What Is Combat PTSD?

[anthony]

The most deployed personnel within the Australian military are the military postal, as nobody is allowed to touch Federal mail except trained and authorised postal personnel. Nearly every deployment will have a military Australia Post soldier to handle the mail.

 

[Ned]

Royal Engineers in the British Army. Don't upset the Posties. (Or the chefs, or the medics).

 

[Jimmy1]

Its the Posties, the Cooks, or the Stores/Quartermaster

 

[drabs08]

The most deployed personnel within the Australian military are the military postal, as nobody is allowed to touch Federal mail except trained and authorised postal personnel. Nearly every deployment will have a military Australia Post soldier to handle the mail.

How funny I was a LRRP now I'm Postal, been a custodian at Post Office for 18 years now

 

[Shadowtao]

Spent about 6 months of my second tour in Vietnam with an Aussie, learned a lot from him too,
He and I were Military Advisors walking the hills with VN Infantry companies.
He rotated back sooner than me and later I spent my R&R with him and his family in Australia. Great country!

 

[reddevil1111]

With Marines, EVERYONE get training in combat skills. The idea has been for a long time now that EVERY Marine cook, radio,officers even- all must be able to pick up a rifle and use it well.
of course its like most branches of the military most of them never use a weapon outside of a range. But it has helped in the past when needed.
We still use words like remfs and even then I didnt like it. I thought to myself that if someone didnt cook, or operate a radio or generate my pay or get me the ammo how could I ever get my job done? I think Combat is something we carry in our hearts and heads. Everyone of us has a different version of it and different ideas of what that entails.
John Wayne would have lasted 5 minutes in the real Marine Corps. And being someone who was a part of the tip of the spear, I can assure you that one view does not supercede the other. Combat is just that. Being shot at and shoot at others. Taking incoming...

 

[Shadowtao]

Not been here for a few days but I must and do agree with Ned and Jimmy. "Combat" must cover any arm of the Forces these days. Even today I still get called a "REMF" by the guys I went on patrol with, I know its just a name and all and not meant nasty and it doesn`t bother me. But then there are still those that look at you as if you have no idea of "Combat" because you weren`t "Teeth Arm", those who actualy believe just because you weren`t "thick" enough to join an Infantry Reg. you couldn`t have been in a contact.

I say Bollocks to the idea. I may have been a "Tradesman" and not a "Grunt" but I`ve smelt my share of cordite in enough firefights and I have earnt the respect of the guys I was out with pounding the ground in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo and the Gulf. And even if it means blowing my own trumpet, I was better at "their" job than a lot of there own guys.

Ok guys, I get it. I should have explained more in my post. The group they put me in has members whose trauma comes from non-combat events. I totally understand that many whose main job was supposed to be supply or whatever experienced at least some combat and to them all my hat is off. I apologize to any I offended in my post.

My main problem is actually with those who are what I call "working it" meaning they really did not experience a thing but are trying to pull the wool over the eyes of our VA to get compensation.

BTW to me a REMF is a person who is mainly a MF. They just happen to be in the RE. Plenty of the MF types were everywhere. My first company commander was a real MF for example.

 

[Anglesachse]

Ok guys, I get it. I should have explained more in my post. The group they put me in has members whose trauma comes from non-combat events.

When I was submitted to the Clinic, I ended up in a group of twelve, the nearest to the military was "a" Fireman. all the others were "Civvie" trauma, Baby Blues, one lass had lost her girlfriend in a car accident, a guy had been thrown out by his and left with nothing, sort of stuff.

Now I can relate to what you were saying JP mate. I couldn`t talk in the group. There bitching about who left the bloody toilet seat up would just wind me up. But then again, for them at that moment in their life it was like a hole in the ground had opened and was trying to swallow them. for me, they we just f*cking idiots who were wasting my time.

I totally understand that many whose main job was supposed to be supply or whatever experienced at least some combat and to them all my hat is off. I apologize to any I offended in my post..

I doubt very much, if you realy "Offended" any one on here JP. we all see things in our own, dysfunctional way. Me for my part am not offended. "at ease soldier"

My main problem is actually with those who are what I call "working it" meaning they really did not experience a thing but are trying to pull the wool over the eyes of our VA to get compensation..

I must admit, that being a Brit in Germany, I have no contact to any of the VA related stuff, I am hauling the long Civvie road of Therapist, who don`t realy understand a thing. The local Health service picks up the tab, and I have never been bothered about try for compensation. I still think along the lines of "you wanted to be a soldier, you know what can happen". The worst I have is dealing with the RBL, as to when the next piss up is :cool:

No hard feelings cocker :tup:, every thing is just peachy

Chin up

 

[Jimmy1]

BTW to me a REMF is a person who is mainly a MF. They just happen to be in the RE. Plenty of the MF types were everywhere. My first company commander was a real MF for example.

Times have changed though JP. I can understand where your coming from though.
While I was in Kuwait and Iraq, I had messages from my RAAF counterparts in the Arab Emirates. They were sucking cocktails by the pool.

Times have changed so much that one of our cooks back at home base took a watch on the front gate and was shot by one of the local Afghan soldiers we trained.
Same with other guys who have been opened up on. So even REMF's can get shot at and mortared.
Yeah its not the same as having a weapon pointed between your eyes, taking a sight picture and firing.

What you said about people trying to buck the system and get money from the VA. I would love to lock them in a room with a few of the guys on this forum. They had better have double thickness padded cells and the guys would come out of there grovelling and telling the truth.

Who would want to fake living like this.

 

[EOD96]

A brand new category of PTSD is referred to as "intergenerational PTSD."

This is very interesting. Are you aware of anything published on the topic? I was diagnosed today, my father was a combat vet who should have been diagnosed, my grandfathers too, etc. etc. This kinda sheds a whole new light on "family of origin."

 

[Jimmy1]

My father had PTSD too, but I am not worrying about that right now. Its an interesting theory, but the most important person right now is me and mine. My son who is 14 displays attributes of PTSD symptoms which they refer to as secondary PTSD, and I may have displayed certain attributes too as a child, but I don't think I was destined to have PTSD after combat.

 

[EOD96]

. Its an interesting theory, but the most important person right now is me and mine.

Yeah I understand. So far I am exactly 4 hours into researching this thing and I'm looking for anything I can get my hands on. I appreciate the perspective adjustment.