birthday boy
Was watching a PBS special (Frontline I think) about the postwar stress syndrome...is it post-traumatic stress syndrome, or is that more of a general term for other traumatic situations? I can't remember now, it's some 4-letter acronym. It was still both interesting and disturbing, these tough Marines talking about how they'd have panic attacks, or get depressed, and how the military reacted by more or less shrugging it off, or worse, berating them for being weak, or as one Marine said he was called, a "fucking pussy" for not wanting to go back into combat. One was discharged from the military and charged with cowardice when facing the enemy, or something like that. Another killed himself after months on leave with heavy drinking and depression and refusing to seek help. It makes me wonder if a) the military isn't screening people well enough before sending them into combat, as in perhaps these guys never should've been sent to Iraq in the first place, or b) modern society in general encourages people to be more emotional and sensitive, even if society doesn't SAY they should be. Or maybe such reactions were just always counted as cowardice in the past, and people either dealt with it, or didn't survive it.
Or maybe I'm thinking too much about it.
It does give me a new insight into my sci-fi book's main character, who was a soldier. Definitely need to read up more on it, and work it into the story. I think he should have some sort of postwar syndrome, but not a crippling sort. But now I'm getting more into rambling that fits better in my writing journal, which is a paper journal, and upstairs at the moment. It'll give me something to write about on the bus on the way home tomorrow. Well, today.
p.s. anita - i have a lj! it's my rambly place. i like to think the journal here is a bit more thought-provoking...anyway see "daily blues" in links. :)
