@TucsonSentinel We have to damage their minds to make them reactive to commands in wars, to do things that a moral person would not do to other human beings. We then tell them that it bothers them to ‘walk it off’. We tell them they are weak and we throw them away. The demons of war fester in the hearts and minds of those who surrendered to commands, and those who lost their teams.

@TucsonSentinel Any GI or vet who served in a war zone can tell you. Combat is not a neat, clean 2 hour movie. The aftermath stays with you in ways most vets never even realize. I know vets who tried to commit suicide multiple times.
In Vietnam, the go-to phrase was "Fuck it. Don't mean nuttin'" From stubbing your toe to seeing your friend get killed, the answer was, "Fuck it. Don't mean nuttin'" bc you can't deal with all that's happening w/o going crazy. You put the memory in a tiny box... 1/3

@TucsonSentinel ...and you store that box in a dark, dank corner of your mind, planning to never think about it again. Eventually, the box can't hold the memories anymore and starts to leak and break open from the pressure. The memories rush back in a tidal wave of raw emotions and feelings. Often, you don't even know what's happening and just assume it's your fault bc you're not tough enough to "suck it up." Many also still think PTSD results from rambo-esque hand-to-hand combat but... 2/3

@TucsonSentinel ...the truth of the matter is that we often don't even know what caused it. When I was diagnosed as suicidal, I was often enveloped in a silvery miasma of fear. Many hours of therapy led me to understand it wasn't silver but the aluminum coffins used to send the dead home. In my year in Vietnam, I watched thousands of coffins being shipped out and it left an indelible mark on a 20 y/o mind. No nation should send young people to war with offering lifetime mental health care. 3/3