—> As an Afghan combat vet, I have had a few discussions (in jest) with Vietnam combat vets. I always tell them they had easy! Army issued beer and hot chicks when you got some free time!
“It was April 25 two years ago when he and his brother were bailed up by the daughter of a Vietnam veteran, who mocked their service in Iraq and Afghanistan and said they couldn’t possibly understand what her father went through in a real war. To the brothers, it spoke to a broader disconnect between veterans of previous conflicts and contemporary returned servicemen and women.”
—> Huh? How does 5.2% of te general population get PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a complicated web of symptoms, currently affecting an estimated 4,150 serving members of the Australian Defence Force.
That’s 8.3 per cent, compared to an incidence of 5.2 per cent in the general population.
Actually, 25% of the general population in the U.S. get PTSD, but realize there are LEVELS and what veterans can get (up to 35%) is chronic or complex-PTSD. Most civilians get it for a year or so with a car accident or longer if a natural disaster. The highest rate for a demographic is in the early childhood range for child sexual trauma survivors-35%.
I was shocked at the low percentage of reported cases. That would mean either the vets are not going in for treatment, or they are not actually developing PTSD. If they are not developing it, what is different about being an Australian as opposed to American?
from the Brits:
“Anyone can be diagnosed with PTSD, and it’s estimated that 1 in 10 people develop PTSD. 1 in 5 firefighters, 1 in 3 teenagers who have survived a horrific car crash, 70% of rape victims, 2 in 3 Prisoners of War, 40% of people who experienced a sudden death of a loved one,...”
(good site by the way) http://www.ptsduk.org/what-is-ptsd/who-is-affected-by-ptsd/
Now, I was going to share the link to the guys organization. Many of our young vets do not go the VFW but are getting involved with community programs to answer the call locally.
Beating by parents. Vicious, unrelenting teasing in school. Rape. Mugging. Lots of ways to get PTSD.
” they couldn’t possibly understand what her father went through in a real war.”
Whilst in RVN, we occasionally had discussions of how we had it better than those before us.
Yes we received some beer and soda rations, and if hit you usually would expect a quick dust off.
Hot chicks, not so much, but always rumors.