PTSD in the Age of War

By Sage Breslin, Ph.D. and Tom Smith, Ph.D.

Copyrighted and posted with permission of the authors.

 

For the last two decades, I have been providing Trauma Recovery services to the general population. I have published books, articles and courses, and treated more patients than I can count. Until now, trauma has referred in large part, to survivors of domestic abuse and violence. Now, as a result of the country’s involvement in wars on foreign soil, trauma has come to mean something far different than when I started doing this work.

Many of the atrocities experienced by those we treat now occur in the context of war. The diagnosis of PTSD is provided commonly for the first time since the inception of the diagnosis itself. But, even when diagnosed with PTSD, many of our warriors go untreated, and fall victim to obsessive thoughts of self-harm in the dark hours that eventually dissolve into suicide. We are losing our fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, friends and colleagues at an alarming rate. Trapped in their experience of war and violence, replaying the actions of self and others inside their minds, they are engaging in permanent solutions to what may be temporary states.

Not only is it imperative that we make new choices about our investment in foreign conflicts, but we must also stand by the men and women who have served for those of us who remained behind on relatively safe grounds. And, for those of us that practice the healing arts, we must uncover and learn effective treatments to relieve our warriors of the burdens they have carried back home.

Many of us have been touched by violence. Many of us know PTSD personally. Dr. Tom Smith shares his very poignant and personal story below in a letter to Dr. Paul Fisher, Regional Suicide Prevention Coordinator, Department of Veteran’s Affairs..

Dear Dr. Fisher,

My family has asked me to write to you regarding my observations and concerns regarding the suicide of my nephew, Army Veteran Robert Woody.

Firstly, let me introduce myself:

Tom Smith, Ph,D.
940 Bay Street, No. 19
San Francisco, CA 94109-1132
Tel: 415 441.7566

I have been a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist for 32 years and received my doctorate in psychology 1996. I have worked both in clinical settings in a variety of venues in which I was required to assess for suicidality and also in the academic settings of teaching undergraduates and graduate psychology students.

CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND

Pertinent to this situation is my four years of experience working with the United States Navy as a civilian on board ships in port and at sea as an instructor and counselor. I recall being on the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) during their WESTPAC deployment of 1984. I was teaching and a credentialed counselor certified by the Medical Department during that arduous deployment. I was responsible for assessing at least two shipmates for suicide and psychosis and determined that they were a danger to themselves and others and after my report was signed off by the

Commanding Medical Officer, they were sent home from our station off the coast of Oman.

It was also during this time as we were preparing to return home after some 7 months at sea, that the “Dear John” letters began to come in from wives and women friends announcing that there was no furniture, car, house or home to return to; that all the money sent home was spent, or that their significant other was in a new relationship, or more bluntly, that there were divorce papers waiting for them. This was my first experience with manipulative women who preyed upon emotionally vulnerable young men for economic gain. Many of these men were greatly disturbed and suicidal or homicidal.

I received a “Letter of Commendation” from the Command for my service above and beyond my assigned duties.

MY GENERAL UNDERSTANDING

I understand that 101st ABN, Spc. Robert Woody, A1/320th F. A. BN (veteran now) served tours in Korea and Iraq and that after he was discharged from the military was diagnosed with PTSD and severe emotional problems and never fully adjusted to civilian life. I understand that he was married to one of these exploitive women who prey upon vulnerable young men and was in the process of a very messy, vituperative divorce. I also understand that he was told that he had a son by this woman and that whether the child is his or not is now in dispute and court ordered DNA testing is pending because she was carrying on an affair while Robert was in Iraq and also while going through the uncompleted divorce. Furthermore, I have read a year’s worth of blog postings by this woman on her “MySpace” site about Robert that were provocative, reprehensible, shameless and encouraging him to kill himself. These posting became evermore virulent as the time of the suicide approached and have been submitted to the Clarksville PD. See photo below. I also understand that this woman got a restraining order against Robert and then invited him over to her house and then called the police to say that he was stalking her. In the month before he killed himself, he was arrested at least twice. On Robert’s “MySpace” blog he specifically said that he tried to shoot himself once with a shotgun, but it jammed. Also, in the section called “general interests” his post said, “none, my life is over”.

Then, on June 4, 2008, the Wednesday before he took his life, I received a phone call from my sister, his mother, that she was worried about his deteriorating mental condition. I asked her what was going on and then I asked if he had a gun and she replied that he had a shotgun. On that day, I expressed a great fear that he was going to kill himself. My sister informed me that he was to go to the VA on Friday to get some help. I do not know if he kept his appointment, but were he a client of mine I would have asked him if he was thinking of hurting himself, if he had a method and the means and if so, put him on a 5150 hold. Sadly, upon returning from church on Sunday, June 8, I received the news that he blew his brains out.

OBSERVATIONS AND CONCERNS

Every suicide is personal and unique and usually difficult to understand (not so much in this case). Suicides do not happen “out of the blue”. There are catalysts for suicide: Broken, dysfunctional relationships; financial difficulties; employment problems; getting arrested and other legal problems; and predatory relationships from which there is economic gain in the event of the death of the party from which the gain may be sought. Robert met all of these criteria. So, some questions remain: Did the VA miss something here? Was he assessed properly? (In my imagination, I see tired people on a Friday wanting to go home). Why was I able to assess the situation accurately over the phone from 2000 miles away? Was his incredibly dysfunctional psychosocial relationship identified as a powerful catalyst to his impulsive action? Did this woman, who is now seeking financial gain from the VA, plan to push him into this and thus attempt to fraudulently realize profit? Is she entitled to anything? Is she culpable legally for aiding and abetting a suicide? Certainly, after reading her year’s worth of venomous slander and hate, she is indeed morally culpable. Is she responsible for a wrongful death? What role does the VA play in the aftermath of this horrific tragedy? Finally, what can be done to assess and counsel our young warriors long before they return home and long after they return home regarding adjustment, relationships, suicide and murder and the long time it takes to overcome and come to grips with the “demons” that may possess them after witnessing or being a part of killing people and being separated from civilian life for protracted periods of time and then quickly returning to a nonmilitary environment?

This has been a very difficult letter to write. I will be forwarding a copy of this missive to the Department of Veterans Affairs in Nashville, TN, Detective Tim Finley of the Clarksville Police Department, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi and also to my Senator Barbara Boxer both who have already been apprised of the situation and have responded to my initial shock and outrage regarding the apparent “epidemic” of suicides among our valiant men and women who serve our great country.

Thank you for your consideration.

Most respectfully,

Tom Smith Ph.D., MFT 13583 (California)
“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give”.
— Sir Winston Churchill