10/14/19 – Work For It

10 Comments

  1. Peter Rogan

    I’m not sure I should cheer Choan’s bravery or jeer at her foolhardiness. There are few people you should hope will pause the last femtosecond before pulling the trigger, and I wouldn’t put Emily among their number. Jeez Louise, Choan, do you LIKE growing holes in you??

  2. War Pig

    Never yank a veteran with PTSD’s chains. You’re liable to get more than a rattle and clink.

    When I was still in the service, in the early 80s which was BIC (Before Internet was Common) some people thought it would be fun to “ambush” a USMC veteran of Vietnam by having some Asians (dunno what flavor, Chinese, Vietnamese , Japanese, etc) jump out and surround him and go “bang-bang!”.

    It made the papers the next day. Fortunately no one was killed but there were three hospitalized “in serious but stable condition”. No, it was not me. But dang it, some people do not think before they act. It could have been a tragedy. Wish I could find the story but I have looked and cannot find it as it was BIC. You know, in the dark ages? Most papers of that era are still found only in libraries on microfiche.

    My uncle, who had liberated Buchenwald and had had three tanks shot out from under him getting there, was jumpy into the early fifties, at least. His wife told us she was driving him to the VA hospital for a checkup when they passed or were passed by a car or motorcycle or something that made “pow-pow-pow” backfires. They were doing 35 mph in town and Uncle Howard just opened the passenger door and stepped out. He hit the pavement and rolled into the grass on the side of the street, unhurt except for a couple of scrapes. Scared the crap out of Aunt Wanda, though. I used to think the story was funny until I saw combat myself.

    1. Peter Rogan

      PTSD is still a surprise for most people when they encounter it, and more than a little startling and upsetting. I’ve not been in combat, but I’ve had friends who were — and another friend who has blown up at least three chemical labs that I know of. You will not see anything out of the ordinary with any of them until there’s a loud noise, a surprise appearance or an unwanted contact. The result is generally unpleasant, often messy and typically painful. And terribly, terribly embarrassing for the man or woman who’s just had their PTSD outed. No one knows what to say afterward — though I’ve heard cursing from the unlucky schmucks who crossed a line they didn’t think was there. I keep hoping they’ll learn. Not yet.

      1. Meran

        PTSD is learned behavior, can be attained by pretty much anyone, if the stress is killer enough.

        I’m a survivor of many foster homes. Saw my brother beaten for breaking a plate (with a 2×4. He was 6; it broke his femur.) After that, it was me who “broke the plates”. I was older, after all.

        There were 10 other foster kids there, all but two younger than me.

        It took 25 yrs of dream therapy (self administered) to break those chains. And I still have days…

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