Are you freakin' kidding me?
Let me ask you a question... if soldiers are coming home from Iraq with PTSD, do you think it's a good idea to house them in barracks 200 yards away from an Army firing range? NOT A GOOD IDEA!
I've spoken often of a family member who served in the first Iraq war, in Afghanistan and finally in Iraq the second time around and that when he came home from Iraq the second time he had PTSD due to the ferocity of the fighting. He is my older brother. I've seen him shudder at the sound of a door being slammed or a car back firing as such sudden and loud sounds bring him back to Iraq and create an acute sense of anxiety. For me to see him go through this was unbelievable... he was the one who always protected me and wasn't scared of ANYTHING. But now, a simple loud sound could bring him to his knees. With that being said, which numb nut came up with the idea to put our troops coming home from Iraq with PTSD 200 yards from a firing range?
My brother has come a long way with his PTSD since coming back home and part of his treatment involved being subjected to sounds of battle but only in the controlled environment of a therapist's office... not at home trying to sleep. One of my goals about speaking out about our family's situation is to bring to light that there are treatments for PTSD and that there should be no shame in seeking those treatments. It took a while for us to get my brother to acknowledge that he might have PTSD but after months of sleepless nights, anxiety attacks and our prodding, he decided to seek help and the help is working. It's not a quick and painless process but we have realized that you need to be on that road to get there at all and it's heartening to see the progress he's made and readily acknowledges. For anyone out there struggling with PTSD, please know that there is a treatment and it does work.
I've spoken often of a family member who served in the first Iraq war, in Afghanistan and finally in Iraq the second time around and that when he came home from Iraq the second time he had PTSD due to the ferocity of the fighting. He is my older brother. I've seen him shudder at the sound of a door being slammed or a car back firing as such sudden and loud sounds bring him back to Iraq and create an acute sense of anxiety. For me to see him go through this was unbelievable... he was the one who always protected me and wasn't scared of ANYTHING. But now, a simple loud sound could bring him to his knees. With that being said, which numb nut came up with the idea to put our troops coming home from Iraq with PTSD 200 yards from a firing range?
My brother has come a long way with his PTSD since coming back home and part of his treatment involved being subjected to sounds of battle but only in the controlled environment of a therapist's office... not at home trying to sleep. One of my goals about speaking out about our family's situation is to bring to light that there are treatments for PTSD and that there should be no shame in seeking those treatments. It took a while for us to get my brother to acknowledge that he might have PTSD but after months of sleepless nights, anxiety attacks and our prodding, he decided to seek help and the help is working. It's not a quick and painless process but we have realized that you need to be on that road to get there at all and it's heartening to see the progress he's made and readily acknowledges. For anyone out there struggling with PTSD, please know that there is a treatment and it does work.
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