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Are Vets Who Wern't In Direct Combat Actions Really Welcome Here?

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Barberian

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I started this post in someone elses thread, then decided it was too off topic and may spark a heated discussion that was also off topic so I cut it from there, and pasted here. The purpose of this thread is not to troll anybody or start a pissing contest or anything like that. Please keep posts civil.

When I joined this site I explained I wasn't sure if this was the right place for me to be. I explained that I was in the navy, and did my time in hostile areas on a carrier. I was in a warzone (first and second gulf war) and had two cruises in between where we had live targets (Operation Desert Fox being one of them. Can't remember the other).

I was extended a warm welcome by many when I posted my intro. Since then I sometimes get the feeling that those of us who were not in direct combat actions arn't really welcome here. That only those in the brotherhood of being a Marine or Army combat vet who actually had bullets and bombs flying overhead qualify for this site. I'm not going to reference specific threads or posts as I don't want to start a pissing contest, offend anyone, or put anyone on the spot. If your upset by what I've asked, please take the time to calm down before posting. Once again I'm not trying to upset anybody, I'm just trying to find out where I and others like me stand.

Sometimes an unknown threat is more terrifying than a known threat. With the known you know it's limits, when it can strike, it's range, etc. With the unknow... well it's unkown. We were told SoDamned Insane had nuclear, chem and bio weapons from the first gulf war to his demise. We were told he will probably use them in the first gulf war to he WAS going to use them in the second gulf war. My life was directly threatened by my own workers in said warzone. In the first gulf war there were over a thousand mines layed in the gulf that could have hit the ship at any time. SoDamned Insane had his jets fly at the "No Fly" zone almost daily my entire first cruise. We were told that we would have aprox 6 min from launch to impact if they fired. What would ship killing missiles do to a aircraft carrier that had 2 nuclear reactors, untold munitions and millions of gallons of jet fuel onboard, munitions on the aircraft, staged on the flight deck and hanger? We were told that Iran may join in the war at anytime for any of a dozen reasons or for no particular reason but a target of opportunity.

Ask just about anyone what there definition is of Combat (related) PTSD and you will get as many answers. Do the above conditions, and those experienced by others who visit this site that wern't invovled in direct combat mean they were not exposed to Combat (related) PTSD? Where is that epherial line that separates Combat PTSD from garden veriety PTSD from anxiety disorders lay? I ask this because the very nature of this site is "Combat PTSD".

Once again constructive dialog only please.
 
I think posing the question is opening things up for debate. I'm sure that there are multiple definitions present, even within the members of this forum. The Military has long dealt with dodgy questions the same way. If you don't want to know, don't ask. I'm fairly sure you have heard this before, so my question is "why are you opening yourself up? Do you doubt your own worthiness?"

Allow me to pose a potential answer for you. You are embarased for a perceived weakness and you are looking for us to validate your own feelings of self degredation. Beleive me when I say, if you weren't welcome here, you would have known it already. Most of us on here are very familiar with how to deal with conflict. It's swift and direct. No holds barred. So join in as one of the brotherhood or keep pointing out why you don't fit in and see what happens.

By the way, there are several Navy types on here. Even a few Air Force (I know, don't tell anyone, might lower property values) I have never seen them attacked for the colour of their uniforms. I have seen people attacked for stirring the pot though.
 
Barb, man you were in the Navy and in theatre... When I joined the USCG I never imagined what would become my reality. But here we all are. Blue or green, rivers or deep ocean, verdant forests or shifting sands it doesn't matter. Here we all f*cking are....
 
Barb, if your PTSD is service related then you belong here. Plain and simple.

This is straight out of the rules.....

Who Is This Forum For?

This forum is for combat veterans only, not that you served in the military and have PTSD, but you physically deployed to a combat zone itself and were either land or sea based (in direct naval or air support), and you have PTSD as a direct result of your combat service. No exceptions!
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Just because you did not pull the trigger does not mean shit.
Stop doubting yourself.
 
Barberian mate. What the lads above have said. You're not the first to doubt yourself like that, read around and you'll spot a few other instances.
It isn't a pissing contest, we're past that. It's about getting better.
 
The guys are all right Barb mate. You wen`t to war, and carry the burden for doing so. The doubts are normal, we all get it or have had them at some time I reckon,

Don`t be so hard on yourself. And just for the record, If some one doesn`t belong here, that get to know it damn quick, like Zip said, no holes bared.

There will always be the odd thread that gets a bit touchy, or the odd person who winds you up. Thats normal. I have been pretty quite on here the last week or so for exactly that reason. I try and avoid the stuff that winds me up, and get on and help with the rest as best I can, Thats all you can do mucker.

I never envied you water rats, At least we could bug out or dig in when the shit hit the fan, you poor bastards were just sitting ducks, hoping you didn`t get hit. I remember as a kid hearing about the RFA Sir Galahad and HMS Shefield hoping to hell my old man wasn`t on board. Years later we spoke about the incidents, He had seen the Galahad first hand from the safety of shore, watching hoplesly as guys jumped burning from the decks.

Takes real balls to sit in a tincan on a shooting range, I`ll favour a conrete wall and body armour any day.
 
Takes real balls to sit in a tincan on a shooting range, I`ll favour a conrete wall and body armour any day.

That's why I've never liked tanks (sorry Zip), you're the centre of attention. Me, I'd rather sneak off and blend in with the scenery. Then again, I suppose Zip would be able to arrange that.....................
 
I never liked blending in (hey, I play the bagpipes, remember!). But if blending in is the end goal, HESH rounds can help you do that. Just shoot at a tank and see what happens.
 
Quit whining Barberion! Makes me believe you are looking to perfect a story to get compensated. Do you have a rating for PTSD? You're like the Vietnam Era guys (bluewater navy) looking to get a claim for Agent Orange.

f*ck A WHOLE BUNCH OF SUGAR COATING AND CODDLING! I'm a real sick of overly sensitive american wannabe crybabies. What happened Marines cut in front of you in the popcorn line before the flick?

 
Well that was putting it nicely Dan, you don't pull any punches do you???

Dan, the biggest problem veterans have is the definition of Trauma and their first step is accepting it. We always get veterans on here who doubt themselves no matter how bad a combat situation has been. On my PTSD course I had a Nam veteran there who did not think he belonged because he had not actually been in any firefights, but he had been rocketed multiple times and his job was to help put his fellow soldiers into body bags.
I saw enough body parts and the smell alone is something that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

When you fill out the 'Have you got PTSD' Questionnaire, or get quizzed by the psych's, they don't explain what a trauma is, so as far as they are concerned, they think 'PTSD and Trauma' are only associated with being in combat face to face'.

So don't be so hard on the bloke mate. He already explained himself in his intro. But your question, although worded harshly is valid.

Barbarian, have you been diagnosed and rated by the VA with PTSD???
 
Umm Daniel. You are kind of shooting in all directions here.

My father was in the Navy in Vietnam. 2 tours. One on a Destroyer. They don't draw much so they get in quite close. So it is is feasible to get Agent Orange contact on the smaller vessels. Before he died, he was quite belatedly getting screened for exposure, it was listed as one of his risk factors. Private anyway. He had decent insurance. He also had PTSD his entire life and never claimed anything. Wasn't that kind of guy. You never went to the governement for anything. Although he should have. He only made it to 60. Small cell cancer and subsequent brain tumour.

I don't think this forum is some sort of contest or vigorous hazing room to figure out who is more f'd up and certifiable than the other. We're all f'd. We all need help. If you can figure our how to get me certified for action from the 80's in the US Navy while I'm living in Norway. Please tell me the secrets.

Other than that I don't know man. That mail you wrote was kind of like a shotgun blast. Woof. At least lower the volume down below 10.

Be Good

Wagon
 
my two and i stand by it . . . i can hack if anyone wants to jump my shit. the popcorn line shit is a joke from my brief moment on a ship while my unit was a Marine Amphibious Brigade. We pulled a lot of shit on the poor squids. Yeah they played a part with gunfire support. And I don't know how many f*cking squids have told the story of watching someone else get sucked into a jet engine . . . just saying. if i get banned for my opinion - it don't mean shit - the poster is whining. And say what you will the Agent Orange exposure from the bluewater navy is just a compensation scam.
 
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