Sandy Cook wrote an outstanding article that requires more attention than it got. He called it PTSD? Bull! it’s soldier’s heart! Readers can find it here on VT, but it somehow got hidden. Suffice it to say that I both had to agree and disagree with calling PTSD Soldier’s Heart, because Soldier’s Heart doesn’t give the actual medical and mental condition the wide spread application that PTSD has gotten within the overall medical and psychological community that has to treat PTSD in all its forms.
However, disagreeing with the narrow focus that Soldier’s Heart gives PTSD in no way takes away the message Sandy was telling us. In fact, he inspired me to write more on it and to comment on those parts of his article I questioned. Heck, I even questioned parts I agreed with Sandy. That said, in searching for graphics to highlight Sandy’s points, because I agreed with him more than questioned him, I ran across this website above that taught me the true meaning of what Sandy was really trying to say. Now, I get it Sandy, but still prefer calling PTSD, well PTSD.
Robert L. Hanafin
Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired
Veterans Advocacy Editor
VT News Network
"We sit self-satisfied that we didn’t want this war, therefore we are innocent of wrong-doing and we won’t talk about it, because it was war-by-choice thus immoral and unethical and we are ever-so-righteous so we just won’t discuss it…We say that we can’t talk truth about war because if we do and have to say that it is immoral, many soldiers’ families will immediately respond that we are disdaining their loved one’s service, their injuries, and their deaths. In fact, it is only when we are open to discussing the total issue – not just the fact of war, but its reality, its morality and its ethics, and most especially its personal aftermath – that we sanctify their service, which was given patriotically, freely, and selflessly, and deserves all the honor we can muster." Sandy Cook.
Though I have a slight problem with calling PTSD anything but PTSD, your message is still of great value Sandy Cook, I’d have to give it a five star. The only problem I have with detracting from PTSD is that calling it Soldier’s this or that despite the heritage of that meaning, and your true meaning, is that it would further isolate our Solders, Airmen, Sailors, Marines, and even Coast Guard folks from the rest of American Society. One thing we don’t need is further alienation from the rest of society. Simple put who outside the Armed Forces, Veterans (well most Veterans) and family members can truly RELATE to any Soldier’s Heart?
Not only that, but combat stress is but one form of the many life stress events that bring on, cause, and aggravate well LIFE. Though the combat related triggers of stress must be understood and appreciated by the rest of society instead of stigmatizing it that is a very, very, very hard nut to crack.
The mental and physical wars that our troops and their families fight must be considered within the framework of the larger population that out numbers us by far. Though there is rape, loss of life and loved ones, and assorted other excuses the DOD uses for why troops and families have STRESS or are stressed out, all the reason taken together except combat are but a reflection of the mental state of our society. How many members of Congress do you seriously believe their elevator goes to all floors, and most have and will never experience combat nor really relate to US?
Sandy mentions that we say that we can’t talk truth about war because if we do and have to say that it is immoral, many soldiers’ families will immediately respond that we are disdaining their loved one’s service, their injuries, and their deaths.
Unfortunately, he and we may be jumping to conclusions. We are assuming that most military families feel this way or support the war over their love ones. Though it may be debatable how many military families place the war, multiple deployments, and combat stress over the well being of their marriage, or their son, daughter, or better half that Sandy Cook is still but an assumption.
Not only is it an assumption, it is an assumpton based largely on an unsuccessful propaganga campaign called America Supports Bush (You.mil) the brainchild of failed Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The organized corporate Freedom Walks come to mind, Sandy these were paid for with tax payer dollars. As a result of the corporate link to the Pentagon that AmericaSupportsYou.mil that was not only an illegal link but the misuse and abuse of tax payer and moral, welfare, and recreation dollars intended for the exclusive use of military families, suffice it to say that AmericaSupportsBush.mil no longer exists at least as a corporate logo within the Pentagon.
AmeircaSupportsYou.mil and the logo have disappeared from the Pentagon Pulbic Affiars website as an embarrassment. In fact, those Reich wing troop support groups still using the AYS logo – all one need do is hit that link to find how deep in the bowels of DOD public affairs that entity has been HIDDEN.
POINT: varous and sundry Vets, Military Family, and POW/MIA groups desire to show the American public that they had Pentagon endorsements. THAT IN FACT BECAME THE SOURCE OF EMBARRASSMENT FOR THE PENTAGON!
When military families began to realize that money raised through commissary and BX purchases was being diverted from their recreation programs for their kids to a propaganda program for war(s) the trust in AmericaSupportsBush.mil diminished to those military families who supported partisan politics over their love ones safety and well-being. How many human beings would actulally place politicis over the lives of their love ones, you’d be surprised. Is it right or wrong? Hum. Our military family believed so strongly that it was wrong to place politics over the lives of our love ones sent into harms way that it split our family. Many times doing the right thing has a heavy price, even losing your love one anyway.
Remember, that less than one percent of the American citizenry carry the burden for the rest of us. We owe it to them to speak out and encourage them to speak out. The only way to determine if the multitude of military families are going to "immediately respond that we are disdaining their loved one’s service, their injuries, and their deaths" is to talk truth about war not make assumptions about all military families being cut from the SAME cookie cutter.
Having spent 30 years of a lifetime in and out of uniform but serving my country (upside down flag and all), I know firsthand that being part of that less than one percent expected to carry the burden tends to make those who choose a military career or even to JOIN a bit conservative by nature, indoctrination, and training. When isolated from the rest of society on military bases or associated with the military with only the defense industry, and nationalistic Veterans groups to cheer us on, we tend to circle the wagons and feel under siege when anyone questions what we have been ordered to do by our government and the American people. Yes, they too share the blame for anything WE must do. However, that does not mean that military families lack the capacity to THINK or QUESTION. If anything WE lack the courage, encouragement, and support to speak our minds.
Ask any kid who’s a military brat, even those who choose a military career as their Mom or Dad did, and they will tell you that the on post military environment does not encourage independence or questioning the way things are, especially during wartime regardless if the rest of the nation realizes or cares if WE are at war or not. Hell, they’ve been given a permanent get out of the draft (war) free card for their love ones.
Case in point: Mrs. Keri Wheelwright recently joined the Board of Directors for Military Families Speak Out. Her husband, Army Captain Shaun Wheelwright just returned from a 15 month deployment to Iraq. Two years ago, when she realized she was a minority among other base families where they were stationed because of her belief that the Iraq war is wrong, she joined MFSO. Prior to joining, she felt isolated, lonely, and tired of either arguing with other wives over the war, or having to hold herself back from speaking out. BTW-when talking of Soldier’s Heart one can never leave out the heart our Soldier’s leave behind at home waiting for their safe return. Military spouses and children suffer just as much or more from PTSD as anyone in combat.
Pay special attention to the contrasting two photos, because MFSO is not a government sponsored, tax payer funded propaganda program like AmericaSupportsYou.mil (yet another embarrasment for the Pentagon), MFSO was fully volunteer with little to no paid employees such as the DOD could apply to its propaganda program, and MFSO evolved on truth, passion, and private funding. In sum, MFSO and like organizations come from the HEART, while the indoctrination, pressure to comply and conform came from a propaganda program. Which do you serious think decent military families will eventually buy into? As the war(s) well really occupations of both Iraq and Afghanistan continue, and they will regardless of which party runs the war(s), it will be more and more military families endurig the burden that WAKE UP and see the difference between MFSO and some Pentagon Propaganda program.
In MFSO she found that she wasn’t alone. She wasn’t expected to "suck it up" and blindly support the war. She was allowed to be angry at the fact that her husband was in constant danger, and her son didn’t know who his father was because he left when he was six weeks old. She met other spouses, partners, parents, grandparents, and siblings of soldiers who’ve suffered through the loss, and fear, and the frustration of these seemingly endless deployments.
Teri was inspired by the work of the organization and its members that she became a leader in the organization even as her husband remains on active duty. Will he catch hell and retaliation? Most likely, but the choice they made to do the right thing took more courage than blindly putting up with even more deployments that could either end his life or their marriage. Meeting other members face to face changed her life. She was inspired by the strength and character of our Gold Star members who are not recognized for their loss due to their political incorrectness that has more to do with politics than anyone’s heart, and she found solidarity with other spouses. What was then an unfocused anger and frustration [something that many of our younger Vets and Soldiers feel but hide until it leads to suicide] is now a passion and belief that this battle, our battle as Military Families to end these deployments, CAN and WILL be won.
Most of all she was heartened to hear that there is less and less public support for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. However promising this may be, we now battle something far more menacing than just pro-war sentiment: apathy. This of course is what we cannot underestimate Sandy Cook.
Within her own extended family, Teri heard: "Yes, these wars are wrong, they need to end…." Yet she saw no action. Why?
Perhaps because the economy is a more personal assailant, perhaps they just don’t see any results from their past effort. Perhaps there is not enough social pressure to take a stand. Maybe they figure that now we have a new president, the war will eventually end, so nothing more can be done. We have to battle the apathetic mindset. If those who can think for themselves and QUESTION the war(s) and never ending deployments have apathy to deal with, you can imagine that the apathy and feeling of being under siege is far more difficult for intelligent people on military bases, and the most intelligence are usually the spouses, and they are not always women.
Sandy Cook, you say that "it is only when we face the entire issue of war – all of it including the horrible parts – that we exonerate them for doing our nasty work for us while we sit at home and plot to eliminate them from our conscience, and often to eliminate them from their benefits. Even their employer, the DoD now wants them to pay more for their medical benefits, get less for their GI Bill, and still go back again next year. The VA, of course, denies that most of them are sick or injured at all."
YOU and folks who THINK as you do are well on the way to dealing with apathy. Unless the collective WE find some miraculous way to deal with APATHY it will not only be more difficult to end the never ending deployments of a few carrying the burdens of the many, but we will never end the STIGMA associated with Soldier’s Heart or PTSD. That said, STIGMA is but a word just like PTSD is but an acronym to hide the stigma.
You say, "so we citizens must face the death, the wounding, and the dismemberment. We must face the loss of someone’s child – American, Iraqi, and Afghani. We must face the destruction. We must face the lost opportunities for the soldiers, their families, their communities, our nation, and even of their opponents."
I hope and pray that you really mean we citizens must SHARE IN the death, SHARE IN the wounding, SHARE IN the dismemberment. We must SHARE IN the loss of someone’s child. We must SHARE IN the destruction. We must SHARE IN the lost opportunities for the soldiers, their families, their communities, our ntion, and even our opponents. Because Sandy there is NO WAY the vast majority of American citizens are going to relate nor are WE going to overcome APATHY, and STIGMA of Soldier’s Heart until the vast majority of the nation SHARES IN our hearts, joys, pains, sufferings, victories, defeats, and best yet HOME COMING.
That said, I could agree with you more Sandy that "most of all we must face the fact that when they come home – our brave and often forgotten [troops] – they need for us to step up. We will never undo what we have done to them, but we can listen, understand, and not judge them by some standard of "normal". They left us as normal, but we took their normality away from them. We can’t give it back, but at least we can ‘fess up to what we have done. However, Sandy we American by nature and heritage have a tendancy to not fess up to anything we’ve done wrong to anyone. The only way to achieve that is for everyone to SHARE IN what it feels like to be a military family. Mark my words, the ultimate result will be an end to never ending deployments, refocus wasted tax payers dollars on healing our troops instead of making more suicides and mential health cases. Most of all to demand and expect National Shared Sacrifice in everything that’s expected of our military families will make our leaders think not twice but several times before committing to their own share of the burdens and costs of WAR.
Robert L. Hanafin
Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired
Veterans Advocacy Editor
VT News Network
PS: Sandy, you inspired me to turn my response to you into another article giving you the by-line.
Readers are more than welcome to use the articles I’ve posted on Veterans Today, I’ve had to take a break from VT as Veterans Issues and Peace Activism Editor and staff writer due to personal medical reasons in our military family that take away too much time needed to properly express future stories or respond to readers in a timely manner.
My association with VT since its founding in 2004 has been a very rewarding experience for me.
Retired from both the Air Force and Civil Service. Went in the regular Army at 17 during Vietnam (1968), stayed in the Army Reserve to complete my eight year commitment in 1976. Served in Air Defense Artillery, and a Mechanized Infantry Division (4MID) at Fort Carson, Co. Used the GI Bill to go to college, worked full time at the VA, and non-scholarship Air Force 2-Year ROTC program for prior service military. Commissioned in the Air Force in 1977. Served as a Military Intelligence Officer from 1977 to 1994. Upon retirement I entered retail drugstore management training with Safeway Drugs Stores in California. Retail Sales Management was not my cup of tea, so I applied my former U.S. Civil Service status with the VA to get my foot in the door at the Justice Department, and later Department of the Navy retiring with disability from the Civil Service in 2000.
I’ve been with Veterans Today since the site originated. I’m now on the Editorial Board. I was also on the Editorial Board of Our Troops News Ladder another progressive leaning Veterans and Military Family news clearing house.
I remain married for over 45 years. I am both a Vietnam Era and Gulf War Veteran. I served on Okinawa and Fort Carson, Colorado during Vietnam and in the Office of the Air Force Inspector General at Norton AFB, CA during Desert Storm. I retired from the Air Force in 1994 having worked on the Air Staff and Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon.
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