I guess we all have PTSD, then
IVAW member, Jeremy Bergren, has a blog post up on the IVAW website in which he defends his bout with PTSD. Like most of the IVAW members, Bergren never deployed. His unit deployed, but he was legally absent – and that, apparently is the source of his PTSD;
I will not get too much into the guilt and shame that goes through a marine’s, or probably any servicemember’s, heart and head in a situation like this, but it is at a disturbing level to be stuck stateside while your friends, your peers, and unit are gone. Throughout my unit’s deployment I had a difficult time sleeping, had nightmares about what they were doing, but this made me feel more alienated so I never talked about it and just bid my time and got out as soon as my contract allowed me to.
Yeah, his unit was a mortuary unit, so I’m guessing his nightmares were somehow related to ninja zombie mutant robots. If his unit was infantry, or engineer, I might understand crediting his discomfort to survivor’s guilt, but they were pogues in the rear with the gear.
I don’t usually comment about others’ PTSD, but let’s recount what IVAW members think cause their PTSD. We had one, whose name slips my mind for the moment, who got PTSD while guarding a gate at 8th and Eye in DC in the weeks following 9-11. We have Matthis Chiroux who claims his PTSD stems from listening to others tell war stories in the barracks and finally, Bergren, who claims he suffers PTSD because he DIDN’T deploy – he got it from his dreams and imagination.
I guess that about covers everything, doesn’t it? Everyone who ever put on a uniform for more than a day suffers from PTSD. Hell, I pulled gate guard while I was at the reception station at Fort Polk on day four of my active duty time. All of the prior service guys at the reception station were Vietnam vets in 1974, and they loved to tell us their war stories – shit, I guess I had PTSD right from the get-go.
Category: Antiwar crowd, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Phony soldiers, Usual Suspects, Veteran Health Care
Look at me! Look at me! I’m a victim too!!!!!!
You know what sucks is that shit like this cheapens what others are truly suffering, these guys aren’t helping others seek treatment, just trying to elicit sympathy…..
I had to sleep near VT Woody for a year. I still can’t go to sleep without duct taping orifices before I lay down. I must have PTSD.
….with a name like Woody I can see why…..
I’m guessing that Bergen thinks he got PTSD because he got caught cuffing his carrot one night, when he thought he had the barracks all to himself. What a POS.
My daughter was in JrROTC… a recruiter talked to her a couple times…. Maybe she’s got it toooo.
One time underway (actually pretty much EVERY time underway), the ice cream machine broke. That’s what triggered my PTSD.
Sparky, that makes me sad just thinking about it.
And now, to contribute to the PTSD mess, the military is closing the fast food joints in the Afghan theater. OMG! How will the Fobbits make it through their day?
Nuf Sed
PTSD is real, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t scam the system. The main reason people lie about PTSD is because…this is going to be a shocker…you can get MONEY for it!
The VA is like personal injury for the military. Do some people really get injured? Yes. Do some people have a legitimate claim to damages? Yes. Do some people scam the system? You betcha.
I ran into a rep from the DAV who sat me down and tried to see if I had any claim. He asked me if I had any symptoms of PTSD, and I said no. “Are you sure?” he asked. Yep, I’m sure. “Are you sure you’re sure?” he asked. Yep. Then he went down a list of symptoms–trouble sleeping, bouts of anger, flashbacks, etc. “Are you sure you don’t have any of these?” Yep, I’m sure.
Finally he said “You’re making this very difficult for us to get you some money.” Another woman sitting there said, “The government sets aside a chunk of money for every person entering the military just for later claims they might file. We’re just trying to get you the money you deserve.”
It didn’t occur to them that a vet only “deserves” the money if he’s genuinely suffering from the disorder.
I lost my BFA at Camp Wilson 20 years ago.
Still haunts me to this day
Comedian Blake Clark, Vietnam vet:
“What the hell does the cook at Da Nang have flashbacks about? Does he wake up at night screaming ‘PANCAKES!’?”
Ben, Your point is well taken.
People claiming PTSD over nothing is hurtful to those who genuinely suffer and belittles the American Soldier as a group.
The budgetary shenanigans you describe are a problem we’ve got in so many different facets of America. They have to spend up their money or they won’t get more next year. What a shame.
But sometimes you just have to laugh at the fakers.
1stSgt(Ret): Good news! I think I found your BFA at Camp Wilson about 20 years ago! Sorry, I didn’t keep it. Being an Airwinger, I had no M-16 to put it on while at CAX.
Come to think of it, I beleive I’m suffering PTSD from being denied the opportunity to shoot off a few hundred blanks.
Does this mean I can claim PTSD over not being able to get a slot for Boot yet? /sarc Bloody moron…
NHSparky said: One time underway (actually pretty much EVERY time underway), the ice cream machine broke. That’s what triggered my PTSD.
You had an ice cream machine???
Now I’ve got PTSD by proxy.
There was the time some FNG decided the mess deck coffee urns needed to be cleaned. Talk about trauma – I still have nightmares about all the moaning and stuff I heard. And seeing grown men cry. Oh the humanity!
I mention this because I’ve been told by “anti-war” types that the number of veterans suffering from PTSD is probably much HIGHER than official statistics would suggest. I find that very, very hard to believe. From my experience, I would say that the number of veterans suffering from PTSD is much LOWER than official statistics would suggest.
Whenever you offer money as compensation for an injury suffered, the number of people claiming to have a claim will inflate like a balloon. The reason why PTSD is such a great way to make money is because PTSD is hard to prove and disprove. It’s not like you lost a limb in Iraq or Afghanistan. You can’t lie about that. On the other hand, all you have to do is tell a psychiatrist that you have all of the PTSD symptoms and–cha-ching!–you have a claim.
“Trouble sleeping? um, yeah. I’ve got that. Bouts of anger? Sure. Nightmares? Got that too! Check or direct deposit? I’ll take direct deposit.”
It’s sad, but it’s true. With that in mind, there are some people who legitimately suffer from PTSD. I’ve been doing a lot of research into Vietnam recently and I have interviewed about fifteen Vietnam vets, read every book I can, etc. Some people are just haunted by what they’ve seen and done. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to sift throught the liars.
I got PTSD from reading this blog.
🙁
NHSparky: One time underway (actually pretty much EVERY time underway), the ice cream machine broke. That’s what triggered my PTSD.
I’m sorry for your loss, shipmate. I can’t really remember when those machines ever worked. I don’t know about you, but having to eat the Red Death/pork adobo was pretty traumatic. I have GERD now, maybe I can make a claim?
No, you can’t make a claim for pork adobo, but you CAN for beef cordon bleu, aka “cat turds”. Ditto for DBVC/elephant scabs, baboon’s ass, or horsecock sandwiches.
1SGT, that comment didn’t get the love it deserved, that was hifrickenlarious.
Took me a few seconds to remember what a BFA was.
As someone who treated veterans and active duty for 27 years who suffered from PTSD and as someone who has had it for over 40, it’s as real as any other disorder. I had to quit treating it due to the stresses it was placing on me. After 9-11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan we had Marines and Corpsmen coming to PI as DI’s and Weapons Bn cadre’ who had all the symtoms. The Navy and Marine Corps knew I was the resident “expert” on the subject and I began treating them again. In the mean time I was also doing recruit psyc evals on the Island. The recruits I was seeing were a bunch of POS’s who just wanted out. I began wacking them with charts, writing “cry baby” or “momma’s boy” on their official diagnosises, and many times Corpsmen had to come rescue the recruit from my verbal abuse. (The DI’s loved it but the brass were begininng to think I’d lost it.) Well I had. After listening to my patients I couldn’t sleep, nightmares, and extreme anger began ruining my life at home and work. I was no good for my patients whom I loved. I retired. In all those years I ran into many fakers but could weed them out quickly, especially when I ordered up their records. Now…to the point. A person claiming PTSD must have experienced a life threatening incident BEYOND THE REALM OF NORMAL TRAUMA. You staying at home isn’t even trauma. Now, working in a mortuary, like being a nurse or doctor can and will cause PTSD. I had two mortuary workers as patients. Sifting through pieces of your peers in body bags to try and determine who they are ain’t fun. Doing it for 365 days makes it even less. But the SOB John’s talking about didn’t even do that! This is where people begin not taking this disorder seriously after the years of work me and the other Vietnam Vets that started the Vet Center program worked so hard to get legitimized. I hate these types with a… Read more »
I think that we all have correctly identified this loser for the malingerer that he is. They make me ill and deserve whatever comes to them.
I do concur with those who point out that you do not have to deploy to have PTSD. I have it, but it was not from my experience as a combat arms S3 in Tal Afar and Mosul. Instead it is from the preceding months I spent as a brigade rear detachment commander. During that time we had almost 30 KIA and a few hundred wounded. Supporting these families in a manner befitting their sacrifice had a much greater impact than getting shot at or IED’d. That goes the same for my experience in the Gulf War in which our unit had significant, if brief combat (73 Easting).
Just my perspective.
I had it once, then I took part in the Walter Reed Deployment Health Center’s acupuncture treatment study and it went away. 🙂 Seriously, though, my feelings are mixed on the subject. Having an unofficial diagnosis (the Walter Reed study was completely private) I have experienced the effects first hand and have seen much worse cases in some of my comrades. On the other hand, the wannabe macho Infantryman in me tells me to suck it up and drive on as I cannot tolerate weakness. I decided long ago that I could either let it consume me and leave the Army like many of my friends and peers did or I could continue my career and keep on keeping on. I’ll be honest, when I got back from Iraq I did not notice much difference at first. When I PCS’ed to The Old Guard it hit home. The high operational tempo and exacting standards of the unit and the guilt complex from leaving my Rakkasan comrades for a garrison unit was bad enough. Add in the active duty funerals in ANC for men and women as young as 17, the Dignified Transfer of Remains ceremonies at Dover AFB and the lack of understanding by my fellow Infantrymen who had never (and most of whom would never) seen combat and I was almost overwhelmed. Being assigned to recruiting duty did not help either, though I am coming to grips with that. I think Tj is correct in that combat is not the only factor in some cases. Presenting a flag to a widow or watching the mother of a Vietnam veteran throw herself at her son’s casket had quite an impact on me. A few weeks ago a young lady at one of the high schools I visit died after a car accident. Some of the same feelings I experienced burying our own in Arlington came back. The really tricky part about PTSD is that it affects everyone differently. My brother-in-law deserted while on mid-tour leave after less than a year in the Army. He had a horrible time over there,… Read more »
Pork Adobo!!!!!!!!!!! You MENTIONED Pork Adobo…….. I’m going to have to go back on my meds now!! Whatever you say don’t mention Beef Yakasoba!… Oh DAMN! now I did it to myself! The HORROR!!!!!!!!!
I have to agree with the doc–PTSD has to a) come from trauma and b) come from stress outside the norm.
What this IVAW ritard is experiencing is Post Unit Stay-behind Stress (PUSS.)
After I was wounded, I returned home while my company stayed in Iraq. I had nightmares about what happened to me, and what could have happened to them, but those dreams were generally replays of the same things I experienced, but with different people playing in the roles. Eventually, because I am awesome and not at all a big d-bag, I overcame my PTSD through sheer willpower and the application of modern pharmacology.
Seriously, it’s a real condition, it cannot be determined who is or is not more susceptible to it (although I suspect it may be Gingers) and early detection and treatment is key to treatment. Easy way to tell if a soldier is suffering from loss of sleep: give them nothing to do for twenty minutes. The ones who are still awake go to the head shrinkers.
No way, no how, should anyone who didn’t deploy be considered for PTSD disability. Otherwise Joe will be claiming PTSD from the time he picked up the fat chick at the bar, the time he was denied a loan, the time he was punching the clown when his roommate walked in, etc. Rare exceptions can be made, like for people at terrorist attacks (i.e. Fort Hood) or when they close the TGIFridays on the FOB and you just got your gift card in the mail.
This douchenozzle wants disability, I’ll give him a disability.
Yup, Bergen can’t have It-Coulda-Been-Traumatic Stress Disorder… just wussiness or plain-old bein’ neurotic without any trauma.
…..(although I suspect it may be Gingers)….
but, but, I thought Gingers had no soul?
I really am impressed with all of y’all’s knowledge on this subject. I feel that my mission in 1980 was accomplished.
All of my friends, all combat vets, have PTSD and it’s quite severe. ALL of my friends have all had careers. We haven’t got rich but all of us worked our butts off while dragging around this 500 lb weight in our brains. Most of us have had to retire early due to it but we raised our families, provided homes, food, clothing, all the things we were supposed to do while our non-veteran peers whinned about their lives yet had none of the baggage we had. Most of us have had multiple marriages due to this crap and years and years of sleepless nights, but we continued to perservere. We are also proud of each and every one of you guys who came after us in all the conflicts since ours. The one legacy we give to you is hoping you will all feel welcome home and if you have a problem, we made places for you to get help. Two things we never had. Keep the faith guys. There always will be cry babies and fakers out there. Hang with your own and you’ll never be alone.
Airborne!
Honor and Courage
Mixed feelings on this one. When I came back from Fallujah on 05, I thought I was good to go. When I started figuring out that shit was not right. I was embarassed and didnt tell a soul for several years. Fact is, it was direct contact with some of the VietNam guys that helped me the most.
I only tell you the first part to point out the second. CACO(Casualty Assistance Calls Officer)duty is no joke. Between 2003 and 2008, We performed way to many CACO’s and they are brutal. My 1stSgt at the time, who was a triple tour grunt with several V’s on his chest, would call me(the Battery Guns at the time) and practically beg me to go on CACO calls with him, he dreaded going, as did I. There were several occasions that we had pull over and cry our eyes out. You dont just inform the family of the loss of their loved one, you stay with that family through the entire process, often for months. It is downright brual.
While I think the turd claiming PTSD because he didnt get to deploy, is a knuckleheaded crybaby douchbag.
I can clearly see how a few would be hit with PTSD, without having ever stepped foot in country.
I was in the clinic with double amputee’s, think I can get my disability upgraded?
One other thing, Dad is a Vietnam vet. While he never told stories, I think I have had PTSD from birth and I want my back pay!
I can’t agree enough with those who say to get help early! Every day you wait will be the loss of someone or something close to you. If you know somebody who needs help, then do everything up to and including dragging their ass to the docs.
I too thought I was too much of a man and didn’t help. It took the loss of my marriage and battalion command before I got help. Those are the types of things you can’t get back.
The Army is getting better in dealing with soldiers, even those in leadership positions. I’ve found that they want to see you get better, and get back in the fight if you can. We need everybody, but need them healthy and whole. My proof is a second chance to command a battalion next month. It can be done.
Every instance is different. Being a mortary affairs officer, I dealt a lot with families and those who deployed and came through Dover port. The visions I have in my mind never leave me. The physical aspect of it and what I has to do for the families. I have anxiety and wake up in the middle of the nigh die to the fact I personally knew these Airmen. It hit me to the core. So those of you that think it cannot happen to those that did not get PTSD as a result of an overseas deployment, tell my brain that so I can get some sleep and leave my severe depression and severe anxiety and flashbacks to magically disappear,
In deed, every instance is different. I help with the processing of remains for 9/11 for the flight that hit the Pentagon. I can not speak for all, but to this day I can not sleep, visions of BLOOD, gore and human remains that I can not get out of my mind, all trigger by the Boston Bombing. I can not sleep and my dreams are profound. I did not speak about it to anyone or anything until, 15 April 2013. I guess I had reached my breaking point, All I will say is I am plagued with visions of darkness from 9/11, I would wish it on my worst enemy.