DC CHAPTER’s 2010 CHRISTMAS PARTY

19 FReepers, lurkers, friends and family along with 5 Vets from WWII to Iraq attended the DC Chapter’s 2010 Christmas Party.

After a week of strong winds and temps hovering in the low 30s, the wind calmed and temps rose into the 40s, we gathered last Saturday at Lurker Bill’s house. Note, Lurker Bill is a REAL lurker, he does not have a screen name. L. Bill is a regular at Walter Reed, bring a ton of signs, flags, banners and good music. During the winter he brings a generator to run the propane heater’s blower. And then gets up early to join us at Olney to FReep the Quakers. L. Bill is also a Soldiers Angel. For Trooprally’s son’s first deployment to Iraq, L. Bill’s package beat our son’s wife’s package to him.

So a VERY BIG THANK YOU to Lurker Bill, his wife and their daughter for opening up their house and all they do for us FReepers and our troops.

Our Vets were a mixed bag spanning 4 major wars. Glenn, USMC, was on Iwo Jima. Dave, Army, was in the Pacific preparing to invade Japan when the bombs were dropped. He counts his blessings very day that the U.S. did not have to invade Japan. Halsey, USMC, is a Korean War Vet. Carl is a Vietnam Vet. And Chad, Army and a FReeper, was in Iraq.

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS: BufordP was the pool king. Sensei Ern was the Wii master. 3 of Sarah Palin’s recent book for the White Elephant Gift Steal game received the biggest laugh. Lots of real good food and dessert. Blueberry Pie (inside joke). Army/Navy-Marine Game rivalry.

A lively discussion ensued when it was discovered that one of the attendees was a TSA agent. Lots of jokes, some TSA tales.

PS - We will be out at Walter Reed on Friday Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Join us.

Thanks for your thanks for my son, your good wishes in general, and appreciation of the nutritional advice. My late husband of 44 years suffered severely from Korean War induced PTSD. Eventually what he did to our marriage caused me to develop PTSD. I then spent years learning how to improve/protect my own physical and mental health, and eventually discovered/developed what would help him too.

I currently take part in a free self-help group of people who use the intense emotional expressive methods for stress relief and emotional healing popularized by Arthur Janov in his best known book “The Primal Scream”. Eventually I received training in a related process and saw clients for 10 years. Several of us would really like to help with the PTSD problem that has been engendered by Iraq and Afghanistan. We meet monthly in Northern Virginia. Please contact me here or In Private if you or someone you know is interested, either in learning how to help, or in being helped. Often spouses can learn how to help their suffering loved one, as I did with my suffering husband. Sometimes the sufferer has tried so hard to push down bad feelings that they are unwilling/unable to get help themselves.

Grandma, I read your profile page too. My husband and I bought some land in WV near Baker in Hardy Co. Is that anywhere near where you are?

No, Hardy Co. is near that Eastern "finger" not too far from D.C. We are located on the far Western side on the Ohio River, where the Kanawah River runs into the Ohio.

Your work sounds interesting. I know there is never enough being done for those who suffer from PTSD. My husband was fortunate that he never really suffered from it. He has always been extremely jumpy and not comfortable around large crowds or noise. Never slept all that well either. But he has been pretty happy with our life (I think). God bless & MERRY CHRISTMAS!

You are fortunate that the nature of your husband’s PTSD was only jumpiness and reaction to noise. In my case my husband had extreme guilt of both the survivor type and also for killing the enemy. The message that he internalized was that because they were dead, he had no right to happiness. Thus, he did his best/worst to ruin his own happiness as well as mine and our children’s. This is why I feel so strongly motivated to try to help others before they spend a lifetime of unnecessary suffering. Merry Christmas to you too.

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