Chris, your comments are microaggressions that are intolerant of our tortured combat vets that are the new class of eternal victims that must be convinced they are helpless.

My son-in-law got back from Dumbphucistan back in May of this year. He was a combat engineer and prior to that, a Marine infantryman deployed to Iraq. We were up on the roof watching the 4th of July fireworks in San Diego when some neighbors set off some very large illegal fireworks. Until that point, he was fine, but almost dove off the roof when those went off and it took a while to calm him down. As a combat vet myself and many that post here, we all know time heals and close family support is the remedy. I think the signs are stupid. The world does not stop because of a veteran’s TEMPORARY PTSD. We heal and move on. These signs hint at an attempt to create a new class of helpless citizens in need of eternal support.

Maya, you’re misunderstanding my point. I’m not saying people shouldn’t be sensitive to whatever their “triggers” are (god I hate that word). I’m saying they can’t expect the world to refrain from engaging in those triggers. In your case, was it feasible to expect men to never wear blue around you? In my case, was it feasible to expect people to stop engaging in flash photography, or stop knocking on my door? Expecting or even requesting that people stop engaging in normal, innocent behavior because of your, my or another combat veteran’s personal sensitivities isn’t reasonable, and isn’t effective. Besides that, what sense does it make to continue avoiding a trigger rather than learning to deal with it? I don’t have PTSD and am not intimately familiar with PTSD treatment, but I’m not aware of any therapy or therapist who suggest a patient continue to avoid what bothers them, or who advises patients to advertise their problems to the community.

One evening about 15 years after my dad died, my husband and I were watching Major Dad—which I enjoyed because I’d grown up in the military—when the star of the show walked in the back door of his home in full dress blues.

One moment I was sitting in a chair, smiling, watching a comedy, the next I was lying on the living room floor in a fetal position weeping hysterically. I had no warning, no expectations, no reason to expect such a reaction. I do not even remember processing that what had triggered this response was a blue uniform that looked much like my father’s.

I don’t think I’d even heard of PTSD at this time. I thought I had dealt with my father’s death. I spent the next several years battling these reactions. I was ambushed time after time both with TV and movie appearances by men in blue and by coming across them in daily life. I avoided situations where uniformed men might be present, but often their appearance was unexpected. Even armed against it, I couldn’t always keep myself together; the rush of emotion was so strong. It took prayer, persistence, a supportive husband and a lot of introspection to get past this, but I did get past it.

Here’s the point: whether you call it PTSD or shell shock or a mood disorder or trauma or a mental glitch, it’s real. And it can completely overwhelm your rational faculties even when you think you’re armed and ready. If you’re blindsided by it, you don’t stand a chance; it’s like being assaulted from ambush or bowled over by a sudden gust of wind. You can’t prepare for that.

While I think it’s unfortunate that some vets have chosen to link their reactions to violence they might perpetrate, I have empathy for their concern about things that might trigger their trauma. It is not a pleasant thing to have your reason stripped away so suddenly by something that has no impact on the people around you.

So, please, until you’ve been in the grip of this type of condition yourself, maybe give these guys some credit for self-awareness and show them the same compassion you might someday need to be shown.

I served in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970. My mos was 11E2T, armored crewman. I served just Northwest of Saigon along the Cambodian border. In places like War Zone C, the Iron Triangle, Ho Bo Woods, Renegade Woods and many more. I don’t believe I have ever suffered from PTSD. In the mid to late 70’s I heard about PTSD, but from the beginning I always thought it was something cooked up by under employed mental health professionals and anti war activists. Does PTSD really exist? I actually think its how you as a individual process your life experiences, some people need a crutch and maybe some just can’t let go and move on!

One last note, The highest loss-rate for any MOS was 11E (Armor Crewman) 27% KIA in Vietnam.