I’m a grad student at a Boston Medical school performing my Master’s Capstone as a video about using acupuncture to treat veterans with PTSD. Acupuncturists Without Boarders (AWB), http://www.acuwithoutborders.org/ operates 25+ free PTSD veterans acupuncture clinics nationwide and has also helped 8000 + PTSD patients from hurricane Katrina. Highly effective, very easy and fast working treatment. This program needs more attention and support to expand its offerings. AWB also treats families and loved ones of PTSD patients for free because this injury effects spouse, children, and communities.
Also, there double the incidence of dementia in veterans with long term PTSD. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31892362/ns/health-mental_health/

Thanks for a great show!

Please, please help these Vets. I am the daughter of a WW2 POW. He was in some of the worst camps in Japan and suffered PTSD undiagnosed for 50 years. If these men and women don’t get help they are not only short changed but the generations to follow. Don’t let this happen. These men and women, their families now and in the future do not deserve to live with this aftermath of war.

I’ve learned of the roles dogs are now playing overseas as being companions to soldiers and marines. Is this effort growing? And more importantly is it helping, in addition to or in lieu of, professional help? Al Franken (D Minn) recently passed legislation to provide dogs for returning vets. We need to see more of this.
Thanks.

If a Soldier gets a leg or arm blown off they are thanked for their service and called Heroic. If the mind is the part of the body that gets destroyed they are thought of as weak? Utter nonsense! After a roll over car accident out west I was ‘ on edge ‘ for weeks. This accident lasted seconds, Our Soldiers live with what amounts to as trauma over and over again for years on end! It will be no surprise to me if Iraq and Afghanistan produce some of the worst injuries to the mind we have yet seen produced by mans making war on man.

My sister was recently murdered by her husband who came back from Iraq quite damaged and in need of help. I believe if he had gotten better help, she would still be alive today. Her husband attempted to get help, but it was obviously not enough to save my sister. I hope the tragedy from Fort Hood will finally wake up the nation to this very real and dangerous illness.

It seems like if soldiers DON”T come home traumatized by war than we have done them a disservice. Killing other people should be traumatizing, otherwise we are making sociopaths. We need to help them recover from the horrible effects of war. War is horrible and should remain so and be an absolute last option.
Kris in Newton

Is Sergeant Workman able to play the realistic video games of today? Watch movies, etc?

PTSD from foreign adventures is not limited to the military. Our son is a Relief / Development Professional with 20 years experience primarily across Africa. He’s had multiple experiences that have created and added to the PTSD. Only one of the Non-governmental organizations that have employed him have offered any assistance in dealing the with PTSD.

The only way that a soldier’s suffering can ever be eased in any way is if the war they are fighting has a clear and abiding moral imperative and an absolute social purpose preventing the suffering of others, particularly the innocent, in a real and measurable way.

Any vague abstract arguments which go to great lengths to justify a war using fear, patriotism and loyalty to motivate soldiers are not in the long run going to be convincing or sustain the mental balance of a soldier in this very human and tragic situation.

What research is being done on PTSD, particularly why some people in the events develop PTSD and others seem to survive with no ill effects? One of my father’s cousins,and a good friend of my parents were both in the 10th Mountain in WWII. After the war my father’s cousin became very withdrawn and did not really thrive. He never had a real job, he drove one of his aunts for a living, lived with his mother until her death. My dad’s friend seemed to have a good life, raised to kids, has grandchildren and is still very active, including skiing at the age 0f 92.

Hello,

My girlfriend is a yoga instructor and is learning about how yoga can be beneficial to people who suffer from PTSD, both from veterans who have first-hand experience and from doctors who have done clinical studies.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

Thank you Sgt. Workman for your service.

-Tom in Arlington, MA

Soldiers should be able to state at anytime during and after service that they have this problem. It should be taking seriously and addressed as diligently as any other bodly injury. Asking these questions when family is waiting after a tour is done is a Dirty Trick on the part of Our Government!

I hope we reach a point where the only wars we fight are truly defensive. The human mind is not meant to bear this sort of burden.

An unfortunate solution will likely be the evolution and increased use of unmanned killing machines.

Thank you very much for this program. The size and depth of this challenge should be considered in full, and seriously, before our leaders commit our country and our troops to military action. It is stunning that almost a century after the book All Quiet On The Western Front, for an example, we seem to be oblivious to the true nature and cost of war.
Congratulations on your recovery so far, Sgt,, and thank you for your service. You deserve the best.

Staff Sgt. Workman:
It is very good that you are able to talk about your PTSD and get help. Too many veterans of prior wars kept it all inside. Your mind will keep working through it all no matter how much you try to repress it.

Not getting professional mental health therapy after a tour is like not having physical therapy after an orthopedic operation. You MIGHT get back to your normal ’self’ on your own, but very likely you will not.

I appreciate that you are willing to put your story out. Thousands of service men and women need to know that they are not the only ones with PTSD and that they NEED to get help, no matter how minor they think ‘their’ problems might be. We keep hearing talk of how the services are saying ‘You are not weak if you have PTSD’ yet the soldiers still suffer from the feeling they ARE weak if they can’t ignore and forget the horror they have been through.

A wonderful discussion at a much needed time. I believe this program has surely helped many out of there who were listening and are suffering from PTSD, or know somebody who is suffering. Great job, On Point.

Another thought for those who are afraid they will suffer if they seek help for PTSD.

- Would you consider yourself weak if you were wounded and called for a medic?
- Would you feel you were weak if you were under fire and called in backup?

One would HOPE the leadership of the services would WANT their soldiers to get help as soon as possible. How else can they remain productive members of the services?

PTSD has no cure. You can avoind getting PTSD by not going to war, not to be beat up by your boyfriend or girlfriend. Domestic Violence can also give you PTSD not only going to war.

But the most stressfull soldier in the world are the American soldiers. Economically and Politically American soldiers are likely to have PTSD than any other soldiers in the world.

Thank you for this; many of us with PTSD from other situations–in my case, a violent childhood–are benefitting from the light being shed on the subject.

And, thank you for your service, veterans.

pam

My advice: soldiers, you know effective soldiers get training. Getting help for PTSD is getting trained to deal with the trauma. You wouldn’t go into battle untrained on your weapons, don’t go back home untrained for the next battle.

A smart American soldier will get help if he feels down or PTSD but some soldier already went to war with PTSD.

childhood experience from parents,divorce problems, child custody battle, debt and the list goes on.

The American government should win this battle against PTSD by helping fellow soldiers and battered people.

It is time the government should address this huge problems of emotional distress towards all Americans.

What a great show on PTSD, On Point. I’ve been worried about my step-grandson who was wounded in the battle for Felugia. He was a marine. He is no longer in the service, and says that he had nightmares for a while, but they have receded. He had a little counseling when he first came back, and always says he’s fine. I just hope so. I’m hoping he’ll read your book, Jeremiah Workman. Thank you so much for writing it. Thank you for your service, your bravery and courage, your leadership both in war and now in your efforts to enlighten us all about PTSD.

I married in 1988 to a man who had been a involved in a sect of Green Berets based in Ft. Hood Texas and at Ft. Bragg North Carolina. Being 22 years old and very small town, I had no idea what my husband had been through. His specialty had been anti-terriorist activity abroad. Back then what the heck did that really mean. Over our almost 9 years of being married many stories came out. My husband had PST. Would not go for a formal diagnosis, would not seek mental health services and kept most of what he had been involved with over the mid 80s to be sacred and secret. Our marriage dissoved. I feel like our family and home life was plagued by what your author called self-medication techniques and mental abuse of myself as a wife in a relationship with a very ill person. This is a sad reality of war, and anti-terrorism tactics used well before 911. Please do make this subject a spot light in the future. The more people who know about this and admit it and put the light onto the problem the less will suffer.
To the marine that wrote that book, great job and keep getting the word out.

The singular sympathy I feel for Sgt. Workman is that he was deceived into believing that U.S. imperialistic action in Iraq/Afghanistan was/is somehow noble and justified. I do sincerely hope the he can come to terms with his combat experiences and find healing.

However, let’s confront the facts. American military force has been used to invade and occupy two formerly sovereign nations. If America wasn’t waging these two false wars, then none of these tragedies would be happening. Can Sgt. Workman, or any other American, honestly say that s/he wouldn’t resist being invaded and occupied by foreign armed forces? The pretexts used to wage both of these wars are without merit. Yet, both wars continue, as does the collateral damage caused to innocent lives. Is this what America labels as “heroic”?

America waged these wars by choice, not necessity. An individual’s service in the military is likewise a choice. Workman’s story should be a warning to other prospective military volunteers, to consider all possible consequences carefully BEFORE signing your life away to serve, and be “owned” by, a corrupt imperialistic government with a less than honorable record of discretion in its use of military force upon others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6ffRkv9et0

I am Webmaster of “Vietnam Picture Tour,” pictures of a walk in “the park” grunts called Vietnam, with the 1st Air Cavalry on combat patrol, and know the demon PTSD quite well. I write about the beast so I can better deal with the trauma, through chilling reality of beaucoup combat action pictures and poignant poetry to leave the sweet and sour taste of “the Nam” pungent on your tongue, the smell of “the Nam” acrid in your nostrils, and textures of “the Nam” imbedded in you as though you walked beside me in combat.
Forty years ago I was sent by my rich uncle to work in his vineyards in a land all white and ready to harvest ~ hereinafter referred to as Vietnam. I served with B Co 2nd/7th 1st Air Cavalry ‘66 – ‘67, as a combat infantryman … we called ourselves “Grunts,” operating out of LZ Betty near beautiful downtown Phan Thiet, Vietnam. Mine was the same unit depicted in the Mel Gibson movie, “We Were Soldiers,” only I came along one year later.
Vietnam changed us all indelibly and forever. I’m now on 100% disability rating with an extra hole in my head, covered by a 3X4 inch plate, shrapnel the size of a quarter currently imbedded three inches into my brain … this traumatic brain injury all compliments of a trip wire booby trap that triggered a grenade, that in turn detonated an artillery round … and in the process completely ruined my whole day … April, 22, 1967, during combat operation in the boonies near Phan Rang, Vietnam.
pgriz@hotmail.com

Here in Grant County Oregon we have just concluded a trial in which an Iraq veteran was judged guilty but insane because of PTSD in the murder of a man. I am told that this is the first successful defense of a major crime by a vet suffering PTSD. Successful in that the vet will be sent for treatment instead of a jail cell for the rest of his life. It had all of the problems which your show illuminated. A real tradgedy all around. The consequences of war, especially this senseless war, are staggering.

It is healing to talk about the traumas of war, and to get the demons of combat that we warriors who have stood in battle have buried so deep, out in front of us, out on our terms where we can easier deal with them. I too was in denial about combat and its haunting memories. I could not bear to talk about it, and tried hard to just forget the trauma ever happened. That didn’t work well, but thinking about the memories was too painful … too confusing. I didn’t understand it, and could not get a handle on it … but it bedeviled my soul. When I finally came out of the closet of denial and started to write about it in 1999, 32 years after the Nam’s odyssey, it was healing. My poetry has meaning that transcends my cathartic writing … and not just for me.
I have also had several write me, saying upon viewing my site they were able to talk about “the Nam” for the first time with their families, where before they had not even been able to tell even their families anything about what they had seen and experienced in Vietnam. They told me they had pulled their entire family before the computer, and went through my pictures and words to show them “what Nam was like for them.” I have received so many letters from brothers-in-arms, like the one telling me, “Damn, you tell it just as I feel it. You echo the words in my head that I can’t express. I didn’t know anyone else thought the way I did.” Many tell me my words are also healing to them too, like the tough Marine tank sergeant who called me, telling me he was crying like a baby that someone else understood, and thanking me for helping him open up.
I write for them!
“How deeply PTSD war experiences affect veterans from war’s conflict, depends on how much blood he got on his hands, in direct proportion to how much of the blood was his enemies, his buddies, or his own.”

I was very touched by Sgt. Workman’s story, as well as the stories of those who called in.
I work in neurofeedback, which can be very helpful in undoing the neural networks that are formed from PTSD. It can also potentially help those suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
I just want those who are suffereing and those that have loved ones who are suffering to know that there is help for PTSD through neurofeedback. In fact, the company I work with, http://www.brainstatetech.com/ was founded by a man who was trying to resolve his own PTSD.
There have been small preliminary studies using Brain State Conditioning on PTSD sufferers and most make big improvements in about 12 sessions (although women take longer to treat, due to gender brain differences).
I hope those who read this will look into neurofeedback as a potential way to find peace and become fully functional again.

I commend Staff Sgt Workman for: 1) His service to our country, and 2) Having come forward to enlighten others on such an important topic. As a retired naval officer, I am pleased in general to see advancements in the care of our veterans for those who need it most. There’s more to be done, true, and not just by those in the military and veterans’ communities. Demand leadership of your elected representatives to work toward (not just promise) improved, comprehensive health care for veterans. And support shouldn’t end with government. Encourage business leaders to hire the qualified veterans they otherwise would but for fear of latent PTSD issues. I said “our” country and “our” veterans — the burden these young people are being asked to bear on our behalf is ours to assist with. And don’t forget those who have gone before them. Do your duty; make a difference where you can. And to you professionals already assisting: As the military saying goes – Good on ya…!

Staff Sgt. Workman deserves our thanks for his service and his willingness to share his story with his follow veterans. As citizens, we owe it to our men and women coming back from theses wars to support them and encourage them to seek care and help when they need it. And the same can be said for their families.
There is a new program called the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program that is helping servicemen and women, and their families, who are experiencing difficulties with reintegration stresse, ptsd and traumatic brain injuries. If you or someone you know needs help visit http://www.homebaseprogram.org to learn more.
Back in the US, we can only truly understand a fraction of what our veterans have been through, but we certainly owe them any support we can give.

Sad story but i believe is very helpful, there been a few guys in my old reserve unit that suffer from it but were afraid to get help cause of the unit sigma that follows i hoped they listen to the show and get help.

Thanks,

I wonder how many women who have PTSD seek help- vs men? Was this addressed at all? It seems like women in most situations are more likely to be open about what is bothering them, and seek guidance and help form others. are there any stats on this?There must be many women who have been traumatized form war experiences in Vietnam as nurses and Iraq who come home to raise families.

Tough break, but not unexpected considering the nature of war. Time heals most wounds so I’m sure this guy and others like him will get better.

This is so heartbreaking. Yet I’m so proud of him. I can relate since I have PTSD too.

I’m so glad that Iraq War vets are speaking out, politicizing, and forcing the government to provide them with help. What was left out of this conversation was that trauma research is predicated on work done with Vietnam Vets.

My PTSD stems from a totally different source: extreme abuse throughout childhood. I don’t talk about my PTSD in public, and rarely even in private. This is for the same reason that vets don’t feel comfortable talking about it. It’s seen as a weakness. It would affect my educational and professional potential.

I think it’s a mistake to talk about PTSD in vets without talking about the many populations who suffer from it: people like me with abuse histories, refugees, war victims. There is such a need to deal with this issue, beyond even this discussion.

My son is a US Army helicopter pilot who has been twice to Iraq for a total of 27 months and will go again next spring.

I just read the 1st chapter from Sgt Workman’s book that you posted on your website. I was shocked and dismayed to read the following narrow- minded, simplistic and bigoted statement that he made in his book:

“My friends and neighbors all hailed from hardworking, blue-collar stock; the kind of Americans who have quietly held this country together generation after generation. They aren’t revered as they should be anymore, and the blue-blood Eastern city folk look down their noses at us Red-Staters, but the fact is, the heart of America beats in towns like Richwood, whether the elites want to admit it or not.”

I suggest Mr Workman visit some of the larger cities in our country, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Denver,Seattle etc etc,so that he can meet some of the hard-working people who live in these cities and try telling them that to their faces. To divide the country into the increasingly dwindling number of people from small rural towns and the also extremely small number of people from blue blood eastern backgrounds is to miss the 95% middle and lower middle class American people who live in large and very large cities. Does one have to live in a small town and/or grow up on a farm to be considered a real American? What absolute baloney.

I sure appreciated the interview with SSGT Workman. I am an army vet, W. Germany in the early 60s as a flight operations specialist. I also washed out of the warrant officer pilot program at Ft Rucker, Alabama, in 1964. Most of my classmates who earned their wings went to Vietnam and several were casualties. One survivor is Robert Mason who wrote ‘Chickenhawk’ about his tour as a pilot and his wife, Patience, was or may still be involved with the wives of veterans helping them deal with their loved ones. Another source is a new book by Derek McGinnis, “Exit Wounds: A Survival Guide to Pain Management for Returning Veterans”…reviewed in the SD Union, 11-15-09. Thanks, we appreciate your service, Staff Sergeant. Thanks, Mr. Ashbrook

The program with Sgt. Jeremiah Workman on November 17 focusing on PTSD was powerful. The deep and painful emotion heard in the voices on that program had a very sobering affect on me. We all certainly do have to become more aware of PTSD and realize that this is one of the real unspoken, long term costs of war that seems unable to be kept in focus when war and the deployment of troops are considered. The hurt, sadness, misery, anger and anxiety in those voices of those heard on the program will resonate with me for a long time. Hopefully, the need for quality services to meet the needs of those suffering from PTSD will be understood and provided.

While I have compassion for anyone suffering from PTSD, having been through a horrible car accident, I have to ask “what does one expect” if they make the choice to enter into a war environment. While the author complains that his sister is “uneducated” by believing PTSD does not exist, even worse is the author’s surprise and naivete’ that he could go into the military and a war environment, and not suffer some sort of psychic damage. Why aren’t guys like this using their insight to fight for the cessation of war? We have plenty off examples from history to help us predict what happens to an individual’s mind in/following combat. Also, the suffering he is experiencing is probably a fraction of the trauma experienced by residents of Felujah, but in all of his discussion, I hear no revelation of empathy for them. I truly believe that we are all accountable for our decisions, and his decision to go into war does not create the obligation for me to have to support the system required for him to heal from his self inflicted psychic damage. That should be the responsibility of those who promote the outdated notion off war.

What an awesome show, a disturbing subject, and a warm and compassionate job by Tom Ashbrook. I was moved to tears hearing the stories told by those who called in. I immediately set out to find the book written by Sgt. Workman. I’m going to ask all of my children and wife to listen to this show on line!
War IS horrible. What a shame that we went into Iraq and are still there!

You should have mentioned that in WWI the disorder now called PTSD was called “shell shock,” and up to and in WWII it was named “battle fatigue.”

Glenn Stoutt, MD