I’m going to read it. They’re better be fighting and the hero better get the girl and ride into the sunset at the end though.
I only wish the KOS kiddies and HuffPo readers who seize upon your tale, will tell those of their friends who need help, about the moral, rather than taking cheap shots at the military and/or FR on your account.
Cheers!
Less than honorable discharge for missing the boat? I mean ship.
Hideous treatment by the Navy.
I wonder if you could get that redressed . . . some of your stuff might be documented in your record.
BTW, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been demonstrated in replicated research to be over all, better than, meds. But it does take some dogged persistence in learning to change one’s thought habits.
Scripturally, TAKING EACH THOUGHT captive is a similar principle. I was probably clinically depressed most of the first 30 years of my life.
Great to be free of it.
Your warning is a very worthy one.
Congrats on your courage in sharing.
Been a fan of yours for years B. Thanks of sharing.
Former Nuke MM/ELT type here. (Sub guy tho)
I know my wife is, in my life, an absolute angel sent from God in Heaven to help me over the last 32 years see me for who I am and overcome myself through my Savior.
Whatever highway, lane, or trail we trod, once we come unto Him, we enter into the same path...His path for us.
I thoroughly endorse this post. Thankyou for articulating this issue so clearly.
If I had a dollar for every time some well-meaning soul advised me to “snap out of it...”
The same thing happens to some SEALs (and I imagine other SF groups). I remember inquiring about them at the Navy Recuiter who told me a fair portion of them “crack” under the strain (i.e. go mental). I’m glad I don’t have to do what those guys do, but I do wish they were paid more considering the higher risks!
Thank you for your post and insight.
I have a friend, a former Marine - Gulf war vet, who is going through a rough time.
He has cancer and his wife recently divorced him. He wants to reconcile but she doesn’t, then she does, then she doesn’t.
He lost his business so I helped him get a job but it doesn’t pay much and has no benefits.
He’s getting some treatment for his cancer through the VA, but it’s not nearly enough, somewhat managing his physical pain.
He says he doesn’t want to waste time and money on full treatment if his ex-wife won’t take him back and fully commit to making it work. He sometimes talks about suicide if he can’t get his family back together (which, IMO, is not very likely).
I know he is depressed (hell, I would be too, in that situation.) I give him as much support as I can, but I worry about him.
Please pray for him.
Thank you for sharing, and kudos for your courage in admitting all this.
I had such a break in OCS, in 1968. They told me that they were going to send me to VietNam as an 11Bravo. “What are they thinking?” I asked the psychiatrist they were having me see, “If I couldn’t stand the stress of Candidate School, how am I going to react in combat? I will be a danger to myself and the other members of my unit!”
“Don’t worry,” he replied. “You’ll do all right. In ‘Nam you can shoot back.”
And so it proved to be, oddly enough. It was not until I returned to civilian life that the strain began to tell. Of course, by then I had had many more stressful, life threatening incidents to deal with. With theapy and medication, I recovered, and felt almost normal for about 15 years. Then the bad stuff began to come back, triggered by other stresses in my life.
Now, well it is not always possible to make plans, because I never know whether I am going to actually get out of bed and do what I planned to do. I get by, but not without taking more pills than I want to have to take.
So keep on keeping on, brother. Never give up; never surrender.
VietVet
MORAL: Depression kills people and wrecks lives. Know depression's warning signs and take positive action if you recognize them in your life or the life of a loved one.
I went through Nuclear Power school in 1982. Can’t say I enjoyed it very much but I graduated no more crazy than when I went in.
So in looking back, as a believer in Christ, rather than referencing depression in a worldly fashion as an orderly way of describing a state of mind, how would you describe “depression” as a Christian to other believers? (It’s cause, does it occur while in fellowship with Christ, or is it exacerbated by attempting to perform worldly good works in an attempt to glean approbation?)
Thanks for your essay. And it shows the truth of the statement, “Better Living through Chemistry”. Depression CAN be treated, and kept at bay, if it’s detected, and the person suffering from it can be convinced to access that treatment.