Are all our problems only because of the War

When we are all young we are filled with ideas of how wonderful the world is and how easy it all must be. A dream of sugar plums and candy rain drops you could say. It takes tragedy and heart ack to wake you up, to rob you of your dreams. For some its a loss of a family member or friend, others are abused physical, mentally and sexually. Than for some it the loneliness that can happen when the whole world is working so hard to ensure that you have everything you want. These things sometimes have huge effect of our adult lives. We become with-drawn, manic, hyper, we become criminal, abusive, drug addicts, alcoholics we become so many things but with all these factors that play such a huge roles of our development when we are younger when do we start playing our own role? Are are these factors something the military should screen before enlistment into the military?

When you 17 you can join the US Armed Forces granted at 17 you must have a legal guardians signature to get you in but that's all you need (OK to start). You are shipped to basic training, drilled for 9 weeks, than shipped off to do more training where you are yelled at some more and in the end you are a well oiled machine... or so that's what we want you to be.

The question still remains when does all of the influences in our childhood become more than just distant memories. Are the vast problems that vets have after returning home from war because of the war or because of the traumatic influences of their childhood. If you look at most vets that come home with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that are stress related as high as 10% admitted to being pysically and or sexually abuses as children. Than with vets that come home with PTSD that are more combat driven (Combat Arms jobs and major support jobs that are always in harms way) ranging from 5% to 30% admit to having vastly complex childhoods where drugs or alcohol where common in the home as well as 40% of them stated they where sexually abused.  Is it just the combat that brings out all the pain of our childhood we have focused so hard in our lives to forget or hide. Is it the pain of our childhoods that makes us able to relate to the pain around the world or does it hinder us and make us more subject able to more intense cases of PTSD.

PTSD can happen to anyone who experience a traumatic moment in their lives. This is not a disorder only for the military. PTSD can  be one of the worse things that happens to a veteran, if you look at the running line of problems that are currently stabbing all veterans right now it is this. PTSD is much more common than most would like to believe. About 3.6% of US adults ages 18-54 (5.2 million people) are effected directly with PTSD during the course of any given year. Of that some 30% of the men and women who return home from war zones experience PTSD. One million war veterans developed PTSD after serving Vietnam but sadly they did not have a country to help them when they returned.


PTSD personnel repeatedly re-experience the ordeal in the form of flashbacks, memories, nightmares, or frightening thoughts. This is all that more relevant when they are exposed to events or objects reminiscent of the trauma.  Anniversaries of the event can also trigger symptoms.

These triggers can cause reactions, they can cause such symptoms as emotional numbness and sleep disturbers, depression, anxiety. For many suffering with PTSD are irritable or have fits of sudden outburst of anger. Many Soldiers with PTSD state that they have guilt for not still being in combat or for friends that where hurt, killed or lost as a result of combat. They feel as if they have never give enough of themselves that they can always do more.

Most people who deal with PTSD try and avoid reminders or thoughts of the ordeal, PTSD can be diagnosed when symptoms last more than a months. Just as any other emotional disorders it takes time to get though it.

The great things to know about today is that our government seems to be ready to assist in combating this disorder. They are trying to get more VA assistance programs out just for homeless vets and vets that suffer from PTSD.  The American people seem to want to help and everyone (unlike the Vietnam Vets) seems to care about them. PTSD is a problem for more than just war vets.

Family members of the US Military who have lost a loved one due to war can cause some of these effects as well as people who are rapped, in a car accident, and so on. Please remember if you see someone who needs a friend be that friend and call someone to help. Suicide is not a joke and for most, PTSD is just the start of a possible Suicide.

Ride with pride when its Red, White and Blue! US Army Combat Vets