While I have immense compassion for those in the military who suffer the effects of PTSD, or any other negative consequences of their experiences as soldiers, including Track Palin, i can't help but wonder what contribution having Sarah Palin as your mother contributes to Track's trauma and behavior.
23
I am sorry but I find it very contradictory for the New York Times to publish this op-ed because in the past it has published reports and similar op-eds that discuss the violence resulting from PTSD. This op-ed is a political statement more than anything else. Thank you.
9
Bethea wrote, “Many veterans who did not seek care before leaving the military (or who were expelled from it) do not have this privilege.”
Veterans who did not seek care before being discharged should be able to receive care.
Regarding Palin and her comment, she is an embarrassment and her comment reflects more her hatred for President Obama than her ignorance.
Veterans who did not seek care before being discharged should be able to receive care.
Regarding Palin and her comment, she is an embarrassment and her comment reflects more her hatred for President Obama than her ignorance.
81
Excellent article. Too bad Ms Palin won't or can't read it.
65
What a lovely piece of writing Nate :) Completely translating your experience into something a reader could perhaps grab the edges of. I hope you continue to find your voice and soul.
40
What a wonderfully brave story! I wish that it would have some effect on Sarah Palin, but she is too pig-headed and vindictive to take responsibility for her fatuous, sweeping pronouncements. Kudos, though, to Nate Bethea, speaking not only about himself but for other vets suffering from PTSD and who deserve our compassion. Unlike Ms Palin, Nate Bethea never plays the "blame" card.
39
Thank you for this beautiful, insightful piece, Mr. Bethea.
Many years ago, I lived with a Viet Nam veteran. He was a decent, intelligent, tortured soul, and he suffered from an undiagnosed case of PTSD. He couldn't stand to be in crowded places; he saw danger everywhere. He barely slept. He'd jerk awake at night, reaching frantically around under the covers for his M16, which of course wasn't there. I asked him to go to counseling. He'd say, "I'm not ready to sit around with a bunch of guys and cry about things that happened 25 years ago." Your article made me wonder if he ever sought help. Best to you, sir.
Many years ago, I lived with a Viet Nam veteran. He was a decent, intelligent, tortured soul, and he suffered from an undiagnosed case of PTSD. He couldn't stand to be in crowded places; he saw danger everywhere. He barely slept. He'd jerk awake at night, reaching frantically around under the covers for his M16, which of course wasn't there. I asked him to go to counseling. He'd say, "I'm not ready to sit around with a bunch of guys and cry about things that happened 25 years ago." Your article made me wonder if he ever sought help. Best to you, sir.
34
Mr. Behea, thank you, sir, thank you. Both for your service and for you courage in speaking out and helping your fellow veterans.
My friends who served in Vietnam say they have dealt with any symptoms by using cannabis. I would never encourage someone to try that, but I am hopeful that with the relaxation of felony laws surrounding the herb studies might be done to determine if their reactions are just theirs, or might be more generalized in our population.
"she intimated that her son’s actions are logical consequences of what he experienced", just a nit pick here; Palin doesn't even have a passing acquaintance with logic. Just sayin'.....
My friends who served in Vietnam say they have dealt with any symptoms by using cannabis. I would never encourage someone to try that, but I am hopeful that with the relaxation of felony laws surrounding the herb studies might be done to determine if their reactions are just theirs, or might be more generalized in our population.
"she intimated that her son’s actions are logical consequences of what he experienced", just a nit pick here; Palin doesn't even have a passing acquaintance with logic. Just sayin'.....
21
Thank you for sharing your experience as a soldier. I am humbled by your words. Keep talking to help heal all of us.
25
I worry about the collective PTSD the nation might suffer if Sarah Palin's preferred candidate is ever elected.
But she was never the sharpest knife around, even if she is a cunning one.
But she was never the sharpest knife around, even if she is a cunning one.
27
Thank you for writing this, Nate. Peace brother.
17
Thank you for writing about your experience with PTSD and your thoughts on Sarah Palin's comments. It so important that this issue comes to the forefront and the best people to talk about it are the ones who are going or have gone through it. It is also important to keep the conversation from becoming political or negative and to focus on what needs to be done and how we can help as we keep trying to understand PTSD.
18
Excellent piece. Clear and from the heart.
Thank you! Politicians like Sarah Palin who perch on your shoulders for self gain should be ashamed.
Thank you! Politicians like Sarah Palin who perch on your shoulders for self gain should be ashamed.
35
Thanks for this important response to Palin's statement.
As a veteran of the "American War" in Vietnam, a battalion surgeon there and one who also is a writer/poet and works with local veteran writers much as the author Bethea does in Voices From War, I'd like to offer this take:
PTS is a normal reaction to trauma, not a "mental illness". Any human and most animals for that matter, would react in the same way to psychological trauma. PTS involves anatomical and chemical changes in normal brains that persist for months...years...and perhaps a lifetime...hence PTS is a "normal" response to trauma. PTS is, of course not limited to those in combat and in fact is present in most who have experienced trauma from accidents, terrible childhood exposures, etc. to physical/moral/psychological trauma. First responders experience PTS and moral trauma big time.
Sometimes, moral trauma associated with PTS can lead to consequences that are much worse than PTS alone...i. e. suicidal thoughts (I'm not worthy of help, I want to die.) Veteran suicide rates are sky high, moreso from the aspect of moral trauma than PTS. But the point is, PTS is not abnormal. In fact, if the military adopted a program to "de-boot (camp)" our veterans for the same time period it took to "bootcamp" them, the incidence or PTS and moral injury might be greatly reduced. Instead, our quys and gals are dumped back in to family, jobs and the rest of society to fend for themselves...that's NOT normal.
As a veteran of the "American War" in Vietnam, a battalion surgeon there and one who also is a writer/poet and works with local veteran writers much as the author Bethea does in Voices From War, I'd like to offer this take:
PTS is a normal reaction to trauma, not a "mental illness". Any human and most animals for that matter, would react in the same way to psychological trauma. PTS involves anatomical and chemical changes in normal brains that persist for months...years...and perhaps a lifetime...hence PTS is a "normal" response to trauma. PTS is, of course not limited to those in combat and in fact is present in most who have experienced trauma from accidents, terrible childhood exposures, etc. to physical/moral/psychological trauma. First responders experience PTS and moral trauma big time.
Sometimes, moral trauma associated with PTS can lead to consequences that are much worse than PTS alone...i. e. suicidal thoughts (I'm not worthy of help, I want to die.) Veteran suicide rates are sky high, moreso from the aspect of moral trauma than PTS. But the point is, PTS is not abnormal. In fact, if the military adopted a program to "de-boot (camp)" our veterans for the same time period it took to "bootcamp" them, the incidence or PTS and moral injury might be greatly reduced. Instead, our quys and gals are dumped back in to family, jobs and the rest of society to fend for themselves...that's NOT normal.
41
Nate, thank you for your service to our country. I honor you and your process. I wish you the peace and comfort you seek and deserve.
12
PTSD my foot. The kid is a criminal who cannot control himself.
30
Bravo, sir. Your essay ably proves to us that PTSD can be fixed
and that Sarah Palin's ignorance can't.
B/2nd/319th Arty,101st ABN
and that Sarah Palin's ignorance can't.
B/2nd/319th Arty,101st ABN
34
This is an exceptionally well written and thought provoking article that allows the reader a glimpse of life with PTSD. Thank you.
12
This was a beautiful, thoughtful, intelligent, and important piece that I hope is read and spread widely. By describing what PTSD feels like, you help make it seem manageable. And because you - so obviously a smart, talented, caring, and successful person - found help through mental health services, you are an inspiration for anyone (and everyone) to do the same. Thank you -
95
Thanks so much for describing your experiences. That was truly helpful to my understanding of what PTSD can feel like. May you be happy. May you be well. Best, JR
8
This is an excellent piece by Nate Bethea. The hate-filled remarks that come out of the “Right” are truly bewildering. PTSD has been around in wartime forever. It had just been called by different names. And the benefits of seeking help, sand actually getting treatment, are just recently becoming more common place.
Mr. Bethea is right in that blaming PTSD for Track Palin’s domestic abuse problems, truly is an over-reach, albeit a politically convenient one. And how do we know that Mr. Palin even has PTSD at all? Given all of the absurd activities that have been demonstrated by that family, since Sen. John McCain “:discovered” her, I would suggest that Mr. Palin’s problems could just as easily be connected to poor parenting.
But, I do praise Mr. Bethea for revealing his service-connected problems with PTSD, and his speaking-out, and advising his fellow Vets that help is available. Any Vet who served in a war zone does receive a certain amount of priority in getting medical and mental health care.
http://thetruthoncommonsense.com
Mr. Bethea is right in that blaming PTSD for Track Palin’s domestic abuse problems, truly is an over-reach, albeit a politically convenient one. And how do we know that Mr. Palin even has PTSD at all? Given all of the absurd activities that have been demonstrated by that family, since Sen. John McCain “:discovered” her, I would suggest that Mr. Palin’s problems could just as easily be connected to poor parenting.
But, I do praise Mr. Bethea for revealing his service-connected problems with PTSD, and his speaking-out, and advising his fellow Vets that help is available. Any Vet who served in a war zone does receive a certain amount of priority in getting medical and mental health care.
http://thetruthoncommonsense.com
26
Thank you for your important letter that reminds us of the importance of not exploiting certain events for political gain. When Sarah Palin crows, “It makes me realize more than ever it is now or never for the sake of America’s finest that we have that commander in chief that will respect them and honor them,” perhaps we could reply, "The best way for a commander in chief to show respect and honor to our military women and me is to not send them to war, the breeding ground for PTSD, unless it is absolutely necessary."
26
Well said...many more veterans with PTSD will benefit from your words in this article than from Mrs. Palin's. Signed//A proud veteran
84
Mr.Bethea (too modest to give your rank) :Your insight, clarity and vulnerability produced an incredible piece- all the mores so for having been written in the few days since Palin's remarks. I hope you will not worry about graduate school or jobs- you are strong & gifted. Most of all, your courage has served your comrades and your nation one again. This man needs an agent and a book contract !!
17
How dare she. I am reminded of an old Flip Wilson line... "the devil made me do it". Opportunistic. Disgusting. The party of family values and personal responsibility. Oh the hypocrisy.
20
Perhaps poor parenting is what ails the Palin kids
20
What an excellent article. Mr Bethea is a superb, insightful writer, addressing an issue he knows all too well and helping the rest of us understand it much better.
7
In all of the legitimate criticism of Sarah Palin, not much has been made of her having guns in the house. She and her husband would be wise to get rid of them before her emotionally unstable son shoots himself or someone else. He already threatened his girlfriend with a gun. What rational person thinks keeping guns in the house is a good idea?
Even the gun-rights crowd agrees mentally unstable people should be prevented from getting their hands on guns. That doesn't just mean not allowing them to buy guns. It means not having guns in the house. Had Adam Lanza's mother not had guns in her home, Newtown might not have happened.
Mrs. Palin could actually do something positive for her family by getting rid of guns before it's too late. Blaming Obama for her son's emotional problems is ridiculous, of course, but keeping guns in the home is just plain stupid.
Even the gun-rights crowd agrees mentally unstable people should be prevented from getting their hands on guns. That doesn't just mean not allowing them to buy guns. It means not having guns in the house. Had Adam Lanza's mother not had guns in her home, Newtown might not have happened.
Mrs. Palin could actually do something positive for her family by getting rid of guns before it's too late. Blaming Obama for her son's emotional problems is ridiculous, of course, but keeping guns in the home is just plain stupid.
23
I really agree with this op-ed. I am a Vietnam veteran suffering from agent orange problems. I received 100% disability some 38 years after my return home in 1969. I am lucky and I too thank the VA for caring enough about me. Part of my disability is 30% disability for PTSD. I was a corpsman with Golf Company, 2nd Bn., 3rd Marines in 1968 and 1969. Thanks for speaking out so clearly and forcefully for those affected. John
17
how callous, i thought, of that shrill politician to use PTSD as a political trope. How callous of our country to send the same people again and again into battle, in questionable and endless wars with dubious goals and ill-defined objectives. and how convenient that the still-disengaged American people have another choice to make -- one that can make a lot of difference in the lives of the military and the conscience of the nation.
When I hear the Republican candidates calling for more, stronger, direct military action across the middle of the world, I think about those who won't come home, and those who wont come back to the home they left.
When I hear the Republican candidates calling for more, stronger, direct military action across the middle of the world, I think about those who won't come home, and those who wont come back to the home they left.
27
A beautifully written piece. The lost art of writing could not have found a better soldier to express the importance of writing itself. By sharing your experience and your knowledge, you have educated the public on this most distressing result of service to our country. May this mark the beginning of more responsible comments regarding the consequences of war among us all including those who aspire to public office.
10
Thanks for writing about your experience, especially your initial experience return to the bike co-op and the symptoms it brought out. Your piece adds detail to the road soldiers travel as they transition back to the day to day of civilian life.
Choosing to use our military is a solemn choice, war is about killing, a burden is placed on everyone involved, a pact is formed between society and the soldiers who defend us. When soldiers return they must be given every support possible as they transition back to civilian life. Politicians who wave around PTSD, or reduce funding for the Veterans Administration need to be called out, best done by those who served / continue to serve when they are active in public conversation.
War is unfortunately part of the human experience. Society benefits when soldiers share their experience, remind people of the sacred duty they performed and our debt to them.
Choosing to use our military is a solemn choice, war is about killing, a burden is placed on everyone involved, a pact is formed between society and the soldiers who defend us. When soldiers return they must be given every support possible as they transition back to civilian life. Politicians who wave around PTSD, or reduce funding for the Veterans Administration need to be called out, best done by those who served / continue to serve when they are active in public conversation.
War is unfortunately part of the human experience. Society benefits when soldiers share their experience, remind people of the sacred duty they performed and our debt to them.
4
Speaking about your own mental illness can be agonizing, and you have done so beautifully. You've not only done a great service by helping all readers better understand PTSD, but you've made it that much easier for us to have productive, candid conversations about mental illness generally. Articles like these are the small steps forward that will, in aggregate, lead to larger social change. Thanks.
7
Thank you for being brave and writing this articulate piece. It is shameful that Palin appropriated this as an excuse for her son's reprehensible behaviour. You have more integrity than she could dream of possessing.
12
I'm grateful that you chose to speak out, as the silence around mental health difficulties only drags out the painful situation for individuals and society. We need to shine a light on this shared human challenge, and chase a way the stigma that keeps so much pain firmly in place.
3
Thank you for mentioning those non-combatants who suffer from PTSD. While the diagnosis is widely known and accepted as a virulent aftermath of the terrors of war, there are indeed millions who suffer from this condition and don't even know it: rape survivors, those who suffered sexual and physical and psychological abuse. Those feelings of overwhelm, the metaphor you so aptly use of problems being magnified, are endured for years, decades, and maybe, sadly, even over a lifetime for most suffering from PTSD. Sadly, for many, life is a thing to get through, not to enjoy. If only mental health and the need for treatment weren't such a shameful topic, people could get the help they need and our society would, no doubt, be much, much richer in ways we can only imagine.
5
This is excellent and extremely important. "I've managed to improve my symptoms by seeking counseling, avoiding destructive behaviors and writing about my experiences". This could well apply to other categories of those who experience mental anguish. Ironically, by having an outlet, a way of expressing oneself, symptoms are greatly alleviated. Yet, as the writer details, stigma prevents this very beneficial option. Perhaps it should be assumed that all serving in the theater of war can benefit from psychiatric services and that such "treatment" should be automatic and common place and normal.
6
In typical Palin/Trump doublespeak Ms. Palin claim Obama nas no compassion for the suffering experienced by our military while she promises to send troops to the Middle East in large numbers.
19
Very well written and sincere. I'm always encouraged when veterans reinvent themselves and develop new talents after service.
5
We should never send our people to war unless we are in eminent danger. Bring back the draft and give us an amendment to our constitution. All wars should be fully funded with tax increases, that includes health care and jobs for our vets.
10
This is one of the best OpEds I have ever read. Thank you immeasurably for sharing your experience and perspective with such a clear message.
7
If only Sarah Palin cared enough about her own son to become an advocate for reasonable mental health treatment. It might help many people.
But she seems bent on using her son's illness as a way to attack Obama and ultimately end his efforts to improve mental health.
Show me one Republican who is trying to improve mental health in a way that is not really a smoke screen for attacking Obama or lowering taxes?
But she seems bent on using her son's illness as a way to attack Obama and ultimately end his efforts to improve mental health.
Show me one Republican who is trying to improve mental health in a way that is not really a smoke screen for attacking Obama or lowering taxes?
22
Nate,
Thanks for speaking out. By your act of bravery writing this op-ed you've already inspired others to reach out. I'm a Marine Corps Vietnam vet, and have owned my own successful marketing business for over 35 years. I need to say you can be successful in business, but I'm still dragging along the mental/moral injuries of war I suffered in 1968-69. You can't escape it.
My wife of over 35 years finally talked me into going to the VA for an assessment. Three month ago I was diagnosed with PTSD rated at 30%. I've learned how to live with it, but the best part of having my PTSD confirmed is knowing the feelings I have to deal with were caused by something out of my control. It's such a relief. And for the first time in a long while I felt proud of myself when the VA counselor assessing me commented he couldn't believe how well I was functioning after the events I had to deal with in Vietnam. My point is it's never to late to ask for some relief, and if it makes it any easier I was very impressed by the folks I spoke with at the VA. I wasn't expecting it.
Semper Fi. Ted
Thanks for speaking out. By your act of bravery writing this op-ed you've already inspired others to reach out. I'm a Marine Corps Vietnam vet, and have owned my own successful marketing business for over 35 years. I need to say you can be successful in business, but I'm still dragging along the mental/moral injuries of war I suffered in 1968-69. You can't escape it.
My wife of over 35 years finally talked me into going to the VA for an assessment. Three month ago I was diagnosed with PTSD rated at 30%. I've learned how to live with it, but the best part of having my PTSD confirmed is knowing the feelings I have to deal with were caused by something out of my control. It's such a relief. And for the first time in a long while I felt proud of myself when the VA counselor assessing me commented he couldn't believe how well I was functioning after the events I had to deal with in Vietnam. My point is it's never to late to ask for some relief, and if it makes it any easier I was very impressed by the folks I spoke with at the VA. I wasn't expecting it.
Semper Fi. Ted
20
Everything Palin touches becomes toxic. I only wish Mr. Bethea could face Palin on national television to finally put her in her place. I commend the Times for publishing this essential information.
12
In a war there has to be an undisputed winner and a loser....otherwise the war continues. Any time an outside arbitrator or mediator steps in and declares peace...it merely fuels the flames of war. This is simply the vile nature of mankind.
Yes, it takes brutality to bring about peace, right? Brutality such as:
World War I
Killed: 16 Million soldiers and civilians (all sides)
World War II
Killed: 60 Million soldiers and civilians (all sides)
Korean War
Killed: 1 1/2 plus Million soldiers and civilians (all sides)
Vietnam War
Killed: 1 1/2 Million soldiers and civilians (all sides)
A soldier will either fall in love with war or with peace, but can not simultaneously love both.
Lets all admit that as humans we are all plagued with the same capricious, brutal, homicidal, warring, selfish, self serving, pompous, egotistical behavior which will always remain untouched and unchanged. In terms of human behavior, the more things seem to change....the more they remain the same. Man should stop making war in the name of liberty, justice, peace and in the name of God (all religions in the world). The true God is good and would not be blessing soldiers nor war itself.
I ask, "If war is necessary condition to preserve peace....what would we call a world without war?"
Yes, it takes brutality to bring about peace, right? Brutality such as:
World War I
Killed: 16 Million soldiers and civilians (all sides)
World War II
Killed: 60 Million soldiers and civilians (all sides)
Korean War
Killed: 1 1/2 plus Million soldiers and civilians (all sides)
Vietnam War
Killed: 1 1/2 Million soldiers and civilians (all sides)
A soldier will either fall in love with war or with peace, but can not simultaneously love both.
Lets all admit that as humans we are all plagued with the same capricious, brutal, homicidal, warring, selfish, self serving, pompous, egotistical behavior which will always remain untouched and unchanged. In terms of human behavior, the more things seem to change....the more they remain the same. Man should stop making war in the name of liberty, justice, peace and in the name of God (all religions in the world). The true God is good and would not be blessing soldiers nor war itself.
I ask, "If war is necessary condition to preserve peace....what would we call a world without war?"
3
How cruel of Ms. Palin to reduce her son's issues to the status of political prop. First, she hoped to advocate for the developmentally disabled but instead shamelessly used her young son as a prop. Now she is going to do it with her older son Track. Real advocacy would respect the privacy of the pain of PTSD and those of us who have suffered with it and it's life altering impacts would be more greatly helped. My own experience has informed that sometime's the people around you may need as much or more therapy than you do. Ms. Palin's public comments justifying domestic abuse are one of the saddest examples I have seen of that. Well done Mr. Bethea.
17
I was a medic in Viet Nam. I have been a psychiatrist for 28 years. Mr. Bethea eloquently echoes , both in his composure and his thoughts, three related, and often overlooked facets of the experience of war:
1. forgiveness, (of ourselves, others, institutions, circumstance and more), is a powerful agent of healing.
2. PTSD is not well understood by anyone, including mental health professionals. It is a name for one of the more easily identified aspects of the many (different in different persons) mental effects of war on veterans. 3. Being in a war brutalizes us in many ways, and at the same time, it may impel us to learn to truly forgive.
Michael Stevens, M.D.
1. forgiveness, (of ourselves, others, institutions, circumstance and more), is a powerful agent of healing.
2. PTSD is not well understood by anyone, including mental health professionals. It is a name for one of the more easily identified aspects of the many (different in different persons) mental effects of war on veterans. 3. Being in a war brutalizes us in many ways, and at the same time, it may impel us to learn to truly forgive.
Michael Stevens, M.D.
10
As others have, I thank you, Mr Bethea, for sharing your insight with us.
Your piece makes me think once again of the tremendous cruelties of war and the need to use armed conflict as a very last resort. Rather than blaming President Obama, I am thankful that he has shown the utmost respect to those in the military by trying to limit military intervention to the last resort.
Your piece makes me think once again of the tremendous cruelties of war and the need to use armed conflict as a very last resort. Rather than blaming President Obama, I am thankful that he has shown the utmost respect to those in the military by trying to limit military intervention to the last resort.
11
Thank you, Nate for sharing your story. It is a gift. Now let's move out of the dark ages and embrace what some researchers are suggesting and stop calling it PTSD and instead call it PTSI, Post Traumatic Stress Injury. Those who suffer from it have been injured by circumstances outside of their control.
At the age of 63 I have spent many years struggling with being labelled neurotic, bi-polar, and borderline. Lots of years in treatment, that never quite worked despite my desire to heal. It is only now, after all this time, and working with a psychiatrist skilled in dealing with trauma that I understand that what has plagued me is horrific trauma experienced years ago. The cutting edge research into PTSI is shedding new light on how our brains respond to extreme insult, and what we must do to heal them. PTSI occurs not just in combat veterans, but also in children who've been abused, assaulted, or neglected. Women who've been raped. People who've lost their homes and are now wandering the world looking for respite. And some believe it will live on in the genes of the next generation. For those interested in understanding their own situation or that of friends or relatives, Dr. Bessell van de Kolk's landmark book about on the subject "The Body Keeps the Score" provides a map to understanding this terrible injury. It is both readable, heartbreaking and inspiring.
At the age of 63 I have spent many years struggling with being labelled neurotic, bi-polar, and borderline. Lots of years in treatment, that never quite worked despite my desire to heal. It is only now, after all this time, and working with a psychiatrist skilled in dealing with trauma that I understand that what has plagued me is horrific trauma experienced years ago. The cutting edge research into PTSI is shedding new light on how our brains respond to extreme insult, and what we must do to heal them. PTSI occurs not just in combat veterans, but also in children who've been abused, assaulted, or neglected. Women who've been raped. People who've lost their homes and are now wandering the world looking for respite. And some believe it will live on in the genes of the next generation. For those interested in understanding their own situation or that of friends or relatives, Dr. Bessell van de Kolk's landmark book about on the subject "The Body Keeps the Score" provides a map to understanding this terrible injury. It is both readable, heartbreaking and inspiring.
10
Thank you, sir. There is little I can do except wish you well, but I have long since pledged to support only the election of federal officials who I believe will not send young men and women into combat without reason or forethought, as George W. Bush did.
9
Sarah Palin is an incoherent, deranged person who is not taken seriously by anyone with a modicum of wisdom. She is devoid of it.
Eclectic Pragmatist — http://eclectic-pragmatist.tumblr.com/
Eclectic Pragmatist — https://medium.com/eclectic-pragmatism
Eclectic Pragmatist — http://eclectic-pragmatist.tumblr.com/
Eclectic Pragmatist — https://medium.com/eclectic-pragmatism
12
Since September 11, 2001 with a mere 0.75% of Americans having volunteered to put on the military uniform of any American armed force few families know PTSD. With multiple deployments in wars with ill-defined strategic tactical socioeconomic political military goals our warriors are being ground to emotional mental physical dust. None of the current candidates for President of either party has ever served in the military. Yet they bluster and cackle like hens about sacrificing the lives of others in more macho preening posturing prancing talk of war. Growing up Palin is the PTSD that the children of Sarah and Todd Palin have experienced. Our warriors should only be used against existential threats with limited focused goals over time and an exit plan.
29
As a specialist for 35 years in PTSD, I learned you know nothing in life as my great grandmother taught me unless you get right up close to it and really know it live it feel it listen to those who have lived it. I had the guts and courage to do this many times. This piece by Nate is exemplary, massively wonderful. Spot ON! A seminal piece. Totally absolutely a piece of wisdom, balanced nuanced compassionate and insightful. Thank you so so much. You are on the path of true healing, learning and growth. And you are educating so many people here by this incredible response to the horrid misuse of power Ms. Palin exhibits. But let us focus on your accomplishment not her scapegoating and slander.
Chapeau!
Chapeau!
20
Thank you for one of the most eloquent descriptions of PTSD I have ever read. I worked fore 40 years with abused and neglected children and learned through their experiences all that you have described. I know it is a lot to ask but please continue to help the rest of us understand what you and your fellow brothers and sisters want so we can build the support systems you need and so richly deserve.
15
Thoughtfully composed article, thank you for sharing and illuminating this diagnosis for all of us.
7
Excellent piece. Well articulated to describe why we as a society need to invest personal understanding and devote government resources to provide our troops with the tools to live a full life.
5
I’m an MD...with severe PTSD and I wept as I read this astonishingly apt description of this terrible mental illness.
I was infuriated with Caribou Barbie daring to call her child’s personality disorder of domestic violence as PTSD caused by Obama.
Hyper-vigilance, self-hatred, magnifying and mis-reading “normal” social situations are leading indicators of PTSD. Our vets are committing suicide at a rate of 22 humans each day. Obvious self hatred--otherwise they’d be grabbing AK-47s and killing everyone in sight. Not happening is it? Except in movies and TV shows.
Vets are driving to MTFs (military treatment centers) and killing themselves--sitting in their cars and shooting themselves--they are so LOST they don’t know what else to do! Spouses and friends all relate that these vets with PTSD retreat more and more --drink or swallow handfuls of pain killers in a desperate way to stop the memories of shooting people or being shot at. War is hell. And these vets can’t climb their way out.
Thousands of mental health therapists have been hired by the VA. There’s even a program to fast track civilian family practitioners to becoming psychiatrists. The problem is..WE’RE NOT SURE WHAT WORKS! Having the vet relive the trauma in therapy only seemed to make it worse. In group therapy it became who had it the worst.
We are finally honing in what does work...only going forward. Building on the strengths of the vet rather than the perceived weaknesses.
Horrible illness.
I was infuriated with Caribou Barbie daring to call her child’s personality disorder of domestic violence as PTSD caused by Obama.
Hyper-vigilance, self-hatred, magnifying and mis-reading “normal” social situations are leading indicators of PTSD. Our vets are committing suicide at a rate of 22 humans each day. Obvious self hatred--otherwise they’d be grabbing AK-47s and killing everyone in sight. Not happening is it? Except in movies and TV shows.
Vets are driving to MTFs (military treatment centers) and killing themselves--sitting in their cars and shooting themselves--they are so LOST they don’t know what else to do! Spouses and friends all relate that these vets with PTSD retreat more and more --drink or swallow handfuls of pain killers in a desperate way to stop the memories of shooting people or being shot at. War is hell. And these vets can’t climb their way out.
Thousands of mental health therapists have been hired by the VA. There’s even a program to fast track civilian family practitioners to becoming psychiatrists. The problem is..WE’RE NOT SURE WHAT WORKS! Having the vet relive the trauma in therapy only seemed to make it worse. In group therapy it became who had it the worst.
We are finally honing in what does work...only going forward. Building on the strengths of the vet rather than the perceived weaknesses.
Horrible illness.
25
I know that facts don't matter to the current GOP in its Post-Truth World, but I should like to ask Mrs. Palin for the name of the physician that diagnosed Track with PTSD and any supporting documentation. If she invokes PTSD in her son and then uses that to attack the President politically, much less to exculpate Track's domestic violence, she should have to prove it exists. My understanding is that the Track did not experience the savage state of warfare, though certainly just being in a combat zone affects one's psyche. I learned of a giant drunken brawl involving the entire Palin clan some time ago; perhaps Mrs. Palin should control the guns and booze under her own roof before she brays about personal responsibility in the world.
Palin, Cruz, et all certainly want to attack Obama over the VA, but in my judgment not sending our young people overseas to be maimed in wars of choice and profit in the first place would be the route to take.
Palin, Cruz, et all certainly want to attack Obama over the VA, but in my judgment not sending our young people overseas to be maimed in wars of choice and profit in the first place would be the route to take.
42
I have a contribution to how a Veteran often feels when PTSD sneaks up, often in the safest civilian situations. It's a sneaky condition, and it may never go away. I read a very old book of stories by World War I Veterans. An 84-year-old Veteran shared this (I will paraphrase as best to what he said). "You'd think after all these years, the memories would lose some of their power and fade away. On the contrary, they get stronger, most often at night." My own contribution, from personal experience, when the intrusive thoughts and memories invade my peace, any time, any day, anywhere, is I want to go out the front door and scream until my vocal cords bleed. But you can't do that. It would scare the neighbors, scare one's family. We live with these unexpressed, most-appropriate exhibitions of the depth of trauma, the feeling, for many, that no amount of dedicated therapies will ever make a difference, at least what goes on inside our heads. By the way, Sarah Palin is horrible. She can't even make or finish a complete sentence. How does someone like that get the attention and supporters. Are many of our citizens THAT ignorant?
17
I believe it is important to run articles on PTSD. But please NYT don't run one in response to a Sarah Palin remark --- the media keeps providing these low/no information celebrities a platform, as if they know what they are talking about. I propose a media blackout on all know nothing comments (also, racists, homophobic, etc. etc.). Admittedly, with the current range of candidates you might end up with a blank front page --- but use that blank page to do some in depth reporting or analysis on topics that these candidates know nothing about --- which could fill a telephone book.
13
Thank You ACJ, I actually thought I was alone. Re-reading through the drivel of comments here, I find this piece is placed all wrong and for all of the wrong reasons. It makes me ill to see this issue used for the political abattoir on these pages. It is taking a flesh and blood issue into the arena for the purpose of providing a target fee-for-all of political potshots. How cheap and how low can we go. Perhaps they will find some other sport in the possible Bloomberg run, as it seems clear that the powers that be do not want a Trump and Sanders in the general election. Please, now can we go back to the issues at hand and leave PTSD for another more appropriate time and appropriate place to discuss?
It's story like these that reinforce the wisdom of the classical condition for a "just war"--that was--because war is indeed hell for all involved--must truly be a "last resort."
The best way to "support our troops" is to not carelessly deploy them in the first place, but only after every possible alternative has been exhausted. Unfortunately we've all too often done the opposite in the last 50 years of our "foreign policy."
The best way to "support our troops" is to not carelessly deploy them in the first place, but only after every possible alternative has been exhausted. Unfortunately we've all too often done the opposite in the last 50 years of our "foreign policy."
14
Beautiful piece. My main fear is that people will not only use PTSD as an excuse for violence but that they will come to equate the two. Thank you for educating Ms. Palin and gracefully setting her straight.
16
I would say that it is fine for Sarah Palin to criticize President Obama for inadequate care to veterans. As you all know, it is President Obama himself who takes every opportunity to criticize the GOP, NRA and everyone who supports the second amendment every time there is a killing that involves a gun. He makes the connection to his gun control agenda even though none of the actions on gun control would have prevented the killing that prompted his criticism.
1
Oh. She gets to stand up there, talk like a loon, and pin her dippy son's punching his girlfriend in the face, knocking her down, and threatening with an M16 on the President, because the President (he is, you know) has political opponents, and has sharply criticized the NRA leadership for their hatred of any compromise whatsoever on something as simple as universal backgrond checks.
Thanks. I'm sure vets and currently-serving military look at the video of Palin and feel nothing but pride in the honor, decency, and reason that their country represents.
Thanks. I'm sure vets and currently-serving military look at the video of Palin and feel nothing but pride in the honor, decency, and reason that their country represents.
10
Sounds like you care a whole lot about guns and not really very much about veterans. Thanks for showing your priorities.
12
Very thoughtful piece Mr. Bethea. Thank you for your insight. Sadly Ms Palin has not walked back her statement and her uninformed supporters now and forever will think PTSD is President Obamas fault and that it leads to domestic abuse. That woman is a blight on our American political landscape and if there were ever a reason to limit free speech she would be it. Every time she opens her mouth it's the equivalent of yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater. Her claim to fame will be the "death panels" argument. She brought down McCain and I hope this time around she works her magic on the Trump campaign.
21
Thank you, Mr. Bethea, both for your service to our country and your courage and compassion in addressing the challenges faced by so many who suffer from trauma inflicted in their lives by any number of causes. I thank you also for the gift of your beautiful and compelling writing, and encourage you to continue it--your voice is one that should be heard.
Ms. Palin's voice, I think, is less compelling, markedly less compassionate, and hopelessly muddled in the banality of her political and ideological wiring. But let's try to make sense of it… “it makes me realize more than ever it is now or never for the sake of America’s finest that we have that commander in chief that will respect them and honor them." So… Ms. Palin's choice of such a commander-in-chief would be The Donald. Would this be the same prospective commander-in-chief who DIShonored the service, courage, and almost unimaginable sacrifices of one of the finest Americans ever to serve in the US Senate, John McCain?
Ms. Palin's voice, I think, is less compelling, markedly less compassionate, and hopelessly muddled in the banality of her political and ideological wiring. But let's try to make sense of it… “it makes me realize more than ever it is now or never for the sake of America’s finest that we have that commander in chief that will respect them and honor them." So… Ms. Palin's choice of such a commander-in-chief would be The Donald. Would this be the same prospective commander-in-chief who DIShonored the service, courage, and almost unimaginable sacrifices of one of the finest Americans ever to serve in the US Senate, John McCain?
19
Writers are often at their best when writing about what they know. Thank you for sharing *your* story. Your experience is not only going to aid those vets who are loath or frightened to seek out help; it is going to assist those students who don't know whether they've got the guts to write.
Well done, on both counts, Nate.
Well done, on both counts, Nate.
14
Thank you, Mr. Bethea, for writing so lucidly about living with PTSD. The level of self-awareness that you share affirms the debilitating effects of PTSD upon one's life. I have lived with PTSD as a result of a violent assault during my teen years. I have spent much of 35 years having my PTSD diagnosed strictly as "anxiety attacks," a label that seems to be placed upon females more than males, suggesting that we are somehow broken, frail, unable to handle the stress of modern day living. I now am able to identify my triggers, to recognize when my neurological system is reacting in the hyper vigilant, fight or flight mode. Family, friends, and loved ones who offer patient, affirming support can make a world of difference in helping those of us who live with PTSD to minimize (and maybe even diminish) the recurrence of attacks. Coupled with effective mental health treatments, one can reclaim his or her sense of balance, purpose, and grounding in society. Again, thank you for sharing your experiences, Mr. Bethea.
78
PTSD is very real, and it is the result of human beings processing horrific events and not being able to, and facing consequences of being at war with their own mind. It also in some ways never goes away, my dad served in WWII in combat, had a couple of purple hearts and medals for bravery to prove it, and he suffered the effects his entire life I realize. The effects range from mild to severe, but it is also hard to imagine that anyone experiencing the total horror that war is cannot be affected in some way.
Palin is to be despised, because using it as a cheap political shot at Obama (when funding for the VA is controlled by congress, which she should note is currently run by her party) doesn't do anything to solve the problems by people who have experience war. Worse, she is using it as an excuse for her son's behavior, basically saying "Track isn't responsible for what happened, it is Obama's fault, it is PTSD because he served", and that is disgusting, it is her trying to deflect once again a Palin who acts in ways not consistent with claims of them being this all American, "moral" family. PTSD potentially can cause things like domestic abuse, but we don't even know if track has PTSD, and we also don't know even if he has it (which apparently is questionable), whether that as the cause, or whether he simply is a misogynistic bully.
Palin is to be despised, because using it as a cheap political shot at Obama (when funding for the VA is controlled by congress, which she should note is currently run by her party) doesn't do anything to solve the problems by people who have experience war. Worse, she is using it as an excuse for her son's behavior, basically saying "Track isn't responsible for what happened, it is Obama's fault, it is PTSD because he served", and that is disgusting, it is her trying to deflect once again a Palin who acts in ways not consistent with claims of them being this all American, "moral" family. PTSD potentially can cause things like domestic abuse, but we don't even know if track has PTSD, and we also don't know even if he has it (which apparently is questionable), whether that as the cause, or whether he simply is a misogynistic bully.
14
The army spends the weeks of basic training converting civilians into individuals with a military mentality. Wouldn't it be logical to spend the same amount of time at the end of their service to convert them back into a civilian mentality?
17
A most thoughtful piece. Well written and succinct. This should be read by all Americans and the armed forces need to change their policies. If someone is diagnosed with PTSD after leaving the service they should get all the medical help they need. It's the least we can do for those we sent into harm's way.
5
Sincerest congratulations to you on your achievements and continued success.
5
As a veteran of another unpopular war, I find it curious that our government is so liberal in recognizing and making conscience payouts to growing numbers of PTSD cases. Meanwhile, vets returning with lost limbs, speech, vision and other grave physical and psychological impairments are consigned to public charity for their rehabilitation. Every time one of those Wounded Warriors ads appears I am outraged by the imagery. Perhaps Bruce Willis and other celebrity spokespersons should be leading a charge up the Capitol steps to hold congress accountable for the devastation pointless wars have visited upon our own people. That's a cause we could all get behind.
7
Once again we´re reminded that Palin is a spectacularly stupid woman - dumb, mean, shallow. She is a deceiving and unscrupulous woman utterly unversed in any of the needful political discourses but easily trained to utter preposterous lies and to appeal to the basest element of her audience.
She has never met a simple, declarative sentence she liked, or learned that little things like subjects, verbs and objects are supposed to work together. And her kind of talk gets dangerous. 'Don't retreat... reload' and using crosshairs to illustrate targeted legislators was calling for violence, no question. McCain´s election team says she was "catatonic” and possibly mentally unstable.
She has never met a simple, declarative sentence she liked, or learned that little things like subjects, verbs and objects are supposed to work together. And her kind of talk gets dangerous. 'Don't retreat... reload' and using crosshairs to illustrate targeted legislators was calling for violence, no question. McCain´s election team says she was "catatonic” and possibly mentally unstable.
17
Wonderful essay--and I say that in part because Mr. Betha recognized that returning soldiers are not the only ones suffering from PTSD. Sexual assault and domestic violence is a far more common cause among Americans, and for many of our children growing up in poverty, living in violent environments. In theory at least, soldiers can turn to a health system tuned to their particular struggles. What about the others? The sad thing is that the symptoms of PTSD are also what can make these non-soldiers most difficult to help. They are human powder kegs, and often elicit fear and disdain rather than sympathy. How do we turn that around?
9
Track's problems may have more to do with the fact he was brought up by Sarah Palin than so-called PTSD he might have contracted on duty in Iraq.
18
We have often heard the explanation for why, upon entering our military system, "boot camp" is so psychologically (and physically) rough: that the goal is to break the young men and women down in order to make them good soldiers. Why, then, would it not be the automatic responsibility of the military to create and require a "re-boot camp" at the end of and as part of military service to help our soldiers return to normal life? If their entry training was 6 months, then their re-entry training should be 6 months. This might not help everyone, but it seems we owe it to people who have been so dedicated to our country to allow themselves to be re-wired psychologically to at the very least provide an automatic restorative period as part of their service.
13
Thank you for your story. I hope you find the lasting peace and comfort you deserve.
7
Great insights from someone who has been there, suffered and then sought help. Sarah Palin's statement that the President does not respect and honor our soldiers was simply outrageous, false and a sad commentary on the increasingly vitriolic language spewing from the right-wing of the GOP. Shameful.
12
Maybe Track is just an abuser who was raised in a dysfunctional home.
14
Humble thanks, sir.
2
As a mental health therapist, I want to thank the author for speaking out on this important issue and for advocating treatment for the symptoms of PTSD. Hopefully our military veterans and everyone else who suffers from this disorder will be able to access the services they need to manage the condition. Surely Mr. Bethea's op-ed is important for all of us to hear, especially if it can reduce the stigma of reaching out for help.
4
Beautifully and sincerely written. Thank you for sharing your experience--and for your service.
2
Thank you for such an eloquent and thoughtful piece. The description of your experience adds to my understanding of what PTSD is - and what it means to those who suffer with it.
3
Palin did all vets a disservice. She interestingly seemed unconcerned by the gun-waving at a terrified young woman.
10
What about the victim of her son's domestic violence? I do not recall that President Obama started the Iraq or Afghanistan war. Everyone knows that by now the blunder of 2003 invasion. Please go away.
12
The magic of Sarah Palin are the unintended consequences of her delusional cynical proclamations.
Simultaneously, she has exposed her own party for de-funding Veterans programs and she has pushed PTSD into public consciousness.
Thank you Sarah for being the clueless twit that we need at this moment.
Simultaneously, she has exposed her own party for de-funding Veterans programs and she has pushed PTSD into public consciousness.
Thank you Sarah for being the clueless twit that we need at this moment.
12
The Palins have a penchant for drunkeness and violence. The family brawl while intoxicated last year involved Bristol, Track, and Sarah. But PTSD sounds so much more noble than the truth to Ms. Palin. Perhaps treatment for binge drinking might help.
14
This is a far more intelligent and generous article than Palin's bahavior deserves, and hang in there. Adjunct professoring isn't that much fun, eother.
3
Why can't young men and women foresee what militaristic duty entails? Its about killing fellow human beings. It's about destroying life. We have such a short time on this planet. There is never any glory in bloodshed.
We need to be defended from our poor decisions, and what is most heinous is those who call for bloodshed are so far removed from it.
Put back millions of our taxes back into education from the military industrial complex and pray parents can teach their children to build a future without destroying human lives and desecrating this planet.
To all suffering and healing from war, thank you for your honesty.
We need to be defended from our poor decisions, and what is most heinous is those who call for bloodshed are so far removed from it.
Put back millions of our taxes back into education from the military industrial complex and pray parents can teach their children to build a future without destroying human lives and desecrating this planet.
To all suffering and healing from war, thank you for your honesty.
6
This is an exceptionally well-written, thoughtful, insightful op-ed, one of the best published here in a long time. Mr. Bethea deserves enormous credit for candidly describing his experience and "telling it like it is". I'm a veteran of another era, and I fortunately never suffered from PTSD, but this piece ignited my empathy toward those who're dealing with it. As for Palin, she is an enduring disgrace to public discourse about any serious subject; John McCain's "gift" to sleazy right-wing politics that just keeps on giving. Her attempt to conflate her son's alleged domestic abuse with Obama's leadership is absurdly beyond the pale, but her legion of knuckle-draggers obviously eats that stuff up. This article sheds light on the real issue in a way Palin could never approach.
8
Plain isn't just syntax- and grammar- challenged, she is downright dangerous. there needs to be a very public, viral shutdown of her misinterpreted spewings of mental conditions, not just in the NYT editorials.
6
You write beautifully, Nate, so, it's no wonder you're working in that field. And, you are indeed a true hero, man. Thank you.
2
Thank you, Mr. Bethea, for your service.
As an English Lit graduate, I know firsthand the power of healing that writing can bring. Even something as simple as keeping a diary of one's day can help. There is something about putting your feelings - positive or not - on paper that creates a witness to your pain, your confusion, your healing. Everyone needs a witness.
Ignore the worlds' idiots - Palin at the top of the list here - and continue healing through writing and helping others. Bravo for your efforts.
May you find peace, like the rest of the world.
As an English Lit graduate, I know firsthand the power of healing that writing can bring. Even something as simple as keeping a diary of one's day can help. There is something about putting your feelings - positive or not - on paper that creates a witness to your pain, your confusion, your healing. Everyone needs a witness.
Ignore the worlds' idiots - Palin at the top of the list here - and continue healing through writing and helping others. Bravo for your efforts.
May you find peace, like the rest of the world.
8
When will we learn the simple truth that when you send human beings out into a war situation you necessarily damage them, sometimes irretrievably? We focus on the dead and wounded as the cost of a military adventure but they are only part of it. The other part is all the suffering young men and women who we prefer to forget about as soon as they remove their uniforms. We just want them to go away. As for Palin, she is beneath contempt and unworthy of comment and attention of any kind.
9
Thank you, Mr. Bethea, for a frank, enlightening, well crafted essay. I hope you can find peace.
6
Sarah Palin has brazenly used her son Track's military service as a political prop for years.
Most bizarre, to me, was when she seemed to claim some sort of vicarious credit for his service and suggest it should shield her from political criticism during right-wing talking head Glenn Beck’s Aug. 28, 2010 “Restoring Honor Rally” in Washington, D.C.: “Say what you want to say about me, but I raised a combat vet and you can’t take that away from me.”
Most bizarre, to me, was when she seemed to claim some sort of vicarious credit for his service and suggest it should shield her from political criticism during right-wing talking head Glenn Beck’s Aug. 28, 2010 “Restoring Honor Rally” in Washington, D.C.: “Say what you want to say about me, but I raised a combat vet and you can’t take that away from me.”
8
I also want to thank Mr. Bethea for his service and courage for writing this piece. I now have a better understanding of PTSD.
I agree completely with your sentiments about Mrs. Palin using PTSD as an excuse for domestic violence and the stereotype it invokes. But I disagree completely with the headline. Those of us who don't know her son personally don't have any idea of what his PTSD is like. It's possible that he has the same symptoms and similar experiences as Mr. Bethea; it has nothing to do with his tendency toward violence (i.e. he would be arrested for domestic violence at some point in his life even if he hadn't served); and his mother is reacting in her usual way of blaming someone else for her or her family's mistakes (e.g. blaming the reporter for a "gotcha question" when she misstated the history of Paul Revere's ride).
I agree completely with your sentiments about Mrs. Palin using PTSD as an excuse for domestic violence and the stereotype it invokes. But I disagree completely with the headline. Those of us who don't know her son personally don't have any idea of what his PTSD is like. It's possible that he has the same symptoms and similar experiences as Mr. Bethea; it has nothing to do with his tendency toward violence (i.e. he would be arrested for domestic violence at some point in his life even if he hadn't served); and his mother is reacting in her usual way of blaming someone else for her or her family's mistakes (e.g. blaming the reporter for a "gotcha question" when she misstated the history of Paul Revere's ride).
4
thank you for this, an invaluable insight. the more we all know about this the better.
4
Thank you, Mr. Bethea, for your article. I hope you continue to get the help you need and to lead a satisfying life.
About Sarah Palin: Anything to belittle or blame President Obama, never mind that her son deployed before he came into office. She should thank him on behalf of all mothers by realizing he doesn't want to send anyone's sons to fight in a war.
About Sarah Palin: Anything to belittle or blame President Obama, never mind that her son deployed before he came into office. She should thank him on behalf of all mothers by realizing he doesn't want to send anyone's sons to fight in a war.
12
Track Palin served most of his tour during Obama as he was deployed Sept 11, 2008 and returned from Iraq Sept 11, 2009. More soldiers were killed and wounded in Afghanistan "after" Barack was elected than during Bush.
Now we have to return to Iraq because Obama wouldn't leave 10,000 troops
Now we have to return to Iraq because Obama wouldn't leave 10,000 troops
At the risk of mentioning reality, a lot more of our people died in the stupid and irresponsible Iraq War than in Afganistan (to say nothing of the 100, 000+ Iraquis), the current President was handed Afghanistan by Bush and followed his miltary's advice about putting more troops in, and the bit about leaving 10, 000 troops in Iraq came about because of a) Bush's withdrawal timetable, and b) the Iraqi government's refusal to sign off on legal protctions for our troops.
Please stop trying to use a vet's descent into misery as an excuse to fire off attacks on your country.
Please stop trying to use a vet's descent into misery as an excuse to fire off attacks on your country.
8
But who started this mess?
4
I am a veteran of Vietnam who spent 11 years in therapy for PTSD. The door back to a better life was opened when I accepted the key underlying issue, do not externalize blame. That concept is vital for all people suffering from PTSD, and most of mankind.
101
"That concept is vital for all people suffering from PTSD, and most of mankind."
I think it's vital for ALL of humankind!
I think it's vital for ALL of humankind!
3
Odd that for Pailin her son was hero while serving in the war with all due credit to President Bush, and now he is a victim veteran with all the blame going President Obama.
Every veteran and their family deserve wraparound veterans benefits including PTSD services. Too many are running into trouble and then end up dishonorably discharged and loose benefits. No institution has more understanding of PTSD that the VA and fellow vets.
Every veteran and their family deserve wraparound veterans benefits including PTSD services. Too many are running into trouble and then end up dishonorably discharged and loose benefits. No institution has more understanding of PTSD that the VA and fellow vets.
12
Has Track ever been diagnosed or sought treatment for PTSD? Has he ever attempted to use the many services that the VA offers? Has his nurturing mother ever encouraged it? That is hardly the President’s fault. Looking from the outside of Palin’s very public life I see a narcissist opportunist mother who did not drop campaigning for another egomaniac to be at her son’s side. In the article I read about the incident it did say he threaten suicide as well. Any sympathy for the victim from Palin? I would like to ask who she blames for the drunken brawls she and her family seems to land themselves in. Bristol does throw a good punch from what I hear. And Mr. Bethea thank you for your service and excellent article.
15
I do feel badly for sufferers of PTSD. But 'com on - they went over there voluntarily, engaging in extreme violence against others. Did they think it was going to be a cake walk? How many Arabs did he maim and kill? Bet he doesn't even think about that. And Obama? He knows about the horrors of war. That's why he doesn't want any more boots on the ground. If you want to place blame, look to W. Bush for it all. He suckered us into the war in the first place.
9
Why does the NYTIMES expend so much time and energy trolling the base with response pieces to various and sundry antics of the right wing? Just so commenters can foment on the sidebar with the usual reactionary truck. I think this is the wrong reason for a conversation about Service related PTSD< particularly as the piece is a response to NON-news. Please, as someone with close relations who are suffering after their tours of duty, I find this is the wrong, place, time and reason for the discussion, as it boils this down to Political Punch and Judy show, which I myself find disrespectful. Where and when have we discussed it here before, and why are we discussing it now.
4
Thank you for this very moving column. Thank you for your bravery in writing it. And thank you for your healing work with others.Thank you for also mentioning those who have PTSD due to situations other than military combat. There has been no mention anywhere of how Track Palin's victim may be faring. I can only hope she has the support of her family and friends, and professionals in mental health, so that she may recover and not be yet another PTSD victim. We need to eliminate violence in all its forms.
11
This is a serious topic that our soldiers frequently face after they have served in the armed forces. PTSD is something as a society we should take concern because it does not effect just the families of soldiers, but it effects everyone. I agree that no substance, whether it is drug or alchohol use, can cure PTSD. It is unfortunate that many veterans who are diagnosed do not seek help of any kind, but instead try to deal with in their own way.
Regardless of how people may feel about Sarah Palin and using her son as a way to get popularity, it is not the issue. The fact that it is happening all over our nation, there should be sufficient need of medical assistance for individuals who risk their lives for their country. They deserve better treatment than what they receive from their government. Sara Palin as a politician and as a mother that has a son who suffers from PTSD, should be advocating for those who do not have a voice or help with taking action relating to the issue. Doing more can reduce the problem and make our nation stronger instead of trying to get media attention for a bussiness man who is running for president, such as Donald Trump.
I would also like to thank Nate Bethea for bringing the issue into the light and sharing his voice about PTSD. Not a lot of Americans understand or realize the effect of PTSD that soldiers suffer from. They barely live a normal life becaUse it effects them severly.
Regardless of how people may feel about Sarah Palin and using her son as a way to get popularity, it is not the issue. The fact that it is happening all over our nation, there should be sufficient need of medical assistance for individuals who risk their lives for their country. They deserve better treatment than what they receive from their government. Sara Palin as a politician and as a mother that has a son who suffers from PTSD, should be advocating for those who do not have a voice or help with taking action relating to the issue. Doing more can reduce the problem and make our nation stronger instead of trying to get media attention for a bussiness man who is running for president, such as Donald Trump.
I would also like to thank Nate Bethea for bringing the issue into the light and sharing his voice about PTSD. Not a lot of Americans understand or realize the effect of PTSD that soldiers suffer from. They barely live a normal life becaUse it effects them severly.
55
"..should be advocating for those who do not have a voice.." - Louis B
------
She is and you don't want to listen to it. We have a crisis at the Veterans Hospitals under Obama's watch and he has done nothing to provide the promised relief he said he would repeatedly. Sarah is right & Obama is wrong!
------
She is and you don't want to listen to it. We have a crisis at the Veterans Hospitals under Obama's watch and he has done nothing to provide the promised relief he said he would repeatedly. Sarah is right & Obama is wrong!
Unfortunately Sarah is only for Sarah. She used Trig's condition to get sympathy. She used Bristol to exploit her pro-life creed. Now she is using Track to get back into the public consciousness.
As Mr. Bethea has stated help is available if you seek it. You have to get motivated.
As Mr. Bethea has stated help is available if you seek it. You have to get motivated.
5
Sarah Palin understands PTSD but she is a Neocon just itching to send more young Americans to acquire it in battles we can never win, in places I doubt Ms. Palin could point out on a map. Palin is sad in blaming President Obama for all the troubles that the Neocons sold us. Mr. Bethea you served, you know what a mess it is. Now you are drawing a disability benefit much like all those who served in Afghanistan, Iraq or San Diego. In fact most who were in the military and never saw any action are getting some type of disability payment. What politicians of both parties don't understand is that we are going to go broke when all the people who served are drawing a disability check for life. I see it in the Federal government which has gone out of their way to hire Veterans. Almost everyone of them is drawing a disability check and almost all of them saw zero action.
3
If she knows her son has PTSD, how can she excuse his ownership of an AR-15?
This is truth about gun ownership: guns like these aren't used for stopping masked home invaders or a tyrannical government, or any any other heroics. They're used to threaten and kill family members during domestic disputes.
This is truth about gun ownership: guns like these aren't used for stopping masked home invaders or a tyrannical government, or any any other heroics. They're used to threaten and kill family members during domestic disputes.
14
I'm deeply worried about Iowa having given Sarah Palin a heroes welcome. That this lady is deranged, manipulative, and a supporter of Trump that's her business but that many voters agree with her that worries me greatly. It seems the US is slipping and sliding into insanity, starting with Iowa.
11
This young man's thoughtful and self reflective article makes me proud that he served as an officer in our army. My hope is we have many more like him.
6
Republicans want to privatize the VA. LOL with care under that system. Wake up Veterans!
10
Track is his name? What was his job in Iraq? I've heard that he was a driver, not a fighter. Not that he wasn't in danger, or contributed necessary services, or didn't witness many tragedies. But, his MOTHER seems to be disrespecting vets by making excuses for her son and blaming his violence on the President. I'm sure Sarah has health resources that most vets do not have. If she's so concerned for her child, let her use her energies to help him, instead of using him as a campaign technique. Shameful, and testimony to the "strength" of her character.
12
Pretty creepy and ignorant comment belittling a combat veterans service.
Specialist Track Palin (E-4), 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team 25th Army Infantry, was deployed to the front lines in Diyala Iraq on Sept 11, 2008.
Shameful is your excluding the Palin's suffering much like Obama has as thousands die waiting for help he promised to provide and yet only fired 1 person for the scandal he continues to ignore.
Specialist Track Palin (E-4), 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team 25th Army Infantry, was deployed to the front lines in Diyala Iraq on Sept 11, 2008.
Shameful is your excluding the Palin's suffering much like Obama has as thousands die waiting for help he promised to provide and yet only fired 1 person for the scandal he continues to ignore.
Ultimately, we have to face our demons no matter what the cause. Sarah Palin is an idiot. I hope her son gets help so he doesn't continue to abuse others or himself.
8
I dont think Sarah turned out to be much of a mother. Her kids seem to have problems a lot. Why would anyone listen to her?
10
Remember when Sarah was a heroine of the GOP? A rootin' tootin' straight shootin' gal from Up Wasilla way, tellin' those nincompoops in the GOP a thing or to about politics, providing them with cosmetic tips as metaphors to compensate for her naivete when it came to acquiring knowledge about global positioning and policy? Ah, those were the days, a heady mix of sass and brass from that sexy lady from the 49th. How easily they forgot.
Sarah now is a joke, a punch line to those who backed her only four years ago. Give her credit for one thing. She was a prototype for Dumb Down politics. Nobody did it better, nobody until now: Enter The Donald, The Sequel, the male version of our dear departed burnt-out Sarah Star. The Donald has stolen and trans-gendered Sarah's playbook to suit the Mad Man of Fifth and Fifty-Seventh. Trump is one thing, a marketing genius.
However, Palin is now attempting to fool her followers since no one else will buy her gobbledygook concerning PTSD. What sheer unmitigated gall this gal has. Of course Republicans who think the US first course of action internationally should be militarily, Sarah is attempting to connect her scattered dots of PTSD blame toward the real culprit for this and all of the world's ailments, President Obama. Inconceivable.
What a farce: The Donald and Sarah Show as lead-in to the Rafael the Carpet Bomber which follows. Is this really what the GOP network wants as their starring line-up for the nomination?
DD
Manhattan
Sarah now is a joke, a punch line to those who backed her only four years ago. Give her credit for one thing. She was a prototype for Dumb Down politics. Nobody did it better, nobody until now: Enter The Donald, The Sequel, the male version of our dear departed burnt-out Sarah Star. The Donald has stolen and trans-gendered Sarah's playbook to suit the Mad Man of Fifth and Fifty-Seventh. Trump is one thing, a marketing genius.
However, Palin is now attempting to fool her followers since no one else will buy her gobbledygook concerning PTSD. What sheer unmitigated gall this gal has. Of course Republicans who think the US first course of action internationally should be militarily, Sarah is attempting to connect her scattered dots of PTSD blame toward the real culprit for this and all of the world's ailments, President Obama. Inconceivable.
What a farce: The Donald and Sarah Show as lead-in to the Rafael the Carpet Bomber which follows. Is this really what the GOP network wants as their starring line-up for the nomination?
DD
Manhattan
9
Mrs. Palin simply does not want to address the issue of parenting; her lack thereof is Obama's fault.
11
Sarah, that is why we dont want someone as next president who will start another phony war to benefit military industrial complex!
10
Hilarious disconnect...does Libya ring a bell? A country who did nothing to America except be a convenient target during Obama's reelection campaign
Thank you Mr. Bethea, for so eloquently sharing your experience, giving us much-needed insight into the nuance and mystery of PTSD. Best of luck to you in all your future endeavors, and thank you for your service to the country.
6
When in doubt, blame a black man for a white man's violence, especially towards women. Don't look at the white culture of violence, war-mongering, and gun-toting that shaped him- that can't have anything to do with it. That pretty much sums up the twisted Palin/GOP logic at work here.
Thank you for your service and writing about your experiences.
Thank you for your service and writing about your experiences.
16
Thank you, Sir.
I suspect PTSD was an all-to-convenient scapegoat for Sarah to use to make an excuse for her son's behavior. I won't believe he suffers from PTSD until an official diagnosis is released... a diagnosis written before he punched and kicked his girlfriend.
I suspect PTSD was an all-to-convenient scapegoat for Sarah to use to make an excuse for her son's behavior. I won't believe he suffers from PTSD until an official diagnosis is released... a diagnosis written before he punched and kicked his girlfriend.
7
It is appalling that the New Times "ethics and values" find it perfectly permissible to attack Sarah Palin's son for his service during active duty.
SPC Track Palin (E-4), 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team 25th Army Infantry, was deployed to the front lines in Diyala Iraq on Sept 11, 2008
That year 314 Americans died and 149 more the year after along with thousands of casualties while Army SPC Track Palin was part of "the surge". Military PTSD statistics show 67% are from the Army.
“He’s a good kid and a good soldier and he’d like to remain anonymous.”
- Col. Burt Thompson
You people owe Sarah Palin and her family an apology!
SPC Track Palin (E-4), 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team 25th Army Infantry, was deployed to the front lines in Diyala Iraq on Sept 11, 2008
That year 314 Americans died and 149 more the year after along with thousands of casualties while Army SPC Track Palin was part of "the surge". Military PTSD statistics show 67% are from the Army.
“He’s a good kid and a good soldier and he’d like to remain anonymous.”
- Col. Burt Thompson
You people owe Sarah Palin and her family an apology!
I'm sorry, but where in this article is her son being attacked for his service? Her comments about the reasons for her son's PTSD are addressed with minimal analysis.
If anything, the author is offering his support for her son's future health. What article did you read?
If anything, the author is offering his support for her son's future health. What article did you read?
4
The author did not attack Palin's son at all. He took Track's mother to task for using him to attack Obama. Read the whole article.
12
Did you actually ready the article? The Palin's son is not attacked in any way. The writer, himself a veteran, recommends that anyone suffering from PTSD seek treatment.
No apology needed.
No apology needed.
10
It's sad that in the 21st century that people in the U.S. should still fear getting treatment for mental disorders especially as they rank high up on the leading causes of death in America and the most costly of illnesses in terms of lost wages and productivity.
I want to disagree with his characterizing his mental health treatment as "counseling." This word diminishes the seriousness of mental illnesses such as PTSD. Why not be honest and call it therapy (and, if he also received medication which is commonly used to treat PTSD, he should have said this, too). Describing the treatment of mental illness as being the same as someone advising you on which college to go or career path to enter upon just perpetuates the ignorance regarding it.
I want to disagree with his characterizing his mental health treatment as "counseling." This word diminishes the seriousness of mental illnesses such as PTSD. Why not be honest and call it therapy (and, if he also received medication which is commonly used to treat PTSD, he should have said this, too). Describing the treatment of mental illness as being the same as someone advising you on which college to go or career path to enter upon just perpetuates the ignorance regarding it.
2
If one of the arresting officers had not clearly stated that the girlfriend was visibly shaken and traumatized by the experience, I would still believe it was all for publicity. Just another incident from a family without the emotional intelligence to deal with life when it doesn't go their way.
If he truly suffers PTSD, chances are he developed it or behaviors similar to it long before he went to Iraq.
If he truly suffers PTSD, chances are he developed it or behaviors similar to it long before he went to Iraq.
6
Thank you for your service and for writing this honest essay. Unfortunately, Sarah Palin does not understand honesty or what PTSD is. She doesn't understand what reality is. Unless, of corse, you mean reality TV, in which case she has exploited her own family several times in shows that ended up being cancelled.
7
Thanks for helping people to have more empathy with the experience of PTSD, by describing your own experiences so vividly.
PTSD does heighten emotions but, except in rare cases when flashbacks entirely obliterate current reality, people still have the ability to choose whether and how to vent those emotions. It does a disservice to both veterans and people with mental illness to proclaim domestic violence to be a symptom of PTSD.
It may be useful to remember that survivors of domestic attacks such as those perpetrated by Track Palin also frequently develop PTSD, and then have to go on with the lives, experiencing such symptoms without being able to point to a public history of combat to explain them.
PTSD does heighten emotions but, except in rare cases when flashbacks entirely obliterate current reality, people still have the ability to choose whether and how to vent those emotions. It does a disservice to both veterans and people with mental illness to proclaim domestic violence to be a symptom of PTSD.
It may be useful to remember that survivors of domestic attacks such as those perpetrated by Track Palin also frequently develop PTSD, and then have to go on with the lives, experiencing such symptoms without being able to point to a public history of combat to explain them.
6
Nate Bethea Thank you for an excellent article. And More, thank you
for your service.
for your service.
4
As a psychiatrist who has treated many combat veterans with PTSD, I am so glad to see this op-ed piece. Too often, PTSD is falsely invoked to explain some drug-driven, psychotic piece of violence. For readers of longer tooth, an emblematic example of PTSD would be "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" internally fighting off his flashbacks as he sits on the commuter train from Westport to Manhatten. No anti-social behavior. No physical abuse. It's an ANXIETY DISORDER, not a piece of mayhem. And while it can persist, even with treatment, victims can do quite well with their lives. Ask the "greatest generation".
11
It's your internal self that feels like a piece of mayhem.
1
Bravo for Mr. Bethea and a great big "Thank You" to all of our veterans who have served to protect the USA and us (the people). Being honest with yourself and being able to discuss mental health, personal symptoms, the traumas of military service in foreign countries with civil wars and political unrest, is so important for one's self-esteem and sense of one's self, as well as being necessary for the society at-large to understand it's responsibility to support it's returning veterans as they shoulder the burdens that they come home after their service. I am very proud of Mr. Bethea's ability to share himself with us. Again "Bravo."
5
Does that thank you go out to members of Sarah Palin's family too?
I guess that if Nate Bethea, who has walked the walk for his country and paid for it with PTSD, can end his piece graciously for Sarah Palin and her son, then I should try to do so, too.
But I can't. For Ms. Palin to attribute Track's alleged serially abusive behavior to President Obama's alleged insensivity to veterans is testimony to her obtuseness, tendentiousness, lack of character and insensitive denial of whatever plight her son now confronts.
In this regard, she is the second pea in the Trump pod of mindless, boastful, mendacious bluster. The Donald brays that he is the biggest, baddest "military guy" on the block. Easy to say when his own service, such as it wasn't, consisted of a few years at a military high school.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
But I can't. For Ms. Palin to attribute Track's alleged serially abusive behavior to President Obama's alleged insensivity to veterans is testimony to her obtuseness, tendentiousness, lack of character and insensitive denial of whatever plight her son now confronts.
In this regard, she is the second pea in the Trump pod of mindless, boastful, mendacious bluster. The Donald brays that he is the biggest, baddest "military guy" on the block. Easy to say when his own service, such as it wasn't, consisted of a few years at a military high school.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
12
This is a must read article for those, like me, who have no clue on what PTSD entails, how it works and how afflicting it is. Understanding is the key to empathy and a better relationship with others. Thank you Nate.
2
Thank you, Nate, for your service.
I have a close relative recently certified as an "Art Therapist".
One of the internships was in a local VA, and the "clients" ranged from Korean War vets up to Afghanistan, Iraq vets.
Many of the sessions were group sessions, and it was clear that the issues were too personal to be mostly effective in groups.
One Iraq vet, in one-on-one settings, spent most of their time staring out the window, but always polite to say hello and good-bye.
It became clear that it visual stimulation would open a few locked windows.
This therapist gathered magazines--older as well as current--with many photos and other visual stimulations, gave the soldier scissors, glue and poster board.
The next sessions were filled with cheerful but careful explanations of each image he had selected and pasted on his "canvas".
Every session after that was fruitful, though this therapist has no illusions that this was a cure-all.
The internship ended, as did the therapeutical relationship, but a there remained a sense that art is a window with no bars, just a clear vision paths to healthy expression.
I have a close relative recently certified as an "Art Therapist".
One of the internships was in a local VA, and the "clients" ranged from Korean War vets up to Afghanistan, Iraq vets.
Many of the sessions were group sessions, and it was clear that the issues were too personal to be mostly effective in groups.
One Iraq vet, in one-on-one settings, spent most of their time staring out the window, but always polite to say hello and good-bye.
It became clear that it visual stimulation would open a few locked windows.
This therapist gathered magazines--older as well as current--with many photos and other visual stimulations, gave the soldier scissors, glue and poster board.
The next sessions were filled with cheerful but careful explanations of each image he had selected and pasted on his "canvas".
Every session after that was fruitful, though this therapist has no illusions that this was a cure-all.
The internship ended, as did the therapeutical relationship, but a there remained a sense that art is a window with no bars, just a clear vision paths to healthy expression.
1
Does the has suffer from PTSD?
Seems like the obvious question that's been neither asked nor answered.
What, if anything has this wealthy and well-connected family done to help him over the past seven/eight years since his return?
She took the easy and the sleazy way out here while also trying to capitalize politically on a family matter.
Seems like the obvious question that's been neither asked nor answered.
What, if anything has this wealthy and well-connected family done to help him over the past seven/eight years since his return?
She took the easy and the sleazy way out here while also trying to capitalize politically on a family matter.
9
Kudos Nate for this moving and personal essay. Like many vets I have also seen the effects of PTSD among my friends, and it takes many forms as it plays out as you've noted. I have also enjoyed following your writing for the past year or so, and am looking forward to your continued success.
Semper Fidelis.
Semper Fidelis.
9
Of course there were cases of PTSD in WW2 but nothing like today comparatively speaking. I think there is a reason and that is WW2 was a war people and soldiers believed in. If the worst happened there was a reason morally speaking. Today our soldiers are fighting to protect our international corporations to continue (in places they are not wanted)
exploiting these countries' raw materials, cheap labor and of course markets.
exploiting these countries' raw materials, cheap labor and of course markets.
6
Cannot wait for the republican Trump Palin ticket. We'll find out how dumb this country is.
6
Lovely piece. Thanks. I got home from Vietnam forty-five years ago and am still puzzled (and, OK, angry, but it's manageable now) at the general reaction when people find out I was there for one year, six months, and seventeen days. (Of course I counted.) The old "ticking time bomb" myth never dies. I'm usually greeted with a mixture of astonishment tinged with wariness. Then I get the usual "thanks for your service." And the conversation moves on. People just don't quite know how to handle it. But when people like Ms. Palin (not the first, not the last) exploit it for selfish ends, the old anger comes flooding back.
185
Mr. Bethea points out another problem with Congress', mostly Republicans', make war strategy: their unwillingness to deal with the consequences that affect our veterans.
The GOP is willing, no, eager, to spend a trillion dollars a year on war, but happy to shortchange the VA and make little effort to provide a safe landing, including job training and jobs, for veterans. And veterans' healthcare is spotty, to say the least, particularly in the area of mental illness.
The good Christian Republicans categorize anyone who doesn't have a job or has a disability, physical and especially mental, as lazy, worthless takers. The governments' money is better directed to the 0.1% who are the job creators rather than these shirkers. After all, we've wrung as much out the veterans as we can get, so toss them on the trash heap.
This is only one of the cruel practices the Republicans have imposed on our country to turn it into a sharia-law plutocracy at the bidding of their wealthy donors. And to flippantly throw away the veterans they send into war is the most callous, cruel act of all. Shame on them.
The GOP is willing, no, eager, to spend a trillion dollars a year on war, but happy to shortchange the VA and make little effort to provide a safe landing, including job training and jobs, for veterans. And veterans' healthcare is spotty, to say the least, particularly in the area of mental illness.
The good Christian Republicans categorize anyone who doesn't have a job or has a disability, physical and especially mental, as lazy, worthless takers. The governments' money is better directed to the 0.1% who are the job creators rather than these shirkers. After all, we've wrung as much out the veterans as we can get, so toss them on the trash heap.
This is only one of the cruel practices the Republicans have imposed on our country to turn it into a sharia-law plutocracy at the bidding of their wealthy donors. And to flippantly throw away the veterans they send into war is the most callous, cruel act of all. Shame on them.
13
Well said!
5
PTSD doesn't explain the behavior of her other kids.
6
The title is correct: this IS what PTSD is like, at least for me. As a fellow sufferer, albeit not from a military experience, I really appreciate Mr. Bethea's description because I don't think many people understand this condition well. And I'm so glad he is doing all right!
4
A couple of years ago the whole Palin family, except for the youngest, was involved in a brawl at a party. I recall Willow - and maybe Bristol - was hitting people. She has not served in combat. What is Sarah's excuse for that one? I suppose Willow and the rest of them became deranged because Obama is in the White House.
No, Sarah has no business talking about Track's mental health. First, it is his issue; and second, from what we see of that family, it would very difficult to ascribe anything to factors outside the clan.
No, Sarah has no business talking about Track's mental health. First, it is his issue; and second, from what we see of that family, it would very difficult to ascribe anything to factors outside the clan.
10
Plus, Sarah Palin is of the ilk that prefers to send more huge phalanxes of young men and women to war far more than paying for their care (or anyone else's) when they return.
13
Thank you for your service, Nate.
Your very personal memories and willingness to share are signs of healing. For me writing--Prose or Poetry--has been cathartic and occasionally leads to "AHA" moments--sometimes helpful in changing my reactions to events I could not control or avoid.
When I read accounts such as yours, I am sadly--and ANGRILY--drawn back to memories of 2006-2008 Walter Reed Hospital conditions and treatment of our military after an Iraqi "surge," then another "surge" . . . for a cause that has not been truthfully explained to USA, our allies, or the Iraqis.
Your very personal memories and willingness to share are signs of healing. For me writing--Prose or Poetry--has been cathartic and occasionally leads to "AHA" moments--sometimes helpful in changing my reactions to events I could not control or avoid.
When I read accounts such as yours, I am sadly--and ANGRILY--drawn back to memories of 2006-2008 Walter Reed Hospital conditions and treatment of our military after an Iraqi "surge," then another "surge" . . . for a cause that has not been truthfully explained to USA, our allies, or the Iraqis.
5
Well said.
3
All Sarah Palin's blamin', yellin', flailin', and wailin' indicates she is the one who is really ailing.
Compelling and well-written op-ed. Good luck with your writing and teaching career! You have much to give to your students.
Compelling and well-written op-ed. Good luck with your writing and teaching career! You have much to give to your students.
11
Mr. Bethea. Thank you for writing so clearly and practically about your experiences. Best thoughts your way.
6
Thank you, Nate, for your service and for your commentary. And one can only hope that you and all veterans recognize Ms Palin and her ilk for what they are - and reject them
8
Nice job Nate. You have articulated what happened to me when I got back (Vietnam 1969-1970). Different for us though was that PTSD was not acknowledged, and I just denied that I was a combat veteran for decades. I also didn't have the nightmares very often, at least after a decade or so, but extreme guilt so that in large groups I felt like a phony. I received no help and I'm extremely glad you did. I did use the GI Bill, had a great academic career, and that's what saved me. You're doing a great job. I salute you.
Oh, and Palin is worthless.
USMC 1968-1976, WO1
Oh, and Palin is worthless.
USMC 1968-1976, WO1
13
Track Palin's arrest report includes testimony that he held a gun to his head and threatened suicide. The authorities determined that Mr. Palin had been drunk but otherwise was not a threat to himself or others (or they failed to consider the issue) and released him on bail the following day. (Were they informed he suffers from PTSD?)
As a parent, Sarah Palin's response is creepy. Mr. Bethea has expressed more concern for Mr. Palin than his mother has. Nor have I heard her express concern for her son's battered girlfriend.
Without breaking stride, Palin responded as a politician, "getting in front of the story" by baldly asserting Track returned from Iraq with PTSD. If true, have the Palins sought help? If so, have they found specific shortcomings in VA or private care that she'd lobby for? (Trump envisions a role for her in his Administration.) What does it say that she seems to have so poor an understanding of the condition?
Our best politicians show themselves to be not just visionary and pragmatic but deeply human as well, with gifts for understanding the struggles of others and crafting meaningful assistance. Sarah Palin seems incapable on all counts.
As a parent, Sarah Palin's response is creepy. Mr. Bethea has expressed more concern for Mr. Palin than his mother has. Nor have I heard her express concern for her son's battered girlfriend.
Without breaking stride, Palin responded as a politician, "getting in front of the story" by baldly asserting Track returned from Iraq with PTSD. If true, have the Palins sought help? If so, have they found specific shortcomings in VA or private care that she'd lobby for? (Trump envisions a role for her in his Administration.) What does it say that she seems to have so poor an understanding of the condition?
Our best politicians show themselves to be not just visionary and pragmatic but deeply human as well, with gifts for understanding the struggles of others and crafting meaningful assistance. Sarah Palin seems incapable on all counts.
16
Nate, many thanks for your service and for this moving and insightful piece.
Recalling Palin's interview with Katie Couric after McCain foolishly selected her to be his running mate in a failed attempt at the presidency, I believe when Couric asked her which newspapers she read, she indicated that she read pretty much all of them. Let's hope she is still doing so as this is one of the most informative and beautifully composed best essays I have yet to read about the tragedy of PTSD.
Recalling Palin's interview with Katie Couric after McCain foolishly selected her to be his running mate in a failed attempt at the presidency, I believe when Couric asked her which newspapers she read, she indicated that she read pretty much all of them. Let's hope she is still doing so as this is one of the most informative and beautifully composed best essays I have yet to read about the tragedy of PTSD.
12
Mr. Bethea:
Thank you so much for this careful presentation of a most insidious and misunderstood diagnosis. I'm a counselor. Mental Health issues continue to be more terrifying to some than the outcomes of even severe physical losses. I meet veterans who apologize for taking my time when they know so many others who have "real" problems, and I meet civilians who are thunderstruck by a diagnosis of PTSD and remind me they're not veterans. I am constantly reminded of the definition of stalwart; I am thunderstruck by the degree of courage I witness. I will use your thoughtful piece with my clients.
Thank you so much for this careful presentation of a most insidious and misunderstood diagnosis. I'm a counselor. Mental Health issues continue to be more terrifying to some than the outcomes of even severe physical losses. I meet veterans who apologize for taking my time when they know so many others who have "real" problems, and I meet civilians who are thunderstruck by a diagnosis of PTSD and remind me they're not veterans. I am constantly reminded of the definition of stalwart; I am thunderstruck by the degree of courage I witness. I will use your thoughtful piece with my clients.
8
Regardless of the fact that Sarah Palin is an idiot (and I am a conservative, for the record), hers is the rationalizing excuse used by most parents of poorly raised children. In their minds, there must be an entity upon which to lay blame - because God knows they will never attribute it to a personal failing or poor parenting. The excuses I have heard over the years from parents of bad kids include: "she can't help it, she has a chemical imbalance; his first wife broke his heart and now he (fill in the blank); it was the influence of a bad crowd; it was peer group pressure; etc. While there are egregious cases of the military leaving soldiers high and dry, Palin's case is not one. Sarah Palin raised at least two brawlers, and her daughter can't even figure out birth control. And yes, I do judge people by the most important work they will ever do - raise their kids. Palin gets a big thumbs down. Jeb Bush comes in second but at least he doesn't blame PTSD.
15
Thank you for this beautiful piece, and for your service then and now. Your students are lucky to have you.
9
A heartfelt sharing of personal grief, that only touches the surface of an ugly reality that we as a nation sponsor. Shouldn't we ask why we go to war, or, can war be avoided, can America resort to diplomacy instead of placing our young in what is invariably becoming a personal hell and a national tragedy? USA has a military budget that equals that of the next 7-10 military powers, in 2014 USA exported weapons worth 37 billion dollars, more than the rest of the world. Isn't that something that we as a "great" nation should address, do we need military involvement and jobs that produce deaths and more deaths, not to mention the traumatic stress that hundreds of thousands of Americans and millions of unfortunate people around the world live with...? It is war that a "great' nation must avoid, at all costs.
Nate, my best wishes to you.
Nate, my best wishes to you.
6
Having Sarah Palin as a mother probably had more to do with Track's problems than did his military service. Suggesting that Obama is to blame is just plain stupid.
23
"Many veterans who did not seek care BEFORE leaving the military (or who were expelled from it) do not have this privilege."
Shameful.
Shameful.
11
Dear Mr. Bethea,
Thank you for helping us understand the difference between true patriotism and grotesque pandering.
Because of your service and personal experience, you not only understand what a serious problem P.T.S.D. is, you also want to help others recover.
Your sincerity, juxtaposed with Sarah Palin's willingness to exploit her son in a crass - and completely duplicitous - political attack, is both stunning and enlightening.
Despite Palin's record of cunningly false attacks, it still gives one pause to see a mother misuse her child's trials as an applause line in a patently phony political pander.
It does, however, shed light on just how low Palin and those like her (I'm talking to YOU, Donald Trump, and YOU, Ted Cruz, and YOU, Fox News, and YOU, Rush Limbaugh, and Ann Coulter, and Sean Hannity, and Michael Savage, and the rest of the Right Wing's coterie of creeps.) will descend to attack President Obama or any political opponent.
American "Deceptionalism" at its' worst.
Thank you for helping us understand the difference between true patriotism and grotesque pandering.
Because of your service and personal experience, you not only understand what a serious problem P.T.S.D. is, you also want to help others recover.
Your sincerity, juxtaposed with Sarah Palin's willingness to exploit her son in a crass - and completely duplicitous - political attack, is both stunning and enlightening.
Despite Palin's record of cunningly false attacks, it still gives one pause to see a mother misuse her child's trials as an applause line in a patently phony political pander.
It does, however, shed light on just how low Palin and those like her (I'm talking to YOU, Donald Trump, and YOU, Ted Cruz, and YOU, Fox News, and YOU, Rush Limbaugh, and Ann Coulter, and Sean Hannity, and Michael Savage, and the rest of the Right Wing's coterie of creeps.) will descend to attack President Obama or any political opponent.
American "Deceptionalism" at its' worst.
14
I continue to dream of our country at peace, of our country having a military at the ready but unused, of our young men & women unfamiliar with the 21-gun salutes and folded flags in honor of their comrades, of leaders who view war as absolutely the last strategy, of PTSD as a very rare condition. But here we are, in a world disordered toward other ends. I understand, but I fear most that we get so used to this current condition that we lose the ability to even imagine ourselves at peace. That is a collective Disorder that would ruin us.
9
You do not have to seek mental health treatment in service in order to receive compensation for PTSD so long as you can show you've had continuous symptoms since service or that the currently diagnosed PTSD is related to stressors incurred in service. The service organizations (DAV, American Legion, etc) can explain the criteria for service connection to veterans in need. They being said, I wonder whether the author or anybody else ever admitted improved symptoms to VA, in which case compensation payments would be reduced. The author says that he is doing much better with treatment. So my question to him is whether he is still 60% disabled and whether the taxpayers must continue to pay him at the 60% rate for a disability that is now perhaps only 10% disabling.
1
Palin's son may indeed have PRSD, but he acted just like this even before he went into combat.
17
Mr. Bethea: Thank you for shedding light on a very difficult topic. Thank you for your service. You're a terrific writer.
6
Mr. Bethea, thank you so much for your service and sacrifice. And, thank you for writing clearly and maturely about your PTSD. Mental illness is like any other illness - real, consequential and treatable with professional intervention and personal care and accountability. You shed a light on a critical topic. You seem like a great guy.
7
It's not Sarah Palin that scares me, it's the people who listen to her and agree.
24
Do we know what Track was like before deployment? Was he involved with combat? Certainly, it is sad to see domestic violence. However, to use it to further a political agenda that includes belligerent policies against a president who has been trying to deescalate our military involvement is beyond the pale(in).
14
Your words ring so true for me, a 60-year-old professional woman who sought treatment for PTSD, stemming from childhood abuse. Your description of stepping into the co-op for the first time after being home exactly described a similar situation for me. When I began to understand why suicide could be a solution to the unspeakable pain, I knew I needed help.
Sarah Palin's co-opting of her son's situation for political gain is loathsome. She's using it much like she used her younger son's mental challenges when she first brayed her way onto a national stage.
Thank you, Mr. Bethea, for your honesty and the work you're doing to help others - including. You see, this is the first time I've ever publicly talked about my story.
Sarah Palin's co-opting of her son's situation for political gain is loathsome. She's using it much like she used her younger son's mental challenges when she first brayed her way onto a national stage.
Thank you, Mr. Bethea, for your honesty and the work you're doing to help others - including. You see, this is the first time I've ever publicly talked about my story.
258
"Brayed" is such a perfect description. Palin uses all her children for political gain.
6
Her son cut the brake lines of multiple school buses BEFORE he joined the army. He went in to escape prosecution for his crimes.
The army did not want him but Palin forced the issue.
I had PTSD after a horrible wreck years ago. Took me years to get over it. I did not seek treatment but went back to work and worked hard to get my mind off of being totaled by a big rig. I did not commit any crimes, just felt awful and overworked myself till I could get over what I knew to be PTSD. Self awareness and not blaming others is a key to recovery.
The army did not want him but Palin forced the issue.
I had PTSD after a horrible wreck years ago. Took me years to get over it. I did not seek treatment but went back to work and worked hard to get my mind off of being totaled by a big rig. I did not commit any crimes, just felt awful and overworked myself till I could get over what I knew to be PTSD. Self awareness and not blaming others is a key to recovery.
11
Having learned that Track Palin's PTSD can be laid squarely at the doorstep of President Obama ( why not George W. we may ask?), to what or whom does Sarah Palin attribute her son Track's run-ins with the law before going to Iraq? Were they the first documented cases of "Pre Traumatic Stress Disorder"? Do tell us.
13
Thank you for sharing this. It's important here to remember that there is another group of Americans who also suffer from PTSD -- those of us who experience intimate-partner violence, more commonly known as domestic abuse, and sexual assault.
7
Thank you, Mr. Bethea.
It was shameful for Palin to blame her son's problems on President Obama. Palin has never done anything but make her nomination a mockery of our political system, then, after dumping her elected position as Governor of Alaska, trying to parlay her new found fame/notoriety into as much moolah as possible.
Senator McCain's continuing loyalty to her is admirable. Ms. Palin herself is not.
It was shameful for Palin to blame her son's problems on President Obama. Palin has never done anything but make her nomination a mockery of our political system, then, after dumping her elected position as Governor of Alaska, trying to parlay her new found fame/notoriety into as much moolah as possible.
Senator McCain's continuing loyalty to her is admirable. Ms. Palin herself is not.
8
I would not call Sen. McCain's continuing loyalty to Mrs. Palin admirable.
What WOULD be admirable would be if he could admit her choice as his running mate was a mistake, and that she adds little to nothing of value to the debate of important issues facing this country, something I think people on BOTH sides of that debate would agree with.
What WOULD be admirable would be if he could admit her choice as his running mate was a mistake, and that she adds little to nothing of value to the debate of important issues facing this country, something I think people on BOTH sides of that debate would agree with.
6
Pathetic Sarah Palin, whose lifetime goal is to criticize Barack Obama, even uses her own son in her ploy. Using Track's recent domestic abuse charges, she had an opportunity to try to blame Barack Obama for yet one more thing in her long list of his downfalls in Sarah's eyes. And she took up her son's situation to do just that.
But not only did Sarah use Track this time, she used veterans as the author, Mr. Bethea. Because when Sarah Palin goes on her rants of which she does not know much, but enjoys using her course words, she utilizes people for her self serving despise of President Obama.
Face it, when Sarah Palin endorses Donald Trump, who has already made it very clear he will increase military troops, and probably be very apt to send them into harm's way, boots on the ground, and the rest....she's not really talking about curing or treating PTSD. She's just fine with sending more and more into the storm of the real curse of PTSD. The very PTSD that she blames her son's behavior on Barack Obama.
But not only did Sarah use Track this time, she used veterans as the author, Mr. Bethea. Because when Sarah Palin goes on her rants of which she does not know much, but enjoys using her course words, she utilizes people for her self serving despise of President Obama.
Face it, when Sarah Palin endorses Donald Trump, who has already made it very clear he will increase military troops, and probably be very apt to send them into harm's way, boots on the ground, and the rest....she's not really talking about curing or treating PTSD. She's just fine with sending more and more into the storm of the real curse of PTSD. The very PTSD that she blames her son's behavior on Barack Obama.
16
Ms. Palin knows not of what she speaks. No news here.
I was a psychologist serving returning military on an active base during the second Bush term. News that Walter Reed was mistreating and under-treating military has just broke.
I left this very well paying job because I refused to trap military who were assigned to group treatment when they were in crisis and needed direct, one-on-one therapy. Once they did not show for "group" they could be charged with noncompliance with treatment.
I have since worked with a hand full of vets who have been set-up by a government that cares less about them than whether the 1%'s taxes are 0% or 10% rather than what the rest of us pay.
Abuse of veterans is common, in spite of the public pandering of folks who are looking to gain notoriety. Hey, Sara. You listening? Bet not.
I wish the best for your boy, whether or not his service in any way made his life more difficult.
I was a psychologist serving returning military on an active base during the second Bush term. News that Walter Reed was mistreating and under-treating military has just broke.
I left this very well paying job because I refused to trap military who were assigned to group treatment when they were in crisis and needed direct, one-on-one therapy. Once they did not show for "group" they could be charged with noncompliance with treatment.
I have since worked with a hand full of vets who have been set-up by a government that cares less about them than whether the 1%'s taxes are 0% or 10% rather than what the rest of us pay.
Abuse of veterans is common, in spite of the public pandering of folks who are looking to gain notoriety. Hey, Sara. You listening? Bet not.
I wish the best for your boy, whether or not his service in any way made his life more difficult.
10
We owe our gratitude and whatever resources our vets needs for all problems, physical and psychological. We should be providing coping mechanisms and preemptive substance abuse counseling for anyone who needs it. We should also be providing support and education to vetfamilies.
That being said, there is no excuse for domestic violence and this isn't exactly this guys' first bad act, before and after service and involving alcohol. Also, why are we not more concerned about the actual victim? I think I would have feelings of anxiety and terror if my SO came home drunk, punched and kicked me and waving a gun around around to terrorize me. Is it the logical conclusion that we should also dismiss this woman's behavior if she decides to act out her terror by heaping the same on her children?
That being said, there is no excuse for domestic violence and this isn't exactly this guys' first bad act, before and after service and involving alcohol. Also, why are we not more concerned about the actual victim? I think I would have feelings of anxiety and terror if my SO came home drunk, punched and kicked me and waving a gun around around to terrorize me. Is it the logical conclusion that we should also dismiss this woman's behavior if she decides to act out her terror by heaping the same on her children?
9
To take the behavior of your grown child and turn it into red meat political pandering shows exactly what type of parent Palin is and the not quite hidden disfunction of her family.
18
Sarah Palin is political in almost everything she says and does, so it is no surprise that she would associate President Obama with her son's PTSD.
She constantly touts herself as a Christian, but she is surely one of the most dishonest politicians on the face of the earth. Dishonesty is not a character trait that I associate with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Mr. Bethea, for this insightful article and for your service to our country. I wish you the best in the future.
She constantly touts herself as a Christian, but she is surely one of the most dishonest politicians on the face of the earth. Dishonesty is not a character trait that I associate with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Mr. Bethea, for this insightful article and for your service to our country. I wish you the best in the future.
16
Listen to the expert on all things! Sara Palin! She is the creation of a desperate John McCain and a political party that would nominate a serial killer if they thought he could be elected.
She, the attendee of numerous junior colleges until she received a degree, a half term governor, an Ann Coulter intellectual without Ann's coherence, and the matriarch of a spate of children with many social problems.
She is only a personality because the media joined low information and bigoted voters to buoy her career along the airwaves which has enriched her personally. What more can be expected from her? Even greater slurs against any one or group for any small advantage for the extreme right.
She, the attendee of numerous junior colleges until she received a degree, a half term governor, an Ann Coulter intellectual without Ann's coherence, and the matriarch of a spate of children with many social problems.
She is only a personality because the media joined low information and bigoted voters to buoy her career along the airwaves which has enriched her personally. What more can be expected from her? Even greater slurs against any one or group for any small advantage for the extreme right.
13
Ann Coulter's intellectual coherence: not a very high bar.
7
Mr. Bethea, any future employer worth working for would be proud of your service to our country, your self-awareness and your honesty.
While getting treatment before leaving the military was key, without first recognizing the problem and then doing something about it is the real key. Whether it's PTSD for vets or problems that affect so many civilians like addiction, it's got to first come from within.
While getting treatment before leaving the military was key, without first recognizing the problem and then doing something about it is the real key. Whether it's PTSD for vets or problems that affect so many civilians like addiction, it's got to first come from within.
12
Every now and then we get reminded about how many heroic people live in this great country.
People become heroes not because they want any sort of fame or recognition but because there is something deep within them that makes them think about others first.
Most people would just cut and run but heroes stay and fight because to them there is no other option. Even if staying will end up hurting them physically or mentally or even cost them their lives.
Thanks for your service Mr. Bethea, you are a true hero.
While we may not always show our gratitude most of us do care. We also hate the fact that our politicians love to start wars but then forget about the veterans when they come home.
I am happy to hear that you have been able to come to grips with your PTSD, but sadly it will be with you your whole life.
I say that after seeing what my older brother Rafael Paz went through. Rafael served in Viet Nam as a Marine. Physically a small man he spent a lot of time in tunnels rooting out the Viet Cong.
He came back broken, physically with shrapnel and malaria and mentally with PTSD.
I feel that ultimately that is why he committed suicide almost exactly a year ago. The constant physical and mental pain he suffered from got so bad that he ultimately gave up and shot himself.
https://plus.google.com/+BenAlcala/posts/gjYX6Rw6KJW
Every day I wish Rafael had reached out to somebody, we all miss him terribly.
Good luck to you in the future, we are rooting for you!
People become heroes not because they want any sort of fame or recognition but because there is something deep within them that makes them think about others first.
Most people would just cut and run but heroes stay and fight because to them there is no other option. Even if staying will end up hurting them physically or mentally or even cost them their lives.
Thanks for your service Mr. Bethea, you are a true hero.
While we may not always show our gratitude most of us do care. We also hate the fact that our politicians love to start wars but then forget about the veterans when they come home.
I am happy to hear that you have been able to come to grips with your PTSD, but sadly it will be with you your whole life.
I say that after seeing what my older brother Rafael Paz went through. Rafael served in Viet Nam as a Marine. Physically a small man he spent a lot of time in tunnels rooting out the Viet Cong.
He came back broken, physically with shrapnel and malaria and mentally with PTSD.
I feel that ultimately that is why he committed suicide almost exactly a year ago. The constant physical and mental pain he suffered from got so bad that he ultimately gave up and shot himself.
https://plus.google.com/+BenAlcala/posts/gjYX6Rw6KJW
Every day I wish Rafael had reached out to somebody, we all miss him terribly.
Good luck to you in the future, we are rooting for you!
10
The eloquence with which you tell your story reflects such maturity and grace, it's fitting you've chosen to teach creative writing. Your students are fortunate.
With Sarah as their role-model, the immature Palin children are not so fortunate.
With Sarah as their role-model, the immature Palin children are not so fortunate.
11
Excellent piece. Thank you for your service and your continued outreach to others including this article.
7
This article is an act of courage, and embodies the sort of testimony that is deserving of respect and compassion for those affected by this debilitating illness. Probably few soldiers going into Iraq and Afghanistan ever though they were going to experience the horror of war in the personal frame as they did.
Seeking treatment for a tendency towards abusive and destructive behavior is the way forward, and the politics of excuses and blame characterized by Ms. Palin's comments are a grotesque twist to a human condition that cries out for relief from suffering. It is also true that civilians who have been exposed to harsh treatment in their lives also experience PTSD - our health care system needs to be designed such that physicians can recognize and treat it, for all walks of life.
Seeking treatment for a tendency towards abusive and destructive behavior is the way forward, and the politics of excuses and blame characterized by Ms. Palin's comments are a grotesque twist to a human condition that cries out for relief from suffering. It is also true that civilians who have been exposed to harsh treatment in their lives also experience PTSD - our health care system needs to be designed such that physicians can recognize and treat it, for all walks of life.
132
And, of course, no one in Palin's dysfunctional family would ever seek treatment from a mental health professional. Better to have your teenage daughter give birth to a child and your son beat up people.
4
Thank you for your service and thank you for this wonderful piece. I wish you all the best. Ms. Palin is the epitome of what is wrong with the Republicans. Spew hate and don't take responsibility for their actions. I am a mother. If my son had been arrested, I would have run to be by his side and support him. Ms. Palin instead chose to blame Obama.
61
Yes, she ran to the microphone instead.
7
I agree. If I was a mother of a adult child who was in big-time trouble, I would be at my child's side, not enriching myself by attachment to a famous celebrity politician which is what she has done with Trump.
Sad.
I will never forgive John McCain for foisting her on our country. One heartbeat away from the presidency. Such greed for power made him unhinged.
Sad.
I will never forgive John McCain for foisting her on our country. One heartbeat away from the presidency. Such greed for power made him unhinged.
8
I'm also a combat veteran (infantry in Vietnam). When I got out of the service in 1971, PTSD wasn't on anyone's radar. There were some 'troubled' Vietnam vets at the time, but I wasn't going to be one of them. I never had nightmares or flashbacks and I was quite willing to talk about anything that I'd experienced, though that opportunity rarely came up, as no one asked. Violent tendencies? No, never.
But I did experience frequent bouts of depression and anxiety - I just never connected any of that to my combat experiences and I remained fully functional. It was about 15 years after the fact that I finally sought private counseling and it was that counselor noting that I could relate the most horrific incidents with 'zero emotional affect,' that eventually made me realize that I had largely dealt with it by removing it from the reality portion of my memory.
I think it's important to realize that different veterans 'deal' with it in different ways and that the effects are not always as simple as memories of traumatic events. One thing that has dawned on me over the years is that there are aspects of the experience that I actually miss. Even though the potential consequences of combat are horrendous, it is an extremely simple existence. Eat, sleep, drink, stay alive. And dealing with your 'problems' is also quite simple: Stand up and fight back.
Don't take anyone's story, including mine, as the bottom line on PTSD. Listen to all of them and learn and keep an open mind.
But I did experience frequent bouts of depression and anxiety - I just never connected any of that to my combat experiences and I remained fully functional. It was about 15 years after the fact that I finally sought private counseling and it was that counselor noting that I could relate the most horrific incidents with 'zero emotional affect,' that eventually made me realize that I had largely dealt with it by removing it from the reality portion of my memory.
I think it's important to realize that different veterans 'deal' with it in different ways and that the effects are not always as simple as memories of traumatic events. One thing that has dawned on me over the years is that there are aspects of the experience that I actually miss. Even though the potential consequences of combat are horrendous, it is an extremely simple existence. Eat, sleep, drink, stay alive. And dealing with your 'problems' is also quite simple: Stand up and fight back.
Don't take anyone's story, including mine, as the bottom line on PTSD. Listen to all of them and learn and keep an open mind.
72
Thank you, Mr. Bethea. Your writing helps others understand what it feels like to experience PTSD. The eloquence in which you deliver your experience contributes to making the world a better place, in my opinion.
33
I have complex PTSD which started in childhood. I grew up in a violent home. When I was a teenager I decided I would never use my hands during disagreements with others and I never did it again. I didn't even know I had cPTSD back then. Violence is a choice.
22
Dear Mr. Bethea,
The stigma and isolation associated with PTSD is deadly; in sharing your experience, you help erase the shame for others who are hurting and you lead them toward hope.
Keep writing. Keep talking. And please take good care of yourself. Our hearts are with you.
The stigma and isolation associated with PTSD is deadly; in sharing your experience, you help erase the shame for others who are hurting and you lead them toward hope.
Keep writing. Keep talking. And please take good care of yourself. Our hearts are with you.
42
Given what Mr. Bethea describes, he is likely experiencing Complex PTSD, not PTSD.
There are important differences between PTSD and Complex PTSD: http://www.natal.org.il/english/?CategoryID=233 and http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/PTSD-overview/complex-ptsd.asp.
The three most obvious ways C-PTSD is different from PTSD are: (1) length of exposure (PTSD results from a discrete, one-off event whereas C-PTSD results from repeated traumas over a period of time), (2) C-PTSD carries with it a distinct sense of powerlessness during and after the traumatic exposures, and (3) C-PTSD fundamentally changes one's perception of self (PTSD doesn't).
There are important differences between PTSD and Complex PTSD: http://www.natal.org.il/english/?CategoryID=233 and http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/PTSD-overview/complex-ptsd.asp.
The three most obvious ways C-PTSD is different from PTSD are: (1) length of exposure (PTSD results from a discrete, one-off event whereas C-PTSD results from repeated traumas over a period of time), (2) C-PTSD carries with it a distinct sense of powerlessness during and after the traumatic exposures, and (3) C-PTSD fundamentally changes one's perception of self (PTSD doesn't).
8
Andrew Hunt: Thank you for your comment. I have never heard of C-PTSD. The differences you cite are very helpful to me and no one has ever told me about it. And all three apply to me - growing up in a chaotic, violent household with sexual abuse occuring, and my adult life has been affected severely by my childhood experiences. At 64 I still struggle though I have done so much work around my issues that I am doing much better and enjoying life in a way I never could before.
Your comment is very helpful to me. I will do further reading about C-PTSD.
Your comment is very helpful to me. I will do further reading about C-PTSD.
2
And let us compare Palin's approach to the enormous difficulties facing returning veterans (blame everything on Obama, who inherited the problem of the indefensible Iraq war from George Bush) with that of Bernie Sanders, who has done more for veterans than any of the other candidates, including Hillary Clinton, and has done it by finding ways to cooperate with members of the other party, such as Palin's former running mate John McCain.
18
For Bernie's work on helping veterans, take a look at the article below: "And in 2014 he accomplished the last thing you might expect from a candidate whose campaign brand is firebrand: He negotiated a major bipartisan agreement with two conservatives to deal with the veterans health care crisis."
Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/07/how-bernie-sanders-fought...
Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/07/how-bernie-sanders-fought...
5
Okay, so I'm not trying to defend Sarah Palin's story, but I am a little confused by the direct of the criticism. Her son was in some military branch and was in the middle east, correct? So, there is a chance that he has PTSD. Now Palin is saying that his PTSD caused him to engage in domestic violence (I'm not going to go into much of her political rhetoric since I'm just looking at the high level criticisms). On a surface level that seems reasonable, but she is being criticized.
I have read left leaning news articles and comments about how one of the reasons for the violence in the inner cities is that the children suffer from PTSD because of their living conditions and the violence that they see.
So, how is Palin's excuse for her son's violence any different than the excuse sometimes given for inner city violence?
I have read left leaning news articles and comments about how one of the reasons for the violence in the inner cities is that the children suffer from PTSD because of their living conditions and the violence that they see.
So, how is Palin's excuse for her son's violence any different than the excuse sometimes given for inner city violence?
2
The difference, as you would know if you were paying attention, is that she blamed Obama for his condition, thus taking personal political advantage of her son's issues. This may not be the most morally despicable thing she's done, but it's right up there.
2
Has Track ever been diagnosed or sought treatment for PTSD? Has he ever attempted to use the many services that the VA offers? Has his nurturing mother ever encouraged it? That is hardly the President’s fault. Looking from the outside of Palin’s very public life I see a narcissist opportunist mother who did not drop campaigning for another egomaniac to be at her son’s side. In the article I read about the incident it did say he attempted suicide as well. Any sympathy for the victim from Palin? I would like to ask who she blames for the drunken brawls she and her family seems to land themselves in. Bristol does throw a good punch from what I hear.
4
First, it isn't clear Track Palin saw combat. Second, he had problems with violence before he went in the military. Even if he did acquire PTSD from serving in the Middle East, beating up a girlfriend is unjustified. Many suffer from PTSD who never raise a hand against another. So Ms. Palin's use of her son's arrest for domestic violence as a way to dig at President Obama is particularly repulsive. It is an attempt to distract attention away from her dysfunctional family and her own responsibility for that dysfunction, as well as her son's. This is vastly different from the experience many children (and adults) have living in a war zone. Inner city violence is like a war zone, with continuous, life-threatening violence just around the corner. PTSD as a result of living in a war zone is quite different from the mind that perpetuates violence from having grown up in a dysfunctional family with a narcissistic mother.
4
the author represents what is best about our nation.
his ability to learn from his experience and convey
what he has learned to help others.
Ms. Palin would do well to follow the author's example.
she could start by being there for her son instead of Trump.
his ability to learn from his experience and convey
what he has learned to help others.
Ms. Palin would do well to follow the author's example.
she could start by being there for her son instead of Trump.
32
Mr. Bethea, thank you for sharing your story. War affects everyone who fights in a different way. You are wise and compassionate to state your hope for her son. I, too, hope he will seek the care he needs and find peace. We can only hope that Sarah Palin will lend her voice to the cause of providing better mental health care for the young men and women who served their country in Afghanistan and Iraq.
9
Absolutely. Thank you for your courage and forthright description of what you went through.
I'm sorry you had to even listen to Mrs. Palin and cast your pearls before swine.
I'm sorry you had to even listen to Mrs. Palin and cast your pearls before swine.
20
It is a testament to our common humanity that when someone speaks the truth clearly and articulately, as Mr. Bethea does, people respond in kind as the comments show. This is why a democrat will be elected president, hopefully Bernie.
17
I've signed up for the newsletter from Voices From War. Thank you for that connection.
15
Palin in is a narcissistic mother. Using your child's vulnerabilities and reprehensible illegal behavior to score points for herself. She is despicable to do that to her child. Her son should get some counciling for is PSTD and for having a mother with no conscience or sensitivity regarding her child.
55
I prefer to think that Palin's son is simply a jerk having too many beers and went off on his girlfriend probably for some imagined slight. Like looking at another guy. Instead of just standing up about it and saying the kid made a very bad mistake, apologizing to the girl and her family like a man and promising to guard against that kind of behavior in the future, this lady (and her chicken livered son) chose to diminish those vets who have actually experienced the kind of stress related trauma that results in PTSD. In other words all this lady's bluster about taking care of the vets and electing a guy who knows about "fire" was exposed as lies and flushed simply to excuse her boy's single immature mistake. What a phony clown this poser is.
5
The problems of her son probably have more to do with bad parenting rather than PTSD.
4
Thank you for writing this. You must continue to work on your craft, for several reasons. First, because I am convinced that those who suffer from mental health issues can find great relief when they use their minds in a creative way. I really think the brain gets altered somehow when it is distracted from its pain and is focused on creating a painting, a poem or a story. Secondly, you are a very compelling writer! Your voice, full of sincerity and soul, is loud and clear. Continue to write and heal!
22
Track Palin served in Iraq in 2008, while George W. Bush was president.
So, in 2016, to blame his domestic violence issues on Obama might be a bit of a stretch.
So, in 2016, to blame his domestic violence issues on Obama might be a bit of a stretch.
38
Excellent article, Mr. Bethea. You write well. Please don't stop writing. You owe it to the world...
17
Truth to power. War is destructive to the inner man as well as the physical world that he has built. Just another reason that old men should not send young men into unnecessary war. All of those 'cowboys' who swaggered us into this unnecessary war deserve a special place of disrespect in the minds of Americans. They should be prosecuted, but never will be. Their arrogance will protect them against the mental anguish that most caring humans would feel. Just another of the inequities in our society.
33
A very eloquent column written straight from the head and the heart, and the best possible response to Ms. Palin's incoherent rant the other day. Thank you for bringing the discussion of this terrible affliction back to reality and for taking ownership of what has turned into a daily struggle for you. And thank you for you service to our country, both in combat and in the field of education.
35
Thank you Mr. Bethea. I have a son with mental illness, not PTSD, and the strain that a mentally ill loved one puts on the rest of the family is unreal. I am no fan of Sarah Palin but to me it is obvious that she has to be under a lot of stress with her family and needs help. I imagine she can afford it. The other part of her stress is her job which is to whip up the base of the Republican Party. She is clearly in over her head but it is doubtful that Republicans care what they are doing to her and her family. From my own experience I can tell you that the strain has to be affecting her a great deal and I feel sorry for her for the position they have put her in.
4
She put herself in that position. All politicians are opportunists, but most of them have something to offer besides ignorance and cluelessness.
3
Doesn't she have the choice to stay home and take care of her family?
6
Ernest, she is the cause of her stress. She could stay home and tend to her personal affairs and leave the rest of us alone.
6
If Ms. Palin is so concerned about her PTSD son, she has the resources to help his condition.
Instead, Ms. Palin chooses to score political points.
Is anything more reprehensible?
Instead, Ms. Palin chooses to score political points.
Is anything more reprehensible?
45
This is a tremendous essay. It puts thought right where it should be: on the person who has PTSD and doesn't point fingers or make excuses for behavior as Ms. Palin did.. The closest it comes is to say the fear of being permanently broken.
17
Oh stop picking on Sarah Palin. She has a right to say what she wants to or believes whether correct, emotional, or whatever. It's America.
Nobody is picking on Sarah Palin. She is not a victim. She makes public statements, thus opening herself up to responses. She is fair game, as she has chosen to be in the public spotlight.
6
And by the same token, we have a right to pick on her. The whole idea of freedom of speech is that irrational speech can be met with rational speech, and the truth will reveal itself. In fact, I'd even say we have a civic responsibility to criticize her, because it does neither Republicans nor Democrats any good to put the inmates in charge of the asylum.
4
And of course we — and in particular the author — have the right to comment, because this is America. That's how truth emerges from frank discussion.
5
We wish you and ypur fellow service men and women the best. You are a brave young man and we owe you a debt of gratitude we will never be able to repay. Although Ms Palin is abhorrent, if more people like you come forward to learn what treatment is available, it might be worthwhile.
10
Mr Bethea, you sir are a true hero.
Ms Palin, well sir, she's surely something else.
Ms Palin, well sir, she's surely something else.
21
Palin is blaming Track's violence on PTSD? Then what is Bristols problem? Remember the accounts of her throwing a right hook during a house party brawl a year or so ago?
16
Nate, a really wonderful piece, thank you. Please write more.
9
Even more amazing about Sarah Palin's continuing adventures with the truth is the revelation on Twitter of Track Palin's DD 214 Marked "No Combat Experience". He was in Iraq but never was in a fight. PTSD? Having Sarah for mother and Bristol for a Sister probably had more to do with that than Iraq?
20
Hi, do you have a link?
As I recall Sarah Palin's son was given the choice to enter the military or go to jail after he vandalized a school bus or buses by damaging the brakes. Nice try on Sarah's part to once again blame it on Obama. Shouldn't work as her son's problems started way before Iraq and there is a record. Of course she should have recognized the problems he had and gotten some counseling or help for the kid when he was a teenager. But a classic case of an oppurtunistic politician who preaches small government and tax breaks and yet wants the government to straighten out her son. I happen to think vets should get the best treatment there is. But I don't vote Republican.
5
A thoughtful, useful, informative column: Thank you, Mr. Bethea. I'll wager your journey will open rather than close doors to graduate school, and I hope the same is true of future employment.
19
Thank you for your years of military service and thank you for teaching us about what it is like to live with this terrible disorder.
14
This is an excellent response to the bizarre utterance by Ms Palin who is, in the end, a career opportunist.
23
To Nate Bethea: Thank you for your service to our country. Thank you for the lucid explanation and sharing of your experience. I admire your courage to face the challenges life has brought to you and to do so in a positive and encouraging manner. I suspect many of your future students will be fortunate to have you as their teacher; know that many of them will come to you with similar challenges to those you face.
17
I'm a little ashamed of letting my fury with Sarah Palin and other exploitative antics get in the way.
Mr. Bethea has written well and from the heart about his condition, with patience and tolerance. I hope he has a bright future with his ability to see himself and the world around him with so much compassion.
His writing and honesty deserve to be celebrated.
Mr. Bethea has written well and from the heart about his condition, with patience and tolerance. I hope he has a bright future with his ability to see himself and the world around him with so much compassion.
His writing and honesty deserve to be celebrated.
16
PTSD is nothing new. Children of the "Greatest Generation" experienced damaged fathers whose stoicism and coldness concealed hard realities.
8
Correct. But it did no good, really.
2
Ms. Plain is a shill and a shrill voice for just plain stupid.
For a parent to take a very real psychiatric condition, PTSD, and somehow try to wrap it up in the flag of politics and blame it all on our President is perhaps one of the most absurd reckless claims that has spewed from Mr. Palin's mouth, and a lot of dumb reckless things have been said by her.
If in fact her son suffers from PTSD then he needs his mother's and family's help, care and understanding while getting proper treatment for his condition. Palin does her son absolutely no good to make his illness part of her traveling side show or for Palin to be an enabler by excusing away domestic violence as someone else's problem.
Perhaps she needs to take some time off from her soap opera - "The whole world revolves around Palin" - and spend time with her son and see that he gets the help, support and love he needs to deal with his condition. Perhaps she just needs to be his mother right now!
The real issue for our soldiers is that they do not get the proper medical care upon returning home from war and combat. This has been a very sad dark truth since Vietnam and both Republicans and Democrats have failed our soldiers and their families. Much more, so much more needs to be done to properly treat our soldiers returning home and first class medical and mental health care tops the list.
For a parent to take a very real psychiatric condition, PTSD, and somehow try to wrap it up in the flag of politics and blame it all on our President is perhaps one of the most absurd reckless claims that has spewed from Mr. Palin's mouth, and a lot of dumb reckless things have been said by her.
If in fact her son suffers from PTSD then he needs his mother's and family's help, care and understanding while getting proper treatment for his condition. Palin does her son absolutely no good to make his illness part of her traveling side show or for Palin to be an enabler by excusing away domestic violence as someone else's problem.
Perhaps she needs to take some time off from her soap opera - "The whole world revolves around Palin" - and spend time with her son and see that he gets the help, support and love he needs to deal with his condition. Perhaps she just needs to be his mother right now!
The real issue for our soldiers is that they do not get the proper medical care upon returning home from war and combat. This has been a very sad dark truth since Vietnam and both Republicans and Democrats have failed our soldiers and their families. Much more, so much more needs to be done to properly treat our soldiers returning home and first class medical and mental health care tops the list.
184
Since Vietnam? PTSD is what the greatest generation called shell shock. This illness is a tragedy of every war...but with TV and other media we have seen it more.
The problem doesn’t belong to the two parties. It belongs to you and me here in the USA who thinks war is the answer to EVERYTHING! Two navy ships end up in Iranian waters...most people were screaming for immediate retaliation of bombers. Idiotic. We were able to use diplomacy to tamp down Iranian production of uranium. Obama and Kerry were called weak for this!
After 9/11 the country cheered and gave Bush Jr an 85% approval rating for his talk of war...and so he invaded a country that had NOTHING to do with 9/11--but Iraq had oil! We were so willing to believe that Saddam had WMD that we said “Sure! Bomb ‘em” and it passed through Congress like a zephyr.
We vote for politicians who talk about being the strongest nation on earth...when actually these pols are shills for the defense contractors in their states. They send other people’s children to war..to be killed, to be maimed for life..thus a new medical term--quadruple amputee. THINK what it would be like to live as a quad for one day..much less the rest of your life.
BTW it was Bush Jr who started two wars on a credit card, yet only increased VA funding by 9% for 50% MORE troops! And Obama gets blamed? We need a whopping war tax. Americans want to go to war? We return to Eisenhower’s 90% marginal tax.
We are idiots! Don’t blame PTSD on others.
The problem doesn’t belong to the two parties. It belongs to you and me here in the USA who thinks war is the answer to EVERYTHING! Two navy ships end up in Iranian waters...most people were screaming for immediate retaliation of bombers. Idiotic. We were able to use diplomacy to tamp down Iranian production of uranium. Obama and Kerry were called weak for this!
After 9/11 the country cheered and gave Bush Jr an 85% approval rating for his talk of war...and so he invaded a country that had NOTHING to do with 9/11--but Iraq had oil! We were so willing to believe that Saddam had WMD that we said “Sure! Bomb ‘em” and it passed through Congress like a zephyr.
We vote for politicians who talk about being the strongest nation on earth...when actually these pols are shills for the defense contractors in their states. They send other people’s children to war..to be killed, to be maimed for life..thus a new medical term--quadruple amputee. THINK what it would be like to live as a quad for one day..much less the rest of your life.
BTW it was Bush Jr who started two wars on a credit card, yet only increased VA funding by 9% for 50% MORE troops! And Obama gets blamed? We need a whopping war tax. Americans want to go to war? We return to Eisenhower’s 90% marginal tax.
We are idiots! Don’t blame PTSD on others.
10
Agree. Per the article, though, at least this vet feels he is getting help. Many do. I think - with no clear evidence - that at least some of the "lack of vet services" is rhetoric used to serve another purpose. Some of it is no doubt very real - each situation might be different so it could be hard to generalize. There were or are still some problems with the VA, but again, apparently, some hospitals are quite good while others are not and there have been steps taken to investigate and improve. Where there is direct evidence is that over the last seven years, the GOP-led congress has reduced or denied money to fund the VA.
4
Thank you Nate Bethea. I hope that you are successful in helping others who come to Voices of War to write and by so doing reach their families, friends, and best of all if possible a wider public as you do today.
I believe in the power of writing, or trying to write, and believe that just as Voices of War exists for people who have served as you served there should be similar organizations for refugees who have gone through their own versions of hell.
I work with refugees every week here at the Red Cross in Sweden and think all the time that if these refugees, from Somalia and Syria to name two of the most common, could write their stories in the NYT they might show the Times commenters who express fear at best, hatred at worst of refugees why refugees risk their lives to escape and to be taken in, even in the America that only took in about 2600 Syrians last year.
Sad to say, I do not think you can reach either Sara Palin or her son but perhaps you can help others to understand what she does not.
Thank you
Only-neverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
I believe in the power of writing, or trying to write, and believe that just as Voices of War exists for people who have served as you served there should be similar organizations for refugees who have gone through their own versions of hell.
I work with refugees every week here at the Red Cross in Sweden and think all the time that if these refugees, from Somalia and Syria to name two of the most common, could write their stories in the NYT they might show the Times commenters who express fear at best, hatred at worst of refugees why refugees risk their lives to escape and to be taken in, even in the America that only took in about 2600 Syrians last year.
Sad to say, I do not think you can reach either Sara Palin or her son but perhaps you can help others to understand what she does not.
Thank you
Only-neverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
71
Sarah Palin could never suffer from PTSD, because the antidote to PTSD is Cognitive Dissonance. She cannot be shocked by anything and simply carries on as if nothing has happened.
Anyone remember her $ 165,000 wardrobe? "Well, I have to look nice."
"I know Russia because I can see it from my bedroom window"? No problem, just a minor gaffe, let's move on ...........
To suffer from PTSD one has to have a thinking brain, consciousness, intelligence, awareness of one's own self and of others, feelings and emotions: Palin is just a moose-shooting plastic doll, reminiscent of the robot mannequins in "Austin Powers".
Anyone remember her $ 165,000 wardrobe? "Well, I have to look nice."
"I know Russia because I can see it from my bedroom window"? No problem, just a minor gaffe, let's move on ...........
To suffer from PTSD one has to have a thinking brain, consciousness, intelligence, awareness of one's own self and of others, feelings and emotions: Palin is just a moose-shooting plastic doll, reminiscent of the robot mannequins in "Austin Powers".
79
Thanks Nate for your courageous piece.
I served as a Marine in Iraq in 2003 and was diagnosed with PTSD in 2014 after an evolving decade of struggle.
The bottomline: if you don't get professional treatment (and I don't mean two six packs a day or chit-chatting with buds or Buds) or agressively screen for PTSD to get passed side-issues like depression or alcohol abuse, it festers, destroys your relationships and most basic support structure and only worsen with time. Only professional treatment ends that cycle. It can be and will be better IF you have the courage to get treatment.
It is a combat injury, not a wound, a trauma injury that is as old as war and old as time.
My only hope is that people like Sarah Palin, and other politicians that have little clue of what they speak, do not appropriate PTSD as a political football.
Semper Fi.
I served as a Marine in Iraq in 2003 and was diagnosed with PTSD in 2014 after an evolving decade of struggle.
The bottomline: if you don't get professional treatment (and I don't mean two six packs a day or chit-chatting with buds or Buds) or agressively screen for PTSD to get passed side-issues like depression or alcohol abuse, it festers, destroys your relationships and most basic support structure and only worsen with time. Only professional treatment ends that cycle. It can be and will be better IF you have the courage to get treatment.
It is a combat injury, not a wound, a trauma injury that is as old as war and old as time.
My only hope is that people like Sarah Palin, and other politicians that have little clue of what they speak, do not appropriate PTSD as a political football.
Semper Fi.
561
Would this column been published if it had not contained a gratuitous and patronizing attack on Sarah Palin?
i loathe questioning the sincerity of someone who served his country, but Mr. Bethea is now apparently on the public dole at 60% disability and while he laments the stigma attached to mental health issues, he apparently thinks publicizing the problems of another soldier similarly afflicted in a national newspaper is perfectly acceptable. I do not.
I would suggest that Mr. Bethea examine the circumstances that lead young soldiers to experience "self-hate" after serving their country and protecting oppressed and terrorized people in a country that has been at war with itself since the early 1980s. Their mission was humanitarian and admirable. Why should they despise themselves for attempting it? If they are not proud of what they were doing, if they feel guilty about what they did, it suggests that our military leadership did not do its job. And we all know who is ultimately responsible for that. Sarah Palin identified him. The fish rots from the head down.
i loathe questioning the sincerity of someone who served his country, but Mr. Bethea is now apparently on the public dole at 60% disability and while he laments the stigma attached to mental health issues, he apparently thinks publicizing the problems of another soldier similarly afflicted in a national newspaper is perfectly acceptable. I do not.
I would suggest that Mr. Bethea examine the circumstances that lead young soldiers to experience "self-hate" after serving their country and protecting oppressed and terrorized people in a country that has been at war with itself since the early 1980s. Their mission was humanitarian and admirable. Why should they despise themselves for attempting it? If they are not proud of what they were doing, if they feel guilty about what they did, it suggests that our military leadership did not do its job. And we all know who is ultimately responsible for that. Sarah Palin identified him. The fish rots from the head down.
2
Boy have you missed the point as you mount your own 'Ad Hominem' attack !!
7
So Mr. Bethea is wrong for "publicizing the problems of another soldier similarly afflicted," yet Ms. Palin was correct in gratuitously publicizing another soldier's PTSD by politicizing it?
"Public dole?" Not an appropriate comment about someone who's served his country as Mr. Bethea has.
Your patronizing tone about examining circumstances and dictating to actual soldiers what they should be feeling is sheer pedanticism, designed to bolster your own political beliefs.
"Public dole?" Not an appropriate comment about someone who's served his country as Mr. Bethea has.
Your patronizing tone about examining circumstances and dictating to actual soldiers what they should be feeling is sheer pedanticism, designed to bolster your own political beliefs.
10
Thank you, Nate Bethea, for sharing your experience -- and I wish you all the best as you continue to heal.
Sarah Palin is disingenuous in associating soldiers' pain with President Obama. It was President George W. Bush who sent so many thousands of young Americans to a terrible war based on falsehoods. The Veterans Administration has been overwhelmed by the consequences, and a Republican Congress has not funded it adequately. President Obama has tried hard to keep the nation out of war -- and he's taken a lot of abuse from Republicans for it.
Sarah Palin is disingenuous in associating soldiers' pain with President Obama. It was President George W. Bush who sent so many thousands of young Americans to a terrible war based on falsehoods. The Veterans Administration has been overwhelmed by the consequences, and a Republican Congress has not funded it adequately. President Obama has tried hard to keep the nation out of war -- and he's taken a lot of abuse from Republicans for it.
10
My best wishes to you, Mr. Bethea and my thanks for both your military service and for your candor.
My best wishes for the woman in the domestic assault incident with Track Palin, about whose wellbeing I did not hear a word of concern from Sarah Palin.
My best wishes for Track Palin, whose thinking may well have been distorted, and whose mother uses him for cheap political shots and does not seem to care whether he has free access to guns with a damaged mindset.
My best wishes for the woman in the domestic assault incident with Track Palin, about whose wellbeing I did not hear a word of concern from Sarah Palin.
My best wishes for Track Palin, whose thinking may well have been distorted, and whose mother uses him for cheap political shots and does not seem to care whether he has free access to guns with a damaged mindset.
106
Yes I and many people I know have a PTSD diagnosis, I am also crowd phobic which I attribute to my experiences on 9/11 bye the WTC and the several stressful months after.
I do hope that Track will find people in his life that will help him to heal.
I find it sad that his mother is not keeping his personal struggles private and has chosen to use them for political ambitions.
Thank you for this article and good luck in your growth and recovery.
I do hope that Track will find people in his life that will help him to heal.
I find it sad that his mother is not keeping his personal struggles private and has chosen to use them for political ambitions.
Thank you for this article and good luck in your growth and recovery.
248
yes, what a terrible mother to use a child's mental illness for her own benefit.
3
Respecting and honoring veterans is definitely a good idea. It's a much better idea, however, to STOP teaching young people that war is noble, a patriotic duty, a glorious opportunity to achieve man and womanhood, a great adventure, a way to get an education, a way to see the world, a road out of poverty, etc.etc.etc. I think the evidence is stacking up very alarmingly, for those who may disagree, that war is a brutal, terrifying, anti-human and inhumane damaging nightmare that breaks bodies, minds and spirits. This damage also impacts spouses, children, extended families , neighbors, neighborhoods, and the entire world. Sure..respect the victims. More importantly, STOP the VICTIMIZATION of others, now and in multiple generations to come.
PTSD can be seen as the end result of a spirit and mind that cannot reconcile what was permissable in battle, what was done in the name of "engagement" and the rage, guilt, fear, sorrow of a wounded soul, now returned to "society", or what remains of it.
Actually, demonstrating signs of PTSD is a sign of relative mental health as the growing awareness of now unacceptable actions disturbs a healthy conscience, producing the many signs and symptoms subsumed under the acronym PTSD. A truly damaged mind thinks everything done under the banner of war is justifiable.
PTSD can be seen as the end result of a spirit and mind that cannot reconcile what was permissable in battle, what was done in the name of "engagement" and the rage, guilt, fear, sorrow of a wounded soul, now returned to "society", or what remains of it.
Actually, demonstrating signs of PTSD is a sign of relative mental health as the growing awareness of now unacceptable actions disturbs a healthy conscience, producing the many signs and symptoms subsumed under the acronym PTSD. A truly damaged mind thinks everything done under the banner of war is justifiable.
42
This is a really beautiful piece. Clearly your experience has given you enormous compassion for others, or perhaps you already had it. As somebody who has suffered from PTSD for many years and was fortunate enough to find great therapy, I agree that although it's tough to go through, I am still responsible for my actions towards others. I also thank you for emphasizing how important it is to seek help.
Interesting that your article appears on the same day that there is another one about a drug that can alter the way the brain processes the memories. I can accept that there are those who aren't capable of the analytic work that is required to deal with PTSD, and that for them it might be an answer. You, however, are a shining testament to the benefits of doing the work of recovery, instead of using a pharmaceutical approach. I would be interested to know what you think.
Interesting that your article appears on the same day that there is another one about a drug that can alter the way the brain processes the memories. I can accept that there are those who aren't capable of the analytic work that is required to deal with PTSD, and that for them it might be an answer. You, however, are a shining testament to the benefits of doing the work of recovery, instead of using a pharmaceutical approach. I would be interested to know what you think.
178
Nate:
Thank you for your service.
My son is a Marine, who has served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most people who have no family member in uniform have no idea what you guys go through, or what the family of a service member go through. Both my wife and my daughter-in-law have paid the emotional price of membership, I can tell you that.
Best wishes for the future.
Thank you for your service.
My son is a Marine, who has served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most people who have no family member in uniform have no idea what you guys go through, or what the family of a service member go through. Both my wife and my daughter-in-law have paid the emotional price of membership, I can tell you that.
Best wishes for the future.
38
Dear Joe,
Every word you wrote is true. We stand with you and with your family.
Every word you wrote is true. We stand with you and with your family.
1
Thanks for your thoughtful essay. Thanks, too, for mentioning that it is not only veterans who suffer from PTSD. A whole variety experiences in civilian life can also lead to such issues. Ironically in terms of Ms. Palin's situation, being the victim of violence, including domestic violence, is one of the avenues to PTSD. So too for other crime victims, folks who suffered from child abuse, and those caught in tragedies (house fires, auto accidents etc.) and natural disasters.
In a small way, your essay helps to move the conversation forward. We do so very many people a disservice when we assume that having mental health issues is a sign of weakness. Often the opposite is true; the strong are the ones who so suffer and fight their way through to rebuild their lives.
In a small way, your essay helps to move the conversation forward. We do so very many people a disservice when we assume that having mental health issues is a sign of weakness. Often the opposite is true; the strong are the ones who so suffer and fight their way through to rebuild their lives.
116
Mr. Bethea, thank you for writing so eloquently about your experiences. I feel for any veteran whose fear of the social stigma or weakness for admitting symptoms prevents them from receiving care.
And I wish every American who trivializes or dismisses veterans for being "changed" by war would watch the Spielberg-Hanks production of the Pacific where a main character, Sledge, returns embittered and angry, changed in ways only vets can understand, just as his Dad predicted.
I'm pretty sure, from reading history, that PTSD has been a consequence of war ever since war began. And it's an equal opportunity destroyer: on the battle field, members of our military aren't Democrats or Republicans, they're Americans serving this nation and often the residents of others.
So for Palin to demagogue this problem, using her son as an excuse to attack our President is frankly inexcusable. The VA exists to serve all veterans, not just those of a particular party, Her comments are not only distasteful, they're untrue--the VA is struggling to do the best it can with the funding Congress allocates.
I hope, Mr. Bethea, with time your symptoms abate or at the very least become easier to bear. By sharing your story here, you just may help some men and women seek the help they need.
And I wish every American who trivializes or dismisses veterans for being "changed" by war would watch the Spielberg-Hanks production of the Pacific where a main character, Sledge, returns embittered and angry, changed in ways only vets can understand, just as his Dad predicted.
I'm pretty sure, from reading history, that PTSD has been a consequence of war ever since war began. And it's an equal opportunity destroyer: on the battle field, members of our military aren't Democrats or Republicans, they're Americans serving this nation and often the residents of others.
So for Palin to demagogue this problem, using her son as an excuse to attack our President is frankly inexcusable. The VA exists to serve all veterans, not just those of a particular party, Her comments are not only distasteful, they're untrue--the VA is struggling to do the best it can with the funding Congress allocates.
I hope, Mr. Bethea, with time your symptoms abate or at the very least become easier to bear. By sharing your story here, you just may help some men and women seek the help they need.
243
It's just sickening that the major media continues to give Palin (and Trump) the microphone and then speculate and opine for hours on end as if they were legitimate people to look up to.
Then they wonder why Black people take to the streets and protest in large numbers -- that is how you get access to the major media.
Then they wonder why Black people take to the streets and protest in large numbers -- that is how you get access to the major media.
5
Thank you, Mr. Bethea, for your service and for this thoughtful, well-written description of your experience. You were wise and brave to honestly confront the issues you dealt with, and I wish you well in your continued recovery.
While PTSD takes many forms, I'm sure that many readers will find themselves in your words, and hopefully, they'll be encouraged to seek help in dealing with the completely understandable after effects of war.
The author alluded to "civilians who suffer the exact same symptoms", and indeed, there are millions of children across the globe who have suffered PTSD. Most had had the misfortune of having been born in war zones. These children, who may have watched their families die, or whole villages wiped out, or have themselves suffered physical trauma, will never receive treatment for the PTSD they suffer. They will live their lifetimes battling the ghosts of war, and many will, or already have become radicalized, turning their nervous energy and violent inclination to lives dedicated to jihad. Any wonder why groups like ISIS have literally grown up in the Middle East?
While PTSD takes many forms, I'm sure that many readers will find themselves in your words, and hopefully, they'll be encouraged to seek help in dealing with the completely understandable after effects of war.
The author alluded to "civilians who suffer the exact same symptoms", and indeed, there are millions of children across the globe who have suffered PTSD. Most had had the misfortune of having been born in war zones. These children, who may have watched their families die, or whole villages wiped out, or have themselves suffered physical trauma, will never receive treatment for the PTSD they suffer. They will live their lifetimes battling the ghosts of war, and many will, or already have become radicalized, turning their nervous energy and violent inclination to lives dedicated to jihad. Any wonder why groups like ISIS have literally grown up in the Middle East?
50
Well said, and beautifully written. Thank you for sharing your story, and yes, hopefully others will take your words to heart and seek help. I hope you too find some peace..
48
And peace be with you Nate. Thank you for your sacrifices. Gov. Palin did not even educate herself on the particulars of the war her son fought in, so I'm thinking that any attempt to educate her on PTSD will fail to make a dent in the women's willfull ignorance. They say patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. I think using your son's possible affliction to make political points opens the door to an even lower and darker refuge.
154
Thanks to Mr. Bethea for this moving piece. Of course Mr. Bethea was very tactful in discussing Track Palin's situation, but from what I have garnered from the Internet, there is much less there than meets the eye when it comes to Track Palin's experience in Iraq.
What I mean is that Ms. Palin tried to imply that Track Palin suffered serious enough trauma during his service in Iraq which would explain, even forgive, his behavior after being discharged. And yet, if there is anything that Track Palin did while in service that would explain his behavior, his family has yet to share it with us.
The consensus on the internet appears to be that Track Palin did not even experience front-liine combat duty while in Iraq, much less become afflicted with PTSD because of this Iraq experience.
And finally, most egregious of all, Ms. Palin tried to blame President Obama for Track Palin's arrest for demostic violence, while totally ignoring the reason why he was in Iraq in the first place....because George Bush wanted to teach Saddam Hussein a lesson, even though he had nothing to do with 9/11.
What I mean is that Ms. Palin tried to imply that Track Palin suffered serious enough trauma during his service in Iraq which would explain, even forgive, his behavior after being discharged. And yet, if there is anything that Track Palin did while in service that would explain his behavior, his family has yet to share it with us.
The consensus on the internet appears to be that Track Palin did not even experience front-liine combat duty while in Iraq, much less become afflicted with PTSD because of this Iraq experience.
And finally, most egregious of all, Ms. Palin tried to blame President Obama for Track Palin's arrest for demostic violence, while totally ignoring the reason why he was in Iraq in the first place....because George Bush wanted to teach Saddam Hussein a lesson, even though he had nothing to do with 9/11.
383
Exactly -- this was BUSH'S war. And Track enlisted while W was still President.
In fact, I recall Palin going on about it being 9/11 when he enlisted. 9/11. You would think the Republicans owned that date.
In fact, I recall Palin going on about it being 9/11 when he enlisted. 9/11. You would think the Republicans owned that date.
10
The greatest irony is that the Repubs vying to be president are full of bluster & can't wait to put boots on the ground (again) in the Middle East. They have conveniently forgotten that those boots might be on one of their own.
3
reERNIEH: First, if you have never been in the service, much less served in Iraq, you should be chary of criticizing Mr. Palin or questioning his performance during his "tour de service "in the ME. None of his critics, including yourself, really knows. But his willingness to volunteer for hazardous duty in a country in which he was at the mercy of an i.e.d. or an insurgent "franc tireur" says a great deal about his strength of character and his altruism. For all we know, Track Palin might have involved in clandestine operations against the Bathist insurgency.Thus, his dossier would remain "tres secret."Never criticize anyone for having done something, put himself in harm's way,if you haven't done it yourself.Maybe Mr.Palin saw combat in a dirty tricks battalion, unbeknownst to us, or maybe he did no more than deliver the mail to various army compounds. We will never know.Finally, Ms.Palin,who has outlasted her harshest critics, was discerning in blaming the c-c-c for neglecting veterans during his two mandates. I admire our c-in-c who serves a role model fpr my younger son, Alister Hall, who's African American, but have a hunch President has not gone all out to serve our veterans.No disrespect intended, but believe he is too wrapped up in himself to have taken a fundamental commitment to help, not only our returning soldiers, but the citizenry in general. Finally.go easy on Ms. Sarah Palin, who is poised, well spoken, and a role model for other women.
This is very eloquently expressed. Warm congratulations to Mr. Betha along with good wishes for continuing success.
49
Thank you, Mr. Bethea, for your powerful, understated piece of truth-telling. You are a fine writer, sir.
85
Thank you, Mr. Bethe, for your service and your advocacy for people suffering from PTSD through teaching with the Voices From War organization. I would think it cathetic and enlightening for a veteran to voice their wartime experiences and as a member of the 99 percent, who played no role in our war effort and was far removed from any sacrifices, it would be cathetic and enlightening for me to hear these voices as well.
Many years ago, I suffered PTSD due to a head on automobile accident and thought it best to suppress my anxiety, because misplaced machismo forbade my admitting vulnerability. Think how disconnected a vet must feel with the public's general ignorance of what was demanded on our soldiers.
I was fortunate to get the help I needed from caring individuals and that same care and concern from your organization offers hope for vets as well.
Many years ago, I suffered PTSD due to a head on automobile accident and thought it best to suppress my anxiety, because misplaced machismo forbade my admitting vulnerability. Think how disconnected a vet must feel with the public's general ignorance of what was demanded on our soldiers.
I was fortunate to get the help I needed from caring individuals and that same care and concern from your organization offers hope for vets as well.
57
Mr. Bethea, thank you for writing this. I am honored to have read it. The world is a better place because your voice is in it. Please keep using it. Speak your truth. Helping others develop their own is uniquely meaningful and noble work. Respect.
176
How utterly shameful and repulsive of the Palins to use PTSD as an excuse for Track. I, and all the real PTSD sufferers, struggle with functioning, not violence, domestic or otherwise directed. As a result of experiencing truly horrific event(s), we could use a little of your gentle compassion if you feel like extending it towards us, not unwarranted fear. That would help us. We would like, more than anything, to get better and go back to being who we were before, even if it's just a little.
195
Violence is a possible manifestation of PTSD.
Having no sympathy for Palin's plight, or her sons', is not logical .
Having no sympathy for Palin's plight, or her sons', is not logical .
1
Thinking how often people discuss their physical problems without hesitation in any social situation it is shameful we cannot do the same with our emotional ones. People with mental health disorders including veterans and civilians are often isolated from those closest to them by a disconnect - the dialogue is missing from our vernacular. People change the subject, praise those who can overcome problems "on their own" or "without medication" or blame the one suffering. As a civilian living with PTSD these reactions shame the one suffering.
4
Thank you so much for this description of what PTSD has felt like for you. It is helping me understand someone close to me, and how hard he must be working every day to fight against that fear of being permanently broken after his experiences as a Marine in Iraq. I think the veterans you work with are very lucky to have you as a teacher.
470
Nate: In my book, you are a true hero.
66
Thank you for your service to our country. Be well.
33
Your essay is both beautiful and very generous towards the Palin family. I hope she reads it. And of course a big thanks to GWB for sending this talented young man into harms way for a unless purpose.
34
Thank you.
20
Hello Nate,
I am a civilian with PTSD. Reading your description and thoughts were very comforting. This PTSD thing can make you feel very lonely.
A good friend told me he thought it would be easier for people to understand
if I carried a crutch. Then others might ask how are you doing?
So glad you are feeling better.
I am a civilian with PTSD. Reading your description and thoughts were very comforting. This PTSD thing can make you feel very lonely.
A good friend told me he thought it would be easier for people to understand
if I carried a crutch. Then others might ask how are you doing?
So glad you are feeling better.
98
Excellent article. Thanks for the perspective.
27
Thank you, Nate, for your service. I hope you find peace soon.
Mrs. Palin says "it makes me realize more than ever it is now or never for the sake of America’s finest that we have that commander in chief that will respect them and honor them.”
I can't think of any LESS respect a commander in chief can have for our soldiers than sending them into an unnecessary war on dubious pretexts. In my opinion, it's not Obama she should be directing her anger at.
Mrs. Palin says "it makes me realize more than ever it is now or never for the sake of America’s finest that we have that commander in chief that will respect them and honor them.”
I can't think of any LESS respect a commander in chief can have for our soldiers than sending them into an unnecessary war on dubious pretexts. In my opinion, it's not Obama she should be directing her anger at.
169
JoJo,
Well written.
It was not Obama who initiated the wars he inherited or the economic problems he has sought to address. His inexperience shows, but it sought to do the "right thing" irregardless of political party. Bush XLIII enabled by Cheney and Rumsfeld cut taxes for his plutocratic "buddies" while spending more of our tax money and plunging our nation deeper into debt for a war of dubious origins and objectives. Accounting & Finance 101 = Do not spend more than one receives in income. And, Bush, a Harvard Biz School graduate, too? As so much of biz receives special tax breaks and favors from govt, what does Harvard teach those people? How to loot and plunder the govt and taxpayers to line their own pockets with generous benefits? How few rotten scoundrels can infect the entire barrel? It is a disgrace and insult to the vast majority of decent and honest business people, military professionals, and all workers in all arenas high and low who seek to do the "right thing."
Well written.
It was not Obama who initiated the wars he inherited or the economic problems he has sought to address. His inexperience shows, but it sought to do the "right thing" irregardless of political party. Bush XLIII enabled by Cheney and Rumsfeld cut taxes for his plutocratic "buddies" while spending more of our tax money and plunging our nation deeper into debt for a war of dubious origins and objectives. Accounting & Finance 101 = Do not spend more than one receives in income. And, Bush, a Harvard Biz School graduate, too? As so much of biz receives special tax breaks and favors from govt, what does Harvard teach those people? How to loot and plunder the govt and taxpayers to line their own pockets with generous benefits? How few rotten scoundrels can infect the entire barrel? It is a disgrace and insult to the vast majority of decent and honest business people, military professionals, and all workers in all arenas high and low who seek to do the "right thing."
3
Palin's "concern" about her son's condition and blaming it on President Obama is the lowest of the low. First of all her son was in trouble with the law before he joined the military in 2008 while Bush was president. So now these many years later her son's condition is the fault of the President. The saddest part of this is, there are those simple minds who believe anything and everything she screeches.
381
Well expressed, Sofedup,
Ms. Palin and her troubled family require aid that they may not recognize as she displaces her issues on other innocent bystanders (including our President). Finding help and aiding her troubled son and family would be the first priority for a responsible adult and parent. While not finding much in common with Ms. Palin, I try to find tolerance and sympathy for her dysfunctional and shameful behavior. But, when others, such as Trump and she make her issues a public spectacle, I am disgusted by their cynicism towards and contempt for us, the American people. Fie on both their houses.
Ms. Palin and her troubled family require aid that they may not recognize as she displaces her issues on other innocent bystanders (including our President). Finding help and aiding her troubled son and family would be the first priority for a responsible adult and parent. While not finding much in common with Ms. Palin, I try to find tolerance and sympathy for her dysfunctional and shameful behavior. But, when others, such as Trump and she make her issues a public spectacle, I am disgusted by their cynicism towards and contempt for us, the American people. Fie on both their houses.
5
We Americans give so much lip service to appreciating our veterans but we do very little to demand that appropriate services and health care be funded for these incredible men and women. Politicians give generous subsidies, tax breaks, and other forms of assistance to corporations but fail to truly take care of those who have served our country.
Perhaps it is also our failure for not writing or calling our elected officials regularly to ask them what they specifically are doing to improve the physical and mental health of our veterans.
Perhaps it is also our failure for not writing or calling our elected officials regularly to ask them what they specifically are doing to improve the physical and mental health of our veterans.
50
Ms. Walsh,
I have first hand experience of issues Mr. Bethea writes about so eloquently and sensitively. It seems a life-long job to unpeel the proverbial “onion” of distorted experiences and begin to reconnect, to perceive sensibly, and to set more functional course of life. I am fortunate to have married a wonderful woman and her loving family who have all been so helpful.
As you highlight, I, too, have worked in businesses that have received largess from every level of govt. When reminded of it, I am ashamed and mortified at the boldness and the depravity that business leaders use to pursue special favors from our elected representatives and our tax money. It is our tax money that is providing them their benefits...with our unacknowledged and our unsolicited cooperation. Their theft of our money may not be too strong a description.
Those same people (some are veterans) pay lip service to the mostly young, naive men and women who put themselves in harm's way to protect our culture and freedom that we all take too much for granted.
As you have, thank goodness; I had not identified the discontinuity between the generosity every level of govt lavishes on well functioning enterprises and its neglect and contempt, such as Ms. Palin demonstrates, towards the people of character who voluntarily sacrificed themselves and have been cast aside by our government.
Thank you, Ms. Walsh for highlighting that contradiction and let's see what we can begin to do about it.
I have first hand experience of issues Mr. Bethea writes about so eloquently and sensitively. It seems a life-long job to unpeel the proverbial “onion” of distorted experiences and begin to reconnect, to perceive sensibly, and to set more functional course of life. I am fortunate to have married a wonderful woman and her loving family who have all been so helpful.
As you highlight, I, too, have worked in businesses that have received largess from every level of govt. When reminded of it, I am ashamed and mortified at the boldness and the depravity that business leaders use to pursue special favors from our elected representatives and our tax money. It is our tax money that is providing them their benefits...with our unacknowledged and our unsolicited cooperation. Their theft of our money may not be too strong a description.
Those same people (some are veterans) pay lip service to the mostly young, naive men and women who put themselves in harm's way to protect our culture and freedom that we all take too much for granted.
As you have, thank goodness; I had not identified the discontinuity between the generosity every level of govt lavishes on well functioning enterprises and its neglect and contempt, such as Ms. Palin demonstrates, towards the people of character who voluntarily sacrificed themselves and have been cast aside by our government.
Thank you, Ms. Walsh for highlighting that contradiction and let's see what we can begin to do about it.
3
Our entire support of mental health issues is abominable. Pardon the digression, but recently a Michigan man was sentenced to life in prison for repeatedly exposing himself in public, to my knowledge, without ever physically assaulting anyone.
2
Thank you for this reflection and for your honesty. It is refreshing to know that amidst all the blustering loudspeak of the political campaigns, our nation is still full of citizens who eloquently and efficiently speak the truth. Peace be with you.
43
This makes me weep.
This is how we need to talk to each other, how to listen to each other. I have not read anything in the New York Times in a long time that has affected me this much. Would that we all could reach so deep inside ourselves and hang our true shingle out instead of reaching for the tried and true rant, that glib dismissal of the 'other', the stock response to provocation guaranteed to bolster our egos and our mindsets.
Thank you Nate Behea. You've written a great piece - more than that, you have shared a piece of yourself that cannot help but make this world a better place. This is how change happens Paul Krugman. This is what empowerment feels like David Brooks. This is how we answer those with whom we disagree.
Thank you also to the New York Times for publishing this. You have done yourselves proud.
This is how we need to talk to each other, how to listen to each other. I have not read anything in the New York Times in a long time that has affected me this much. Would that we all could reach so deep inside ourselves and hang our true shingle out instead of reaching for the tried and true rant, that glib dismissal of the 'other', the stock response to provocation guaranteed to bolster our egos and our mindsets.
Thank you Nate Behea. You've written a great piece - more than that, you have shared a piece of yourself that cannot help but make this world a better place. This is how change happens Paul Krugman. This is what empowerment feels like David Brooks. This is how we answer those with whom we disagree.
Thank you also to the New York Times for publishing this. You have done yourselves proud.
153
Thank you Memi,
Your wise and sensitive words and advice is welcomed...on behalf of me. Your Canadian culture similar but also unique to your promised land has much to provide us in the lower (and upper) 50. Honesty, candid, and sometimes brutal but decent may be the first signs of long-term healing.
Your wise and sensitive words and advice is welcomed...on behalf of me. Your Canadian culture similar but also unique to your promised land has much to provide us in the lower (and upper) 50. Honesty, candid, and sometimes brutal but decent may be the first signs of long-term healing.
1
The truth is humanity's violent and greedy nature and the ensuing conflicts are to blame. Power mongers among us, persuade us to fight unnecessary wars, and force us into economic and racial ghettos. We have forgotten about the greater good in our quest for individual autonomy. We have forgotten we are a human family. Our well being lies in the well being of all of us. It doesn't mean we can't have individual pursuits or a corner of the world, we can call our own. But we have forgotten the "commons" and how those commons support all of us in our individual pursuits of well being and happiness. Wars should never happen. The tragedy of humanity is the rush to own territory and have power over at the expense of the beauty and harmony..at the expense of our home, the globe. We trample on the innocent lives of young men sent to fight these wars for the greedy and powerful. In this Sarah Palin is right to point it out. Hopefully, she is coming to understand her own participation. We must stand up to these forces and assert our right to be a free and peaceful society. MLK's lost speech on Democracy Now should be a must read for every citizen. http://www.democracynow.org/topics/martin_luther_king
14
Thank you for your service as well as this column.
You were more respectful to Sarah Palin than she was of the President --- and I appreciate that.
You were more respectful to Sarah Palin than she was of the President --- and I appreciate that.
315
This should be the top pick. Thank you for sharing your story, pointing out where other veterans may be falling through the cracks. We need to find them and support them and get them on a path to a better life. Thank you for your kindness and courtesy toward others and your gentle reminder that the burdens each of us carry do not excuse unkindness or violence.
1
There are many civilians suffering from PTSD. Consider the kids who live in dangerous neighborhoods where they see killing almost daily. It's like a war zone for them. Thank you for mentioning those other sufferers Mr. Bethea. Your description of the symptoms such as hyper-vigilance interspersed with fogginess is helpfully graphic. The shorthand of "PTSD" assumes that everyone understands what it is but many do not. It is also variable in severity. People can and do get better so there is hope but we must work to remove the stigma and denial so that people are more open to seeking help. Thank you for an excellent article.
209
Thank you for mentioning the trauma inflicted here at home from gun violence. Every shooting has emotional victims as well as those injured or killed. To witness violence is nearly as devastating as being the one in the crosshairs. Then, there is survivor guilt: why did I live when people around me died?
A war is being waged on our streets and in our homes daily. With 92 deaths a day from guns, I'd say we have plenty of reason to be concerned about trauma and its aftermath. Imagine being a combat vet or a survivor of a mass shooting and seeing armed men stroll in to the restaurant where you are seated. You will never feel safe again.
A war is being waged on our streets and in our homes daily. With 92 deaths a day from guns, I'd say we have plenty of reason to be concerned about trauma and its aftermath. Imagine being a combat vet or a survivor of a mass shooting and seeing armed men stroll in to the restaurant where you are seated. You will never feel safe again.
7
When Carter was President, he proposed integrating the VA into the public health system. This would be a wonderful solution which would ensure that ALL citizens had access to mental health and other care.
3
"Facing up to destructive or abusive behavior comes next, along with the assertion that we are responsible for our actions, no matter what burdens we carry. Post-traumatic stress is no excuse for violence or abuse, nor should it be considered a default association."
Many veterans before the Iraq War had to and did face up to that.
I grew up with it, because of my father.
He was part of a Marine unit sent in ahead of a planned main landing, then left behind by MacArthur in his Southwest Pacific leapfrog campaign when the main landing was cancelled. They were hunted for 6 months on an island by a lot of Japanese who had little else to do. Since the Marines really won't willingly leave their own behind, they came back for his unit against orders of higher HQ amid a large stink. Things like that are why so many Marines genuinely hated MacArthur, my father among them.
Then they were sent to the Philippines, where many of those survivors were killed in months of intense combat on Leyte and then around Manila.
My father had issues from all that. My mother knew and helped him. So did some of his veteran friends.
He never let it be an excuse to abuse any of us, or anyone else. He certainly sometimes had the wild anger, panic, and some flashbacks, but he always lived to the words here, "responsible for our actions, no matter what burdens we carry."
I have enormous respect for this author. He's right. It isn't easy, but it must be done.
Many veterans before the Iraq War had to and did face up to that.
I grew up with it, because of my father.
He was part of a Marine unit sent in ahead of a planned main landing, then left behind by MacArthur in his Southwest Pacific leapfrog campaign when the main landing was cancelled. They were hunted for 6 months on an island by a lot of Japanese who had little else to do. Since the Marines really won't willingly leave their own behind, they came back for his unit against orders of higher HQ amid a large stink. Things like that are why so many Marines genuinely hated MacArthur, my father among them.
Then they were sent to the Philippines, where many of those survivors were killed in months of intense combat on Leyte and then around Manila.
My father had issues from all that. My mother knew and helped him. So did some of his veteran friends.
He never let it be an excuse to abuse any of us, or anyone else. He certainly sometimes had the wild anger, panic, and some flashbacks, but he always lived to the words here, "responsible for our actions, no matter what burdens we carry."
I have enormous respect for this author. He's right. It isn't easy, but it must be done.
543
Your analysis makes sense, but there are ways of coping that no one mentions. Accept who you are. Experiences in life shape us. Eventually your nightmares become just dreams. I am lucky. I am black so my identity doesn't depend upon acceptance of the acceptable society. That means I am free to think and do as I feel. You will be surprised to find that war is for those who like to kill and those who like to steal. If you are really out of it, you will be astonished that these people exist. A lot of people can't sleep and a lot of people are paranoid. Just go with the flow and you will be al right.
3
Thanks for sharing a part of your life with us, Mark. Often when we post replies to others in the online media we tend to ignore and forget the human side of readers and merely focus on defeating them intellectually at any cost. But those pixels on the screen actually simulate real feelings.
12
Mark, you must a special place in your heart for your Father. He sounds like a good and responsible man. God Bless him!
3
With all due respect, Mr. Bethea, I wouldn't place any bets on Sarah Palin understanding much of anything. Even assuming that her son actually has PTSD, who's to say that this was the underlying factor behind the abuse visited upon his girlfriend? Come to think of it, I wouldn't wish a mom like Palin on even the healthiest of young men.
482
Stu, even if PTSD was somehow relatable to Tripp Palin's crime it should not serve as a legitimate excuse for his abusive actions under any circumstances!
27
Ms. Palin's shrill ignorant self-righteousness and frequent absences can't have helped. Her willingness to blame others for her shortcomings is characteristic.
541
Ms Palin is with us once more
Obama is one she must gore,
The sound bites she's mumbled
Are confused and jumbled
With nary a fact that's in store.
A real problem she now defiles
Which an honest viewer reviles,
No conscience, no shame
In pinning the blame,
On Barack, and way off by miles.
Obama is one she must gore,
The sound bites she's mumbled
Are confused and jumbled
With nary a fact that's in store.
A real problem she now defiles
Which an honest viewer reviles,
No conscience, no shame
In pinning the blame,
On Barack, and way off by miles.
333
Hi Professor Eisenberg. Thank you for your poem. You convey truth with artistry just as you did 35 years ago when you were my teacher at Queens College. It gives me great joy to know that you are still sharing your intellectual creativity so many years later. Best wishes. Jeff Cucinotta B.M. 1983
2
I love you, Larry!
I've never felt the need to suggest an alternate line Mr Larry but:
The sound bites she screeches
Are really true reaches
(Her voice makes my ears bleed.)
The sound bites she screeches
Are really true reaches
(Her voice makes my ears bleed.)
7
Must say that Mr. Betha’s condition hasn’t affected his ability to draw interest in it by attaching to his story a name as controversial as Sarah Palin’s. Good for him.
Notably, Palin’s mention of her son’s behavior and the linking of it to PTSD as a result of his military experience in Iraq actually was an attack against President Obama and his alleged abandonment of PTSD sufferers, whether they were active duty military or veterans. Yet, it seems that there’s been no such abandonment if Mr. Bertha has access to mental healthcare to treat PTSD for the rest of his life.
To put the actual association of Palin’s son and PTSD in context, he had a reputation for getting into trouble, before and after his one year of service in Iraq, in 2008 -- Track was arrested in 2005 for vandalizing a school bus, causing schools to close for a day; and stealing vodka from a liquor store. He then spent his senior year of HS in Michigan, where his parents sent him, and reportedly had to choose between military service and jail. He spent his year largely assigned as an “air guard” in a Stryker aircraft and actually saw limited close combat. Does Track suffer from PTSD or merely from emotional problems developed long before his military experience? Who knows? Seems to be a touchy question.
In any event, I’m sure almost all of us support adequate mental healthcare coverage of ALL our veterans suffering from PTSD.
Notably, Palin’s mention of her son’s behavior and the linking of it to PTSD as a result of his military experience in Iraq actually was an attack against President Obama and his alleged abandonment of PTSD sufferers, whether they were active duty military or veterans. Yet, it seems that there’s been no such abandonment if Mr. Bertha has access to mental healthcare to treat PTSD for the rest of his life.
To put the actual association of Palin’s son and PTSD in context, he had a reputation for getting into trouble, before and after his one year of service in Iraq, in 2008 -- Track was arrested in 2005 for vandalizing a school bus, causing schools to close for a day; and stealing vodka from a liquor store. He then spent his senior year of HS in Michigan, where his parents sent him, and reportedly had to choose between military service and jail. He spent his year largely assigned as an “air guard” in a Stryker aircraft and actually saw limited close combat. Does Track suffer from PTSD or merely from emotional problems developed long before his military experience? Who knows? Seems to be a touchy question.
In any event, I’m sure almost all of us support adequate mental healthcare coverage of ALL our veterans suffering from PTSD.
689
What you point out makes Palin's performance even more repulsive, if that's even possible.
54
I too share Mr. Luettgen's positive feedback in response to our veteran's editorial. Mr. Bethel is right. Suffering from PTSD does not automatically grant a free pass to irresponsible and cruel dealing with family members, friends, and society. This is what Palin in effect did, but without evidence of her son's diagnosed PTSD and without hint of his past behavior prior to deployment.
I also wanted to remark that Richard can be an unusually sensible Republican. Perhaps the grossly polarized and exclusive two-party system contributed to the appalling venomous speech and actions of those involved in, or passionate about, about electoral politics.
I also wanted to remark that Richard can be an unusually sensible Republican. Perhaps the grossly polarized and exclusive two-party system contributed to the appalling venomous speech and actions of those involved in, or passionate about, about electoral politics.
15
You don't know if Track suffers from PTSD or not.
Your lack of sympathy for the man illustrates your political affiliation.
All US recent US administrations, including Obamas', have , shamefully, not taken proper care of returning veterans.
There is always US taxpayer money for new military equipment (planes, tanks)but since the Military Industrial Complex (who run your country) don't make the money on soldiers , they are just 'cannonfodder'.
Your lack of sympathy for the man illustrates your political affiliation.
All US recent US administrations, including Obamas', have , shamefully, not taken proper care of returning veterans.
There is always US taxpayer money for new military equipment (planes, tanks)but since the Military Industrial Complex (who run your country) don't make the money on soldiers , they are just 'cannonfodder'.
1