Well, then perhaps you should make sure the forum name makes it clear that it is suppsoed to be for people who meet all of thee qualifications: 1) military veteran 2) sent to an official combat zone while active duty 3) if not 1 or 2 then as you put it partner or etc.
Unfotunately that set of quals also means that any support personael who went to an official combat zonme but saw no action are welcome, while those who did outside of a combat zone are not. It does explain why i have been disrespected by a certain member in good standing of this forum since i got here. It does not explain why you, as the forum owner, beleive that a military veteran with PTSD from a combat situation (or more than one combat situation) belongs with civilians dealing with rape or child abuse rather than with other military veterans dealing with combat situations, only because the other military veterans were in a combat zone rather than not in a combat zone. Nor why you took so long to say something.
I suppose it doesn;t have to make sense to me. I couldn't quite understand commentary from the other person apparently saying long term makes the difference but long term abuse doesn't count, and that all PTSD has similar enough symptoms that combat related PTSD in a veteran and rape related PTSD in a civilian can be handled in the same way in the same support group but even though all PTSD has similar symptoms combat ZONE PTSD cannot be handled in that group or in that way.
Please let me know when you have a forum for those of us who acquired PTSD while in military service through a combat situation that did not occur in a combat zone, Anthony. I suspect we are the smallest group of those coping with the disability, and it would be nice if someone would acknowledge the differences bwtween combat-acquired and non-combat acquired PTSD (ie not between combat zone acquired and civvie abuse/rape acquired PTSD). I don;t dislike the other forum, for civilians, but you yourself said people there are not interested in dealing with the disability. And of course, there is the fact that there is no one in that forum with incidents or original stressors remotely like mine to the best of my knowledge, which makes it far more likely my years of coping may give me something useful for one of them than the reverse. I've gotten far more help here in this short time from people whose original problems were more like mine --though it's been a tad funny reading those medical related posts from one fellow considering my own background.
*shrug* Another first. This will be the first time a combat-zone vet told me to get lost. The OEF/OIF guys here at the university last year welcomed me into their meetings. Previously, the only disrespect I saw from other veterans came from those who said that ALL vets with PTSD were pussies.
Well, ta ta to the guys and gals who were helpful, supportive, funny, and shared their rough spots. May you all have better times ahead.
