In honor of Veterans' Day -- hey, every day should be Veterans Day, but we're not so lucky -- there's an important story to let people know about, because it so stands out from the crowd, in more ways than one.
In the wake of a recent apparent suicide by a top military officer, Air Force Brigadier General Thomas Tinsley, from unknown causes, this general's admission about his personal struggle with PTSD is all that much amazing.
"Officers just don't get PTSD," one combat-hardened Vietnam-era veteran told me recently, knowing full well that it's not so much that they don't get PTSD, but that there's no real way to admit that they struggle with it.
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An Associated Press report from the weekend talks about Army Maj. Gen. David Blackledge's courage to come forward, after returning from Iraq, and getting psychiatric help to deal with the trauma of war. As the article says, by doing so, Blackledge is (fortunately) "defying the military's culture of silnece on the subject of mental health problems and treatment."
Says Blackledge, quoted in the article, "It's part of our profession ... nobody wants to admit that they've got a weakness in this area," Blackledge said of mental health problems among troops returning from America's two wars. "I have dealt with it. I'm dealing with it now," said Blackledge, who came home with post-traumatic stress. "We need to be able to talk about it."
The article focuses on the perceived "stigma" in the military culture about admitting there is a problem, seeking help and getting treated -- as well as indications that some positive change is afoot in this area. Blackledge, who served in Civil Affairs in Iraq, and now works at the Pentagon, is clearly leading by example. He was involved in several traumatic incidents in Iraq -- his convoy was ambushed, his driver was killed, and he was in a hotel that was bombed by suicide bombers -- and he's successfully sought help dealing with the incidents, help which he believes has strengthened him.
Given that we all pretty much know the statistics of how few people seek treatment vs. the ones who should, as well as how pervasive the culture of silence and fear of retribution is, it's GREAT to see Maj. Gen. Blackledge's openness -- and on this Veterans' Day, we can only hope it encourages many other servicemembers to go for help. The article is linked here. (Thanks to veteran John M. for the heads up!)
Editor's note: That's Maj. Gen. Blackledge 2nd from left in the photo, standing just to the right of Bob Dole, in this picture from a charity fundraiser for the Jericho Project.
