tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446049270059337405.post2850800600238066345..comments2021-01-07T07:11:24.205-06:00Comments on Fen's Thoughts: #86 One Clear MomentFenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06348152970109407543noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446049270059337405.post-17405076583701354002010-09-26T15:59:49.368-05:002010-09-26T15:59:49.368-05:00In the November, 2010 issue of Military History, t...In the November, 2010 issue of Military History, there is a short interview with Sebastian Junger, author of the recent book "War" and director of the film "Restrepo". Junger spent June '07 to June '08 living with a platoon in the Korengal Valley; the book and film document that time. In relation to this subject, you may find Jungers responses worth pondering.<br /><br />"MH: Do you think that combat has always been a life-altering event?<br />Junger: Anything where you confront your own mortality is life-altering, whether it's disease, a car accident or combat.<br /><br />MH: Have we as a society gotten better at helping soldiers return from war?<br />Junger: There are some things you just can't return from. Most of those guys saw someone they really loved die in front of them. It's not a realistic expectation that you can reset that clock to zero.<br /> I think the government is getting better at dealing with the effects of combat. My opinion is that one of the most difficult things about combat is having to give up, having to give up the very secure and close bond created in a small unit in a situation like that.<br /><br />MH: Not wanting to give up combat? Is that surprise?<br />Junger: People see combat through a paradigm of trauma. But there are also psychologically positive things that happen within a small group that cannot be duplicated back home. That's another way of looking at PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder]. And it's serious. I think it's as serious as the trauma component.<br /><br />MH: How do the soldiers handle that?<br />Junger: That's why they all wanted to go back. They didn't want to go back because it was traumatic, but because it was a place where they understood what they were supposed to do. They understood who they were. They had a sense of purpose. They were necessary. All the things that young people strive for are answered in combat. And it's going to take them years to answer those things in a satisfactory way in the civilian world."<br /><br />Something to explore is the positive side to traumatic experiences or "traumatic growth". We may find that by emphasizing the negative, we may be exasperating the problem.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02098390519483723457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446049270059337405.post-16724513700106336772010-09-26T13:22:34.506-05:002010-09-26T13:22:34.506-05:00Fen,
It seems like you may have connected with so...Fen,<br /><br />It seems like you may have connected with something here. Our soldiers can't let go of the lifestyle that they've been living for the past year, or year and a half, so they're seeking ways, outside of war to fill the void, the adrenaline rush, the need to be in control. When they feel that they can't replace it back home.<br /><br />I suppose my next question, not just to you, but to the Army's leaders, is if we are beginning to realize the cause, what are we doing now? We're in unchartered waters, but the issue is real. <br /><br />If we've identified the problem, shouldn't we start to develop a plan to mitigate it? What are we doing for our soldiers that have these issues? It seems that, what you've described is easily detected as a cry for help, but what are we doing to help? <br /><br />BobRobert A. Foxhttps://leadernet.bcks.army.milnoreply@blogger.com