Forward By Cindy Smith
PTSD is a touchy
subject. My assignment was to collect stories on how men and women were dealing
with their PTSD on a personal basis. All for the benefit of others, who are
diagnosed with PTSD, to read and know they are not alone. During this book
pilgrimage, I’m afraid I may have offended a few folks with the mere mention of
the word. What I discovered was that for every ten people who had nothing to
say, I eventually found one or two that did.
I can’t tell you
what an honor it has been to listen to the contributors and help them write
their story! They reminisced like it was yesterday, recalling intimate details
as they spoke. Sometimes painful, sometimes difficult. Other times during the
interviews, I saw a sparkle in their eye, or heard a chuckle in their voice. It
was like they had made a mental decision in their mind that no matter what, they
preserved and are now happy in their lives.
PTSD is everywhere.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health condition. According to an
online description, it occurs after a person experiences a ‘traumatic’ event,
such as an assault, warfare, serious injury or terrifying occurrence. Before we
gave it a name, PTSD for soldiers was referred to as ‘shell-shock’ or ‘battle
fatigue’. Symptoms can include anything from disturbing flashbacks to recurrent
nightmares, and affect the functioning of everyday life. Camo-wearing soldiers
are not the only ones afflicted with PTSD.
It is an equal opportunity condition that goes beyond the battlefield
and nudges itself into the lives of Police Officers and Public Servants, victims
of serious crimes and people who suffered traumatic situations in their lives,
just to name a few. Although doctors may prescribe medications to treat PTSD,
they can only treat the SYMPTOMS.
Lynn Hubbard owner
of Lemon Press Publishing, had an idea that would offer people a chance to
share what they’ve been through with their own personal PTSD, in an effort to
help others. The result is this book, a compilation of stories by men and
women, expressed in their own views, raw, unfiltered and frankly ‘no hold
barred.’ Their words offer hope and encouragement to not only the reader, but
conducts as a form of therapy to the writer as well.
We civilians live
in a rose colored world, a bubble, safe from the war zones that our soldiers
see on a daily basis. The only way for us to have an inkling of an idea of what
a soldier goes through on a tour of duty is by reading a book or watching a
Hollywood movie. How can we fully
understand something we do not feel? Perhaps by reading the stories, we can get
a glimpse inside the anatomy of PTSD.
When telling me his
story, one man explained it like this - PTSD is not something you can generally
see with your eyes. Some soldiers come home with lost limbs or scars, and you
immediately know what’s wrong with them. You feel for their loss, you grieve
for their misfortune. But, when you have PTSD, an invisible condition, you feel
embarrassed and guilty because your body is whole. You want to block it out,
hide it and pretend it doesn’t exist, or deny the fact that you have it.
While Lynn and I were
preparing our thoughts about the book, we asked to meet with Patriot Guard
Riders members, Ron “Pappy” Papaleoni and Tom Walsh, for their input. At the
meeting, I was quoting the statistics I had gathered from government websites
pertaining to PTSD. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, over
100,000 vets are homeless and living on the streets and almost half of them are
diagnosed with PTSD. According to the PTSD Foundation of America, 1 in every 3
U.S. Soldiers returning home today are diagnosed with PTSD. “Under estimated,” Pappy
told me, shaking his head. “Everyone is effected one way or another when they
serve. Everyone.” And, he is right.
Trying to put a
number on veterans with PTSD is like trying to count the stars on a clear
summer night. There are just so many, and sooner or later, you just get lost in
the count. Suicides are increasing every day at an alarming rate. The lack of
understanding, insufficient treatments, along with misidentification of PTSD
are all contributing factors.
When I was a
teenager in high school, I bought a POW/MIA metal bracelet for $3.00. The
concept was to wear the bracelet until the soldier, whose name was engraved on
it, returned home. I had a math teacher
who spent the entire hour of class discussing the war in Vietnam. I remember
the protests and war scenes on TV, and although there were plenty of things I
didn’t understand, there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about
those boys over there. Some from families I knew personally. I did the only
thing I knew to do to show I cared - I wore the bracelet.
That is why I
accepted the assignment from Lynn to help with the writing of this book. It
gave me the opportunity to get involved again and actually do something to make
a difference. The men I interviewed will always remain close to my heart. God
bless them all.
I go back to
thinking about those scenes on television in the early ‘70’s, the protestors in
opposition to the war in Vietnam. “Draft beer, not boys” and “Hey, hey, LBJ,
how many kids did you kill today?” It made me angry. I would stare at the
bracelet on my wrist and wonder how ‘my’ soldier was feeling at that very
minute. If he was safe. If he was alive. I pondered what it was going to be
like for him when (and if) he returned home.
My son, Paden,
enlisted in the Army during his 11th grade of high school. I was so proud of
him. That summer, he and his friend, Brandon, left for basic training in South
Carolina. They were young boys, barely had turned seventeen years old. When
they returned home from training, they proudly wore their Army fatigues to the
local mall (admittedly with the intent of impressing the opposite sex!) What
they encountered was not what they expected. An elderly, well dressed woman
approached them. She voiced her displeasure and wrath of seeing the young
soldiers in uniform by spitting on them and calling them names. Paden told me
later, that he and Brandon stood there, wiped the spit off and told the woman,
“Ma’am, it’s because of Soldiers like us, you have the freedom of speech to say
what you just said.”
Our Country stands
strong because our men and women fought and died for the freedom we have today.
It only takes a second, to greet a veteran or soldier, and tell him how much
you appreciate his service. No, a simple acknowledgment won’t prevent PTSD, or
cure PTSD, but a little courtesy goes a long way. Remembrance is something we cannot allow to
go out of style, lest their sacrifices were in vain.
PTSD is not going
away. It won’t disappear just because no one wants to talk about it.
Apparently, (from the stories I’ve been told) the treatment and ‘pills’ can
only do so much. Each person has to find their own individual way to confront
their emotions and stress, to adapt and overcome. This book is only the
beginning.
The goal of Lynn
Hubbard and Lemon Press Publishing, is to donate a copy of NO APOLOGIES to
every VA hospital in the United States. It will be funded by public sales, with
proceeds used for the hospital distributions.
Everyone has a
story. Maybe now is the time to write yours. You don’t have to be a prolific
writer, and if you prefer, you don’t have to write at all. We will write it for
you. If you’ve been diagnosed with PTSD, or believe you have it, we’ve left
several blank pages at the end of this book. When you feel like writing your
thoughts, fill in the pages. We will be collecting more PTSD stories for future
volumes. Contact Lemon Press Publishing to submit yours. There is always
someone out there that needs to hear what YOU have to say.
Cindy is the author of several books
(Time in Contention, A Cowgirl’s Taste for Life, Cowboy World children’s
series) and a Country/Western Singer/Songwriter. She’s a member of the Western
Music Association, The Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame, The Georgia Country
and Gospel Music Association, the Single Action Shooting Society and the
Patriot Guard Riders.
