Military At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month

[Iceman]

I haven’t really said anything since military got merged into this site, but do want to provide a little feedback. I can be slammed for it, you can even delete this and ban me, I really don’t really care any more.

We were atrained to defend our country, and our team, to the best of our abilities. We were also trained to kill if required, pure and simple. There is no grey zone.

We signed that blank check, payable to our country, for any value up to and including our life. We signed it willingly.

Would I have jumped on a grenade to save my buddies, yes. Would I have thrown a grenade, yes. Would I have pulled the trigger if needed, yes. However, I did not need to.

My issues are from war. No amount of training can really prepare you for the actuality of it.

I honestly believe my issues are more from the lack of support from non military, after the fact. We were trained to believe what we believe, then after, tossed aside like a dirty rag. We are looked down upon, and ignored, in most cases.

I hid my issues for many years, even from myself, until my walls finally crashed.

However, given the choice, would I change history, no. In fact, if called upon would I put my self in the same situation now, if needed, yes.

If I had to jump on a grenade to protect my team (in the current time my family), I still would. If I had to pull the trigger to protect my team, I still would.

Even though I have my issues, underneath, I still have my training, and as far as I am concerned, that check has still not been cashed.

This is really what differentiates combat ptsd from other ptsd.

 

[LuckiLee]

Well said @Iceman. I hope you stick around. I'm sure you have valuable information to share with us.

Thanks for all you've done and WELCOME HOME!

 

[Iceman]

My own war was the Persian gulf.
There were many others in the combat ptsd site, prior to the merge, from then, as well as from Vietnam, and from Korea. I don’t know if many are still around.

Attention now a days, is on Afghanistan, and isis, etc, and in fact, attention is always on the current conflicts.

Why, because it’s current. Once a conflict has ended, any veterans from that period are soon forgotten, and their sacrifices minimized.

A prior comment in this thread referred to a rape victim wearing a short skirt. And being told they asked for it

Almost every single one of us, who are combat veterans, those that have our beliefs, have our training, Those that fight for, and would willing die for our country and fight for our country, get told almost the exact same thing, every single time.

We wore the uniform (skirt), so therefore we asked to be the way we are.

What hurts us more than anything is not the action of the war, but the reaction to the war. If people valued our sacrifice, and not just on November 11th, at 11:11, they’re might be a lot less combat ptsd in the world.

We were trained for action of war, we were not trained for the reaction of war.

 

[LuckiLee]

See. I knew you had valuable information to share. :)

My guy was with you in the Gulf war too.
Glad you're here with us.

 

[RCD_VET]

You communicated exactly what I was trying to Iceman except a thousand times better. It's hard to write thoughts clearly in a triggered state. Thank you for coming out of hiding to speak the minds of so many brothers/sisters dealing with combat PTSD. :)

 

[Iceman]

I will admit, those words, those thoughts, those ideas, being brought out to the open, for public dissemination are hard to say.

I said them, as I think they had to be said, even though it triggered the ..... out of me. We are not the same as other people

Now I can go back into my box and hide.

 

[Sighs]

@Iceman - Thank you for venturing out of your box. You are not alone. My veteran often says that his problem is not that he deployed too often, but that he came home once too often.

Sebastian Junger has some great videos on YouTube that express the idea that the problem is not with war veterans - the problem is with the society they return to. His book Tribe explores the theme as well.

 

[Iceman]

http://www.saultstar.com/2017/11/19/often-forgotten-following-remembrance-day-veterans-day