun time with great music and fireworks.
Red Hot and Boom 2014
But it isn't fun for all, especially when you are part of the reason we still have independence.
What you do not have a choice on is what your neighbors do. It is still illegal to send bombs bursting in air on your street and any other street in Florida.
There is a push on all over the internet for veterans to put up signs about being a veteran and asking folks to be respectful of that. Nice thought and can be helpful however the majority of veterans don't want their neighbors to know and they want to retain their privacy. So what do you do?
The same thing other veterans have done for decades. They improvised, adapted and overcame others having too much fun to remember the price you paid. (Yes Gunny, your voice is reverberating in my head)
Improvise
If you live alone.
Change what you normally do at night for several days, since they will be blowing stuff up for about a week. If you can, get some headphones and plug them into your TV or stereo to block out some of the noise. If you are comfortable doing it, go out and watch some of your neighbors acting like little kids. You may get some laughs. Otherwise, stay near your home and don't drive since you don't know what you'll be driving near, usually the smell of gunpowder and some yahoo blowing up enough fireworks to light up an entire neighborhood. That can trigger a flashback and you will be in an unfamiliar area.
If you live with family members, try playing games to take your mind off what is going on and remind yourself that you are safe. When you start to think about being in combat, shut it down and replace the thought. If you have prepared yourself for the inevitable noise, it makes it a bit easier to do.
Hero After War is a video that was up on Youtube years ago and has been uploaded again. (yes it is mine)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is nothing to be ashamed of. It is because you put your life on the line and felt it more than others that you suffer today. The good news is, you can change again and heal to live a better life.
If it helps, then show it to your family so they will understand what you are seeing and thinking about.
Adapt
Don't expect your neighbors to fully understand that you are different from them. How could they? Veterans are only about 7% of the US population. Combat veterans are even less than that. There are almost 17 million combat veterans from WWII to Desert Storm scattered all over the US according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Living War Veterans 16,962,000
Living Veterans (Periods of War and Peace) 23,234,000
Your neighbors don't mean you any harm and have no clue about the real fireworks you saw intended to kill and not for entertainment. They are celebrating freedom without really thinking about what came with it.
Don't watch war movies especially if your house is being filled with the smell of gunpowder. Try cooking something that reminds you of happier times to replace the fumes. The smell of homemade chocolate chip cookies can remind you of when you were young.
Overcome
If you among the younger generation then talk to the 3,403,000 Vietnam Veterans Deployed to Southeast Asia to find out how they did it all these years. Contrary to popular reports dismissing the majority of veterans in this country, they have been through everything you are going through right now. They just did it all before the internet and Facebook. Before reporters decided that they would jump on the bandwagon of covering what has been going on all this time yet pretending they just discovered something new.
When it comes to PTSD, these veterans didn't invent it, since all other generations came home with same wounds, but they started everything to be in place for all generations.
Try to do what they did and that is to spend time with other veterans. You will discover that while you no longer feel you fit in with civilians, you fit perfectly with them. You will gain support and be understood. You will find strength in their numbers.
UPDATE July 4, 2015 a link to the following story from New York was sent this morning and shows exactly what I was saying.
Sign designed to help veterans with PTSD on the 4th of July is not welcomed by all veterans
WSYR News
July 2, 2015
We don't want to be looked at as broken people,” said Earl Fontenot, a veteran who believes the signs cast a negative shadow on the military. “If that's something they want to do they should go door to door.”
Fontenot is Chief of Staff at Clear Path for Veterans, an organization helping service men and women adjust to civilian life.
“We can't expect our community to mold for our needs, we need to mold back into the community successfully and I don't think the signs are helping that,” said Fontenot. read more here
UPDATE from Kansas City
'About twilight, I'm back in the house hunkered down;' Vietnam veteran prepares for Fourth of July
KSHB News
Every year, Ebert has to mentally prepare for the Fourth of July. During the day, he's usually grilling out, undisturbed by fireworks.
"But at night, the starbursts and the bigger fireworks going off, that bothered me," Ebert said.
"Along about twilight, I'm back in the house hunkered down."
Dr. George Dent, a psychologist with the Department of Veteran Affairs, works with thousands of veterans who also have PTSD.
"For a person who has encountered a boom or a flash with risk to their life, it's (fireworks) not just a boom, it's not just a flash," Dent said. "It's a signal that they may be on the verge of death."
For some veterans, fireworks too much like "bombs bursting in air"
KPAX News
by Jacqueline Quynh
8 hours 34 minutes ago
It's seems ironic, that those who may have fought the hardest to keep our country safe and free, may have a hard time celebrating this holiday. But loud noise could potentially trigger flashbacks.
Even if you have never seen combat, if you've ever heard fireworks before, you can imagine it sounds a lot like gun fire. And that sound will be hard to escape this 4th of July weekend, and that's why some veterans who have seen combat have a hard time coping this week.
"It sounded kind of like being back on the airport in Mosul Iraq and having incoming fire," said
Brian Becker an army combat veteran with the Missoula Vet Center, who's served tours in Iraq. He remembers one year when a firework display he was enjoying with family turned out to be too much.
"I remember specifically just sitting down kind of putting my head in my hands and just kind of waiting it out," said Becker. read more here
The 4th of July is tomorrow and tonight many will head out to see fireworks but many more will avoid them. Veterans don't have to see fireworks to remember but since men were willing to risk their lives for this nation, it has been a cause of celebrating what Americans have without honestly thinking about the price paid by them.
Thought to be invented by the Chinese 2,000 years ago, fireworks have been a tradition of America's Fourth of July celebrations since the country's inception, with the founding fathers themselves seeing fireworks fit to mark the birth of their nation.
In a July 3, 1776 letter to his wife, John Adams declared that the signing of the Declaration of Independence should be a "great anniversary Festival" and "solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."
It was not the last time average citizens would rise above their own needs for the sake of the country.
The Star Spangled Banner
On September 14, 1814, U.S. soldiers at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry raised a huge American flag to celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812. The sight of those “broad stripes and bright stars” inspired Francis Scott Key to write a song that eventually became the United States national anthem. Key’s words gave new significance to a national symbol and started a tradition through which generations of Americans have invested the flag with their own meanings and memories.
The Star Spangled Banner will be played as always as the fireworks explode in the air but few will think of why or what price was paid.
The Star-Spangled Banner
O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream,
’Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with vict’ry and peace may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto - “In God is our trust,”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
As we've seen throughout our history, there sadly may never be a last time citizens will be asked to pay any price to retain this nation of ours.
Think of them tonight and tomorrow and why we have reason to celebrate what they did for us. Understand that for them, they will remember those who did not come home again. They will remember friends long gone. They will remember the terror they survived as real rockets and bombs exploded while they were far from home. Then think of the veterans with the war still fresh inside of them everyday. If you are not a veteran, thank one today for what we celebrate tomorrow. If you have Combat PTSD, this video was done for you.
Hero After War
When it comes to the wound of war that leaves a scar on the soul, Vietnam veterans have been there fighting to make sure it is treated and helping to heal all generations of veterans. Brothers taking care of brothers and sisters like no one else can understand.
Fireworks over furloughs?
Wounded Times Blog
Kathie Costos
July 12, 2013
Last week I was reading about how Camp Lejeune turned down free fireworks. After posting about twisted values in this country, when amusement seemed to matter more to the general pubic than what is happening to within the military, it was impossible to let this go.
While it is great that people stepped up and offered to donate money so that Camp Lejeune would shoot fireworks into the air, the money donated was not enough to cover the expenses.
There was something in the news report from The Jacksonville Daily news that clearly explained the disconnect between the public and the military.
“During a period in which federal employees are scheduled to be furloughed due to sequestration, expending limited funds and paying personnel overtime to manage a non-mission-essential event did not seem to be a prudent use of finite government resources,” said Fahy.
How can this not matter as much? How can people not hold Congress accountable for what they have done to the members of the military and civilians working in support of them? This report came out July 4th Camp Lejeune prepares for furloughs
The county simply spent more money on the fireworks they were doing, so no one really lost out except for the members of the military. When they have to do without because of budget cuts, when workers have to take unpaid time off and miss the income, none of it seemed to matter as much as celebrating the outcome of the Patriots taking a stand and risking their lives to obtain our freedom. Seems pretty twisted that the people responsible for retaining that freedom are suffering while the celebration meant more.
The list of wrongs being done to members of our military is long and a hell of a lot more important than if they put on a fireworks display or not. Talk about selfish because "all families" enjoy it. All military families are hurting and have been hurting over the lack of honest reporting going on. Barton is just one more in a long list so self absorbed he can't see the empty sky is a tiny issue compared to what is really going on.
Fireworks ignite painful memories for PTSD sufferers
FOX 4 News
by Andrew Lynch and Charly Arnolt
July 3, 2013
OTTAWA, Kan. – For some war veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the sights and sounds on the Fourth of July can be nothing short of a shell-shocking nightmare.
“The sounds, the appearances, the smells…they send me back to where I once was,” Allen Hill of Ottawa, Kan said.
He’s been back from Iraq for nearly six years, but due to PTSD he still can’t shake the feeling of being in battle.
“Think about something that scared you once and then that moment is seared into your brain,” Allen said.
Every Fourth of July, Allen fights that battle.
“When he has an episode, he’s not here, he doesn’t see us,” said wife Gina Hill, “If he sees us we’re someone in Iraq instead of his family, so for him it can be pretty dangerous.”
Allen said he and his family prepare for the worst on the holiday with a back-up plan.
If the fireworks prove to be too much, Allen will go into his “quiet room”, equipped with soundproof walls and special equipment to block out the noise. read more here
Wedding fireworks trigger stress attack in Vietnam vet
Banquet facility adjoins his yard
By Barbara O’Brien
NEWS STAFF REPORTER
October 8, 2011, 6:32 AM
Denise Woods stands in her backyard, which adjoins the Avanti Mansion, a banquet facility where recent weddings had fireworks.
Derek Gee / Buffalo News
Booming fireworks celebrating a wedding in August signaled the return to the nightmare of the Vietnam War for a Hamburg veteran.
Wedding couples adding an extra zing to their special day contracted for the fireworks Aug. 20, and Sept. 4. at the Avanti Mansion, a banquet facility on South Park Avenue.
But for Bill and Denise Woods, whose backyard on West Highland Parkway adjoins the Avanti property, the unexpected explosions were anything but fun. They and their neighbors had no idea the fireworks would be set off so close to their homes.
Woods served in Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division in 1968 and 1969, and nearly lost his leg when a booby trap exploded. He will be 62 next month, and has had other health problems.
He would be the first to say “I buried Vietnam 40 years ago.”
But as he found out in August, some things don’t stay buried. read more here
Fireworks trigger stress in war vets
For those with PTSD, festivities are the sounds and smells of combat
By Andy Grimm, Tribune reporter
July 2, 2011
The random pop-pop-pop of firecrackers will reach its seasonal peak with Monday's Fourth of July celebrations, but this most patriotic — and pyrotechnic — holiday can drive many combat veterans away from parade routes and picnics.
Rather than hang around the house for barbecues with friends, some veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder seek out quiet places away from fireworks, which can set off flashbacks, anxiety and hyperawareness.
"If you are lighting off a firecracker in your neighborhood, there's a very good chance that there is a veteran within earshot," said Dr. John Mundt, a psychologist at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, whose PTSD support groups have devoted several sessions in the last few weeks to coping with the July Fourth fireworks barrage.
When a PTSD veteran told his psychologist that he loves to go to the Disney Parks, she was stunned. PTSD veterans hate crowds so it didn't make sense he would really enjoy the rides, even in the dark, the crowds and strangers walking around in costumes. Then he said "it's a matter or perception." For him, Disney is all about families and most of the people there are kids under 12. Yet this same veteran can't go to a movie, sits with his back to the wall in restaurants and tries to stay out of stores as much a possible unless it's a food store. For him a grocery store is all about people being just human and filling a need to eat.
This veteran has carried PTSD inside of him since Vietnam and was tested very high for PTSD. Sleep problems, nightmares, flashbacks, twitches and all of this with heavy medications, yet he can understand the difference between what is supposed to be safe and what is unknowable. Fireworks can bother some veterans and remind them of combat. For others, while the reminders of combat are still awakened, they enjoy them. It is such a big problem for some that I added it into the video Hero After War when I try to explain what a flashback looks like along with how simple things we see everyday can become a dangerous reminder to them.
When it comes to fireworks, amusement parks and living in general, "it's a matter of perception" above anything else. Support them and try to understand why they react the way they do.
Fireworks and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Submitted: 07/02/2010
RHINELANDER - July 4th is a holiday when we celebrate our nation's birthday and those who selflessly fought for her.
But it can also be a dreaded day for some veterans, especially for someone who's been in combat warfare.
One veteran shares how this holiday can have a different meaning.
Jacob Lobermeier served his country in the Middle East as a platoon leader in combat warfare.
While he says he doesn't suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, he says the effects of his experiences are long-lasting. "Things that you see, decisions that you make, friends that you've lost. And those things stay with you. You're never the same after as you were before."
It is great to go to the fireworks displays across the country, but when a night of fun turns into something else, it can be a shock. One woman was hurt when she was burnt. Others ended up being dehydrated and suffering from the heat. Not much fun. Some of them ended up in the hospital. For tonight use care. If you are in a part of the country where it's hot, make sure you have plenty of water or sports drinks. Stay away from alcohol. It's hard to not drink at a barbeque or party, but think of what it will cost you in the end when you were planning on enjoying fireworks but ended up miserable because you were dehydrated, or worse, end up in the hospital.
We're heading out to a party at a lake. Sunscreen is a must and for me, so is a hat. As for alcohol, drinking too much is not that hard for me. A few glasses of wine or a margarita and I'm toast. I need a nap right after so I tend to not drink in public unless I know I'll be home soon and someone else is doing the driving. Planning ahead and taking everything into consideration will give you a much better night than having to visit a hospital emergency room.
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS - There were 27 reports of people suffering from injuries, heat exhaustion or dehydration during Friday night's Red, Hot & Boom fireworks show at Crane's Roost in Altamonte Springs.
Seven of them were transported to hospitals, including a woman suffering from fireworks burns who was taken to Florida Hospital Altamonte. The woman suffered burns as a result of fireworks from the show landed in the crowd, Seminole County fire Lt. David Williams said.
While there were reports of other people suffering minor fireworks burns, it was not known if those injuries were caused by the show's fireworks or personal fireworks.
37 injured in Iowa fireworks misfire
Story Highlights
Fireworks shell misfires, sending a fireball skidding into a crowd
Most of those treated suffer minor injuries, says Fire Department spokesperson
Ohio police say a man lost part of his leg when fireworks went off inside his car
New York girl suffers second-degree burns when fireworks land in her lap
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- A Fourth of July fireworks shell misfired in a northern Iowa town, sending a fireball skidding down a street into a crowd of spectators and injuring 37 people, officials said Saturday.
Most of the people treated after the Friday night accident in Charles City suffered minor injuries, city Fire Department spokesman Eric Whipple said.
It appears there was a misfire involving 13 racks of firework tubes during the finale of the city-sponsored show, Assistant Fire Chief Dave Beamer said Saturday.
Officials didn't yet know why the fireworks malfunctioned, Beamer said. Inspectors from the state fire marshal's office in Des Moines visited Charles City on Saturday.
"It appears they went horizontally across the ground, some of them," Beamer said of the fireworks.
Witnesses told the Charles City Press that a large fireball veered toward the crowd gathered downtown on lawn chairs and blankets.
click post title for more
For 4th of July, War Vets Seek Peace and Quiet Julie Sullivan
Chicago Tribune
Jul 02, 2008 July 2, 2008, Portland, OR - The "Minefield" explodes with glittering red tips. "War and Peace" unloads alternating rounds of color and fire. "The Torrent" promises "360 degrees of pyro" in a spectacular barrage.
As Americans stock up on 4th of July fireworks with battlefield themes, those with actual war experience are adopting safety plans instead. Combat veterans say they are heading to quiet campsites, small family gatherings or basements. They'll pre-stage their dreams before bed, visualizing different endings.
Depression, anxiety and drinking all spike around the 4th of July, counselors say. "This time of year is stressful —period," said Jim Sardo, a two-tour military psychologist who manages the PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, Clinical Team and Substance Abuse Services at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Unexpected bursts of noise, summer heat, crowds, traffic, forced gaiety and coolers of cold beer all contribute.
But many veterans are bothered less by the booms, Sardo said, than the deeper questions the displays raise about what it means to go to war and lose a limb, friends or a view of the world as a healthy place. go here for more http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/10556
Aside from this, it reminded me of a question I get asked a lot.
A lot of veterans have asked how to deal with the fireworks and neighbors shooting them off for hours several nights in a row. This was a big problem for my husband for a long time.
The best thing is to watch them go off. If you stay in the house and only hear them, they tend to make you very jumpy, lead you into rounds of flashbacks along with making it very unpleasant.
When you see with your own eyes where the sound is coming from, it helps take some of the stress off. Otherwise you hear the sound and it reminds you of where you were the last time you heard that kind of sound. Try to go to fireworks displays with someone close to you who is aware of your PTSD. Do not stay in the house with the shades down. You will smell gun powder and hear the sound but without seeing it, they will make their way into your memory. With your senses connected together it will be a little easier to get through these nights.
If you love someone with PTSD try watching my video Hero After War from the side bar of this blog. It will help you understand what they see and what they are going through.
