Welcome to PTSD Combat.
Welcome Home! It is in times of war that the plight of the warrior is most in focus, when a typically uninterested public once again begins to gaze upon the interests of those who wear the uniform. It should also be a time for the rest of us to reconfirm our responsibility as a nation to the care and support of those who've sacrificed and served. Here's a brief bit of background on me and my work: In December 2007, I was greatly honored to have the opportunity of testifying before Congress at a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on returning veteran suicide. While not an "expert" on what Afghanistan and Iraq veterans and their families face after combat deployment when I began researching the topic in the summer of 2005, I've learned a lot over three years and counting of study and immersion. Although I transitioned to full-time blogging on this issue in September 2005 (I'd been writing online pieces in various communities since the Columbia shuttle disaster in February 2003), PTSD Combat started up officially in February 2006. Its creation was fueled by both the desire to have all of the data I was amassing in one place for easy access by myself and interested others like you, and a feeling that traditional media sources, in 2005 and the years following 9/11, were dropping the ball. The stories I was finding (and collecting in the ePluribus Media PTSD Timeline) needed to be brought to the attention of the American public, and I was fortunate to find many who extended their help and skills in that purpose. While there's very little glory (and very little sleep) in this type of work, it's been rewarding to no end: especially when considering the opportunity to meet and work with the best hearts and minds that envelop the combat PTSD issue. I thank them all, and I thank you. My hope is that, with our combined efforts, we can better understand what our returning veterans have been through; be caring enough to be there for them in the way they and their families need; and smart enough to know that they have much to teach us. They reflect the very best -- and, yes, at times, the very worst -- of our nation's soul. A quote from Thich Nhat Hahn, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who worked tirelessly for reconciliation between North and South Vietnam during the Vietnam war: "Veterans are the light at the tip of the candle, illuminating the way for the whole nation. If veterans can achieve awareness, transformation, understanding, and peace, they can share with the rest of society the realities of war. And they can teach us how to make peace with ourselves and each other, so we never have to use violence to resolve conflicts again." Thank you for stopping in. In peace,
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