When you have PTSD, you can feel as if God saved you. That’s a good way to look at it because it gives you a chance to see what was done for you, instead of what was done to you. The other way, is when you think it happened because God caused it. No matter how much faith you have, it is something most survivors of trauma struggle with.
Right now, veterans of Afghanistan are struggling because of the way their war ended. They are turning to the only other veterans who understand. Vietnam veterans have struggled for over 50 years and they know what that level of pain is like, but they also know what it is like to heal. To make peace with the service by looking at “their service” instead of the cause of them having to be there.
They served the nation and the nation sent them. They were risked their lives for one another and were willing to die for those they served with. As for the people of the nations they were sent to protect, they gave them a chance for a better life. That was all that was within their power. How it started, why it lasted as long as it did and how it ended was not in their power to decide.
Both wars lasted almost 20 years. For Afghanistan veterans it was from October 2001 to August 2021. For Vietnam veterans it was from 1956 to 1975. While reporters use different dates, these are the facts.
The first casualty listed “Richard B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth, Mass. is listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having a casualty date of June 8, 1956.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall
His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who has a casualty date of Sept. 7, 1965″
And the last, May 1975
The Mayaguez encounter was technically a success, as it safely recovered the American container ship and its crew, but it came at a terrible cost. Forty-one US military personnel died in the operation—including three marines who never made it off the island after the battle at Koh Tang and were listed as missing in action.
On the insertion, most of the helicopters that had taken fire managed to stay airborne long enough to avoid a series of airborne disasters. Later, the marines hung on to their tenuous positions on the island long enough for the Air Force rescue teams to recover and pull them out. A mission that nearly ended in complete disaster was bailed out by the responsiveness, readiness, skill, and bravery of US military units.
The Mayaguez Rescue
Why did they do it? For glory? No. For money? No. For no other reason than the others they served with. It required courage, no matter if they were drafted or willingly enlisted. It also required compassion or no matter how much courage they had, they would not have been able to risk everything for the sake of others.
A long time ago, I explained this in an interview with a studio in Florida. I hope you can see veterans in a different way and know, how lucky we are to have so many willing to do so much for the sake of someone else.
If you are a veteran or Afghanistan, seek out Vietnam veterans and learn from them. If you are a Vietnam veteran, seek out the younger ones and support them with your knowledge and help them heal PTSD. If you are a family member or either war veteran, you should do the same to their families. It is hard enough to be a veteran of any war, but for them, they are paying a price above and beyond their call of duty.
Courage and Combat PTSD
Remember, it’s your life…get in and drive it!
#BreakTheSilence and #TakeBackYourLife from #PTSD
