In this program Junger differentiates between short term PTSD, which he sees as a residual of the heightened state of alertness naturally encountered in a combat situation and somewhat adaptive, and a more long term condition which he says is complex and debilitating and beyond his capacity to say much more about - he notes several times that he’s not a psychologist and therefore has few opinions on the individual, personal dynamics of what affects people’s experiences under most situations - an anthropologist by training, he’s primarily concerned with the social and cultural benefits and limitations to membership in various groups - at times his discussion does become so generalized that belonging to a military unit and having been through combat seems no more dramatic and harrowing than having been on the football team or having belonged to the local scout troop.....
Yes, I remember my nephew when he came back from a year in Afghanistan. It took him about 2-3 months just to wind down from being “on the stick”. Drinking a little too much.
I put him in touch with a cousin who is a Vietnam vet. They talked for a solid 8 hours one day. I was amazed at the commonality they had with each other’s experiences. Something I could never even begin to understand.
He’s fine now after more than 3 yrs. home. Unfortunately he’s going back.