"Plus ca change; plus c'est le meme chose." Translated from the French, that means, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." All too true when it comes to combat trauma and PTSD, as well.
The other day I was reading an award-winning newspaper story by a colleague, where he profiled a World War II veteran, now in his mid-80s. The Army infantryman veteran saw an awful lot of action with the 79th U.S. Infantry Unit liberating Cherbourg. He says, "The casualties were fierce. I ended up as the only officer left in the company. One was killed, the rest were injured." He continues, "I was just a little kid from college. With my pink cheeks, I looked like I was about 12. But I took over the company. Then, I went to sleep, because I hadn't slept in three or four days, and I'd been injured." Tellingly, he adds: "There were 200 soldiers in the company," when he went to sleep, but, "when I woke up, I could only find six..."
Here's what the veteran said about combat trauma, as he became aware of it at the time, along with the lead-in to it by the journalist:
"The fear of coming home in a body bag could cause many men to tremble."
"One of the company executive officers went into a catatonic trance. Boom! The first day," said [the veteran]. "You never knew what would set somebody off or what their limit was. You got guys who can handle it all and others who struggle and struggle and then just go over the edge and they're gone."
"Crying, weeping and lying on the ground and hugging your feet. You had to be careful not to judge them. Everybody reacts different[ly] to a situation."
Wisdom, indeed.
