Quote Originally Posted by walrus View Post
Quote Originally Posted by Spicoli View Post
Been watching a few interviews of vets recalling from Vietnam, WW 2 and Afghanistan. For the life of me I honestly don't know how some come home seeing what they saw and basically bottling it up for decades. My old man the same right until his last few years. And then when it came out it was like an avalanche and detailed about 'kids and boys' saw killed and ones they couldn't save. So many not even 20,21 yrs old yet and just 'end' never to come home and grow old. We really do lose generational treasure not only overseas to places High Schoolers can't find on a map but also the ones who made it back and pass away every day. Literally daily. The value of their words and experiences cannot be overstated.
The last stats I heard were 22 suicides a day by vets. Terribly sad. Too many turn do drugs and booze to quiet the demons and it makes it worse. The dreams can be a son of a bitch. PTSD dreams. It’s like every night you are living the worst minutes of your life again and again. I was recently doling out meds at work to a guy and I saw they added a new one. It’s actually a prostate drug that has been found to be very effective in stopping ptsd dreams. I think it has to do with the way it interacts with the adrenal gland but I haven’t read up enough on it yet. I can say this dude, who had multiple suicide attempts says it is very helpful.
That's the glaring wrong that so often goes unspoken undiagnosed and untreated. It's our failure and put's the toxic brew of depression, sorrow anger and 'self medication into gear. We've stigmatized whole generations as up until recently it wasn't something you openly talked about. Vets came back from Europe and the Pacific and as relayed to me from a Fathers son were told to buck up, suck it up and move along. Pop said it was his 'now broken rage' and for the most part kept us away from his old man. Think he felt like he betrayed him later in life. Called shellshock then. Vets from Vietnam were shunned and demeaned outright and it only added layers to bury. Medication, therapy whatever it takes because there are thousands still yet to return fully 'home' ffs.