(RG)I was saddened to watch`Jack: A Soldier's Story` last night. I thought to myself nothing has changed with reference to how soldiers are expected to cope with one second fighting for your life in Afghanistan and the next be in the middle of a UK high street with the usual pissed up chavs and dregs of society. I think I know how a combat veterans mind works, especially when you add that dreaded extra fuse of Booze. You literally become a walking time bomb and when some little baseball capped Oasis look alike gob sh*** spills your beer or stares at you, you literally want to rip them to pieces, because , he hasn’t been on the battlefield, he hasn’t seen men , comrades you would lay your life down for killed before your eyes. You think “He wants violence? I’m gunna show him what violence is all about.” in those alcohol fuelled minutes you are capable of murder and you have no thought whatsoever about the consequences. This is the danger. That’s why some civilians may think combat vets are anti social, its not that, we would love to be able to lead a normal life, but unfortunately we never will. That’s not to say that with immediate post conflict monitoring and `Decompression` thinks cannot be better. If you watch the programme you will see the ridiculousness of the British Army system , Jack thinks he is in front of the CO for his bollocking and when he marches in to the Office he shakes Jacks hand and congratulates him for his bravery in Afghanistan where he was awarded a MID (Mention in despatches) He is asked back to the sergeant mess for celebratory drinks. Soon after he is told to report back to the CO where he is demoted, no wonder the lads head is in bits? It seems that the same Regimental mentality is the same today as it was in 1982 and the aftermath of the Falklands War. The difference is after a tour of duty now a sergeant Major will ask you “Who wants to see a Shrink?” as you can imagine there is never any takers when done in such a public way. This is done purely to cover the Army as they will say that they asked. It quite simply a disgrace, as the Observer pointed out in August this year that at least 8,500 former soldiers are in custody - 9 per cent of the UK prison population
Sadly the prison cells and casualty wards will be full of `Jacks ` this Christmas and the MOD will continue to bury there heads in the sand to PTSD. This is a poem I wrote about a soldier with PTSD.
24/ 7 got those demons in my head
Asleep or awake its all the same
I’m not feeling sorry for myself
Not looking for someone to blame
Surely death will give me peace?
Or am I already there?
Walking this earth with PTSD
Next to the man without a care
I’m jealous of his happy life
Nice house and steady job
Big Brother soccer and down the pub
His sanity has not been robbed
Until the day he takes the piss
One look one thoughtless remark
He’s put me back on the battlefield
To him a silly lark
I should have stayed at home that day
With the demons in my head
Instead I went into your world
I’m sorry you’ve ended up dead.
© Tony McNally
© Mack (RG) The thoughts of a Falklands War Veteran.
Rogue_gunner_32_alpha@yahoo.co.uk
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Gunner, a very poignant post, especially after the Mark Aspinall vid. I did quite a bit of research at uni into ptsd and trauma management and I see the effects nearly everyday after a particularly nasty job when debriefing witnesses, as well as when we debrief each other. There is a wealth of literature from psychologists and physiologists in the causes and potential treatments. Have you read any of the books by Dave Grossman? He's ex US Rangers and a psychology professor specialising in PTSD and trauma management - On Killing used quite a bit of research from vietnam and the falklands and its well worth a read, On Combat is aimed more at coping strategies and debrief mechanisms to overcome the effects of ptsd in combat and emergency service work.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that Metcounty. I will have to look up those books. Have you read Forced Out by Simon Bywater http://www.forcedout.co.uk/ hes and ex soldier and a policeman who has suffered with PTSD, his book is a worth while read. Simon Bywater fulfilled his ambition to become a Royal Marine Commando by surviving a gruelling training, where mind and body were tested to the extremes. He learned jungle warfare with the aid of head-hunters in Brunei, saw a friend's leg sliced off by a propeller, and saved his colleagues from tragedy by spotting that live ammunition had been substituted for blanks during an exercise. But then came the Gulf War and even more horrific experiences in Northern Iraq, such as a truck load of Kurdish guerrillas spilling its occupants one by one as it careered down a mountainside, and children bartering live mines for food.
ReplyDeleteUnknowingly suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, he joined the Greater Manchester Police, serving in crime-ridden estates where the culture of violence only added to his trauma. Even a move to the more tranquil Cambridgeshire Police failed to halt his breakdown.Simon Bywaters courage in telling all aspects of his story will undoubtedly help many others now suffering in silence and ignorance.
Cheers
RG.