My Innocent Mind Before Vietnam : After Vietnam A True Story About PTSD

---

Fortunately, for many veterans the reinforcement of loved ones wife and children especially , veterans and counsellors, tend to reduce this thinking to a large degree. It has often been said to me by veterans that since returning from Vietnam they have never achieved the same sense of intimacy or closeness with their partner as they did when they shared a shell scrape with their mate. This intimacy stemmed from the knowledge that both your lives depended upon each other and often lives were lost.

This level of responsibility and purpose is rarely achieved in any other type of relationship. Another reason for this numbness is because once you experience the hurt of losing a comrade, you may never want to get close to his replacement to avoid being hurt again. You are taught not to feel emotions, to rationalise the loss of a comrade or even to grieve. A comrade is killed, you didn't have time to grieve you still had to do your duty. Vietnam was unique because it was a fast-mechanised war. It is hard to break ingrained habits especially habits that were essential for survival.

It is no wonder that many veterans have trouble getting to and staying asleep. They get up at odd hours, watch the TV, listen to the radio or have a cup of coffee and a cigarette and then try again to get some sleep. Others get up at first light; a ritual common in the army as this is when the enemy generally attacks. All soldiers were required to do their turn on the 'gun' or to keep watch; 2 hours on and 2 hours off.

To alleviate sleep problems many resort to self-medication, whereby they drink, on a regular basis, copious quantities of alcohol prior to going to sleep. Albert French in his book Patches of Fire sums up the concept of sleep while on tour. When on duty, patrol or laying an ambush, if you could sleep, you didn't dream, you didn't close your mind to the night, you slept lightly. You slept in your gear, always in boots and with your weapon in close proximity.

You slept on the hard ground because you threw away your inflatable mattress sections in case they squeaked in the night when you moved around thus giving away your position. Often your silk or 'hoochie' were the only providers of warmth and protection against the elements. Twelve months of constant poor sleep prepares the veteran for sleep problems in their later life. Veterans suffering PTSD find the hours before sleep uncomfortable.

Many will stay awake as long as possible. They will often take alcohol to help dull any thoughts that may enter during this time period. It is, of course, linked to the "Stand-to" drill they performed as a daily ritual to safeguard the group during the hours of darkness. Very often they will watch TV into the small hours of the morning. Finally, with sleep, comes the nightmares of being shot at or being pursued and left with an empty weapon.

It is not unusual for the veteran to experience, night after night, a replay of the death of a particular close friend or of deaths he caused as a combatant. Dreams of common events in Vietnam often occur and are sometimes mixed with complete fantasies, thrown up by the mind much as a comical cartoon film is shown to refresh the mind after a film of violence is exhibited.

Some veterans will forget the dream but wake at an early hour with a feeling of dread and very tired. Again this plays out the morning "Stand-to" routine. If one of your group or a good mate was stitched by a burst from an AK, dismembered by a mine blast or ripped apart by shrapnel you did not have much time to grieve over him. A 'chopper' appeared, he went into a plastic bag and was whisked away to Long Binh. Certainly, a unit memorial service would be held before the end of a tour, but the feeling of numbness or emotional emptiness never did go away.

You could not tell your wife of your feelings for a mate; the taxpayer who sent you over there did not care. Now, it was time to cry - for your mate, certainly - but also for yourself, because of the sheer helplessness of your condition.

COMMENTS (299)

Depression had set-in and many veterans then turned to alcohol to lift them out of this externally induced self pity, only to find themselves caught in a cycle of 'highs' and 'lows', the worst feature of substance abuse. Often, this depression led to feelings of guilt. The most illogical, yet frequent symptom of PTSD is that of feeling guilty because you survived while others did not. Gary recounted a visit with his son to the cemetery in Terendak Garrison cantonment, in Malacca, Malaysia. While searching for the grave of Maj. Peter Badcoe VC, he looked down to see that he was standing on the grave of one of his closest mates from the Malayan Emergency days.

He had been killed in Vietnam. When his son asked him why he was suddenly upset, he could not explain why he felt the way he did. He had suffered a brief but overwhelming sense of guilt that he had survived the war but his mate had not. Those veterans not accepting the feeling of guilt as logical often find themselves looking for situations that will physically harm them. Picking fights against younger, tougher men; joining volunteer organisations which, of their very nature, exposes their members to danger; compulsive donating of blood giving their life-fluid so that others may live and some even punishing themselves by self-mutilation are ways to relieve the guilt.

Fear of being enclosed; pulling over to the roadside to let that driver who is too close pass you; sitting with your back to the wall; backing away from a crowded lift; pushing your wife and children away if they cling to you; concern when caught in the open, away from 'cover' and so-on; are all symptoms felt by veterans. Gary's anxiety attack, often shared by other veterans, was brought about during visits to the supermarket.

When he was in that checkout race he started to 'freak out'. He even went to the extent of studying the marketing theories behind supermarket queuing and the statistic that tells us the shopper should spend no longer than 3.

Try as he might he could not prevent a reaction after 5 minutes, his anxiety making him look a fool and causing his wife extreme embarrassment. An understandable but dangerous symptom is to maintain an "awareness" of military skills by joining survival groups and the like.

This is the syndrome which causes many veterans to keep a gun beside his bed at night, "just in case". The fact that commonsense should tell him that the chances of an early morning Sapper attack in beautiful downtown Dubbo is fairly remote, is not a valid reason to quit the practice, as far as he is concerned. He will find some other reason. Another everyday situation that can create anxiety is the telephone. Many veterans have difficulty answering the phone and they let it ring until it stops, or wait until someone else answers it.

This practise generally frustrates other family members. If the veteran resides alone they tend to psyche themselves up to believe that the person on the other end of the phone is someone important to them. Often they just let it ring out or take the phone off the hook. Isolation may be either physical, psychological or both. Many veterans experience panic attacks in shopping centres, they feel hemmed in, can't handle the crowds or others being too close to them. They can't handle traffic congestion and the weekly shopping becomes a major chore.

Some have found to avoid such situations they are better off living away from the hustle and bustle of town and city living. They only trust a selected few with whom they have built up rapport over the years and who understand and respect the veterans' idiosyncrasies. They elect to live in isolation feeling secure on their own piece of land often in geographically isolated regions. Even worse is the self-imposed isolation veterans bring upon themselves because they question their self-worth.

Lacking confidence, frightened of failure, not wanting responsibility are all ways of avoiding situations which may force them in to some form of decision making process. During their operational service many had to make life or death decisions, held the power over life and death and did things of their own accord which they would come to regret in later years. To the young soldier he was only doing his job. The stresses of small everyday situations become insurmountable for many veterans, which leads to frustration and rage.

It's best to avoid many of these types of situations in order to just cope. This leads to frustration on the part of the veteran, the employer, the wife and the children whom, not understanding the reasons for such behaviour, dismiss such actions as a lack of motivation or just plain laziness. Some veterans today feel they are young men in old bodies.

Their military training is ever present, their ability to apply the principles of basic military skills or tactics is still evident in their thoughts but many become frustrated because they fail to realise that they have aged. They feel the best way to avoid the past is not to talk about it and this in itself contributes further to their psychological isolation. Often, veterans have cynical views about their government, family and friends and these stem from their views of how they had been treated in the past.

The Services use a unique method of training their personnel, especially the army. It is a very rigid and structured form of education. No other form of education has such a powerful influence on the soldier's life. Why is it that you have difficulty remembering your wife or children's birth dates but you can always remember your Service Number? Why is it that many Vietnam veterans are competitive, generally have rigid family values, have difficulty maintaining relationships, cannot achieve intimacy, lack motivation, hate being in crowded locations and are social phobics?

Setting aside the condition of PTSD I believe that a precursor to the condition is the nature of the training all service personnel go through. It is suggested that many veterans are concrete thinkers, due to their military training. They think in black and white, there are no shades of grey, they are orderly and regimented in all aspects of their lives, function well in a structured environment and don't tolerate fools easily.

One has to appreciate that the Army has one of the best education systems in the world. No other organisation can take recruits from outback Australia, the Steppes of Russia or the hillbillies of the Appalachian Mountains in the US and teach them to kill efficiently. Even in today's society we still can't teach all young children to read and write, but we can teach people to kill.

For soldiers, the education process has to be powerful as society is preparing their soldiers for the worst. By looking at the military system of training it is easy to see how soldiers are programmed. The whole military culture is a programmed entity. This section looks at the various ways the military experience impacts on the soldiers' lives.

It is often argued that many veterans have never been de-programmed since their return from Vietnam. Most people who experience a trauma these days are very likely to receive some form of professional debrief, which is a form of release. Unfortunately, many veterans have never had the opportunity to experience this process as they do not feel they have a problem and therefore don't feel they need professional help. The following views should be appreciated by the recruits who went through the military system during the Vietnam period.

Gary held strong views on how the army trained and developed soldiers for war. Much of what is stated are Gary's views and I have added information where appropriate. Basic training is what the name implies " From the day you arrive on the recruit course you are not treated as an individual, you are treated as part of a team. The system uses peer pressure to get rid of non-conforming individuals.

It discourages individual thought and initiative, it rewards conformity and compliance. The military doesn't want individuals, no shades of grey or independent thought " A serial number replaces your name loss of individuality and depersonalisation and every correspondence or form of oral communication is answered by a number. You can't talk unless spoken to and even then there is a specific way for addressing an NCO God.

For the duration of your basic training you spend hours 'square bashing' and there is a purpose for this 'instinctive obedience'. If you look in the Drill Manual you will find that the aim of 'close order drill' is to instil into the individual instinctive obedience. From the day you start marching you march in sections, troops or groups, again, you lose your individualism, you become a part of a team.

Lessons are 40 minute periods with a 10 minute 'smoko' break, the 'smoko' break being a precursor for future substance abuse habits. The instructor's lesson follows a standard format and always begins with: The reason you are being taught this The conclusion of the lesson has a summary and students are asked questions just to check they are paying attention.

Prior to moving on to the next phase of instruction, the instructor ensures that the fundamentals are understood, if not you go through it again. Tests and more tests track the recruit through his ordeal. This style of instruction creates concrete thinkers, black or white but no shades of grey. Grey relates to emotions and the army doesn't want emotional soldiers.

All forms of instruction and training have heavy undertones of patriotism, glory and honour. Leave is not a right, it is earned. The slightest deviation from the rules or any hint of insubordination leads to extra duties or disciplinary action even to the extent of a stint at the Holsworthy Correctional Centre or a dishonourable discharge. The concept of a mutiny in the military is a gathering of 3 or more disgruntled diggers critiquing the system. The army uses a system whereby every unit is co-dependent upon the other, every individual, every small unit ranging to larger formations is co-dependent.

You are taught that one weak link will cause the machine to malfunction. Excluding support weapon formations there are three Sections to a Platoon, three Platoons to a Company, six Companies to a Battalion four being combat infantry , three Battalions to a Brigade, three Brigades to a Division, three Divisions to a Corp, three Corps to an Army, etc. Everything in the military is by numbers and mainly in threes. The structure of units and even drill movements or weapon training are by numbers. Rifle drill, marching, lifting loads all relate to numbers There is constant pressure and tests to weed out the weak, the non-conformists and troublemakers who are dealt with swiftly.

Tact in the instructors is often lacking and too often to get the recruit to conform they use sarcasm or other dehumanising behaviours or comments. Twenty pushups or a quick sprint are just a few of the milder tools for conformity. The gospel according to the Services 'Never question an order until after you carry it out' ensures that personnel don't think and their actions are instinctive. Be it a digger on an M60, a gunner on a 5 inch naval gun, or a pilot in a Canberra bomber, they fire or drop their load. It's ingrained into the individual to obey the order and never to question a superior.

A recent example of how instinctive training overrides fear and panic is the recent Blackhawk disaster. The Board of inquiry found that even when the choppers were going down the crew and soldiers went into training mode even though the worst was anticipated. Personnel who were injured, instinctively returned to the downed helicopters to rescue their comrades at the risk of their own personal safety.

The military system is very kind to its members, they think of everything. In riot control a squad or section may be ordered to fire on a crowd of dissenters. This was especially true with the British in the Malayan Emergency. An officer would identify the ringleader and indicate the person to his squad. All squad members would be issued with one round, one of which would be a blank.

After the squad fired and killed the ringleader, the Sgt would collect the cartridges. Everyone in the squad would feel that they had the blank and weren't responsible for the death of the ringleader. It is the same for firing squads, we can be ordered to shoot our comrades in arms instinctively, but were never allowed to question the reason. We thought it seemed right at the time or it had to be right because a superior said so. This was also the case in Vietnam, bombing villages killing civilians, ours was never to question but to carry out orders. The classic example of this was Lt.

Rusty Calley Jnr who was held responsible for the My Lai massacre approximately women, children and old men were murdered by a Company of American Infantrymen. My Lai is the classic example when soldiers lose their discipline and how cruel men can be when they cross the boundary of sanity. It's understandable, but not an excuse to throw away the rules of war and commit murder en masse. In the 7 weeks prior to the massacre, Charlie Company had no direct contact with the VC though 4 of the Company were killed and 34 wounded.

The inability to confront the elusive enemy generated pent-up anger and frustration, which was violently directed at innocent villagers. Calley, in the closing words of his book sums up " The horrors of war came together at My Lai on March 16, And maybe someday the GIs who went there will say, Now the world knows what war is. And now the world really hates it. And now there is No More War ". If you have ever read the book it is not surprising that there are not many survivors of Charlie Company that committed the atrocity.

Many have taken their own lives I suppose the ghosts of the past do return. Calley received a life conviction for 22 counts of murder but a successful appeal ensured he never served a day in prison. The matter was quietly pushed off the front pages of the newspapers and the American public continued to believe that a nation as great as theirs was still above atrocities and the dark side of war.

Gary felt that the Services didn't want thinkers or people to question orders, otherwise their emotions and conscience come into play. The classic example is never question a superior and this concept is also instilled into the individual. The lines of communication between diggers, NCOs and officers are rigid and the correct procedures must always be adhered to. The officer class is alive and well today as it was in feudal times. Class structure perpetuated the need for order and discipline, which in turn reinforced the system.

Physical fitness is the main method of dehumanising the individual though the army argues that soldiers need to be fit for combat. What Physical Training PT is really about is pushing you to your limits both physically and psychologically. If you break or can't make it you let your Section down. Weakness is spurned, the winners reap the accolades and baubles. Inter-team and section competition generates a feeling of belonging, comradeship and your section or platoon is your family and you don't want to let your family down. The system trains you to win, armies don't want losers.

Looking for possible causes that may be attributable to many veteran's inability to express emotions may also be found in the manner the army trains its soldiers. This again relates to the PTSD symptom of numbing and avoidance. When it comes to the preparation for the killing of another human being, denial and desensitisation are the main methods used by the military.

This US soldier 'found alive' in Vietnam 44 years after being left behind

Though the Army may not realise it, they have used the eminent Russian Psychologist Pavlov's concept of classical conditioning. He won the Nobel Prize for his work in teaching a dog to salivate by ringing a bell. With time the dog learned to associate the sound of the bell with eating even though no food was made available. That is, the conditioned stimulus was the bell, the conditioned response was the salivation and the reward was food. Similarly, Skinner in the mid nineteen hundreds further refined the process using laboratory rats and called it "behavioural engineering".

The same principles that applied to Pavlov's dog and Skinner's rats form the basis of military training that fosters reflexive reactions without thought. Teaching a soldier to shoot utilises all the concepts of operant conditioning and behaviour modification. That is, the conditioned stimulus was the target popping up, the conditioned response was accurately engaging the target and the reward for accurate shooting would be qualifying on the range for that shoot.

Realistic training and instant feedback ensure success. Pre-Vietnam War days saw soldiers developing their shooting skills by aiming at bulls-eye style targets. These targets were replaced with human shaped targets to make the training more realistic. Immediately after each shoot the targets are marked so that the firer has instant feedback on his firing prowess. Today's training uses electronic visual aids to supply the immediate feedback. On ranges, targets pop up instantly, unexpectedly and if you score a hit they fall replicating a real life situation.

Every aspect of training is rehearsed, visualised and conditioned in order to develop a reflexive quick shoot style. Due to the nature of the repetitive training the soldier is conditioned to engage and fire reflexively at the target. This assists the denial stage, whereby the soldier doesn't think that he is shooting another person, merely a target. The pressure to conform and perform is immense and for those who do there is always the reward of a badge, medal and promotion.

If you fail you are ostracised. Your uniform is immaculate, impeccably creased and starched, you spend hours spit polishing your boots, all brass items are shined until they are worn thin, and then at the completion of your recruit training the big parade. The Rising Sun hat badge and a Corps posting, then Corps training and another hat badge if infantry it is usually the crossed rifles , and then another posting, the Regiment and the 'skippy badge'.

Then as a private the reward of promotion now becomes the carrot to progress through the system. The PR 19 and PR 66s' reporting on subordinates by superiors are used to ensure conformity to the system. Elitism and patriotism are generated via this process and a good soldier never questions but obeys. Too much faith is placed in the wisdom of the more senior ranks and history has shown that they also are not infallible. The 'God syndrome' forms a part of the soldier's psyche In war the soldier is trained and sanctioned to kill by an act of parliament.

The reality is soldiers are programmed to kill, they are at the peak of their physical condition and hyperalert. When it's all over they are told to go home and lead a normal life. Immediately after the Vietnam experience there were no debriefs, no de-brainwashing and often, no thank you from a grateful nation. It has only been in the past 20 years that governments worldwide have recognised the need to make available professional assistance to military personnel who have been psychologically scarred by war-caused trauma.

Reiterating Gary's thoughts, he believed that the nature of military training was designed to stress the warrior class, training to kill in earnest and the need to demonstrate warrior behaviour. Bayonet practice is a classic example of this behaviour. Recruits are lined up, shirts off, SLR with bayonet at the ready, then they run to the dangling sandbag screaming their lungs out. Often they are abused by the instructor because they were not aggressive or violent enough. Rage and anger are encouraged and accepted in the services. You never give up, you never compromise and you must win. Similarly, Gary felt that drinking, smoking and sport formed the backbone of a soldier's social life.

The wet canteens and the mess life encouraged the soldier to drink. In many Battalions it was part of your duty to attend the mess when you knocked off from duty. On active service the American 'rat packs' were the go. Mini packs of Kool or Camel cigarettes ensured your supply. These were the digger's opiate to relieve the stress and tension of active service. Growing up too quickly and using alcohol and cigarettes to cope with army life encouraged habits which are difficult to break in later years. From through to , 46, Australian personnel served in Vietnam which included 17, national servicemen.

Of these, were killed and were wounded. The average age of an Australian soldier in Vietnam was 20 years. For the Americans, though they had a significant number of military advisers in Vietnam prior to , statistics indicate that from August to May a total of 2. Of these 56, were killed and , were wounded. The average age of an American soldier in Vietnam was 19 years. The figures cited above are from James Harper's book ' War without End ' and provide a realistic view of the figures involved. However, with the publication of new books and articles the figures keep changing. The Vietnam War was unique.

It was a war of technology. Warfare has certainly changed in the past years. In the late s it was the Enfield rifle against spears, World War I saw the advent of the Vickers machine gun and the tank, World War II saw the B29 and the concept of strategic bombing, while Korea heralded the jet fighter Sabre and Canberra bomber. The Vietnam War's claim to fame was the 'chopper', the B52 and firepower. It was psychologically reassuring for the digger to know if you were hit you could be on a 'dustoff' and back at the RAP within the hour or if caught in an ambush your FO could bring down a barrage of mms.

Australian soldiers fought in North Africa to help the mother country, a legacy of our colonial days and they fought the Japanese on the Kokoda Trail in order to prevent an invasion of their homeland. In Vietnam, many did not know why they were there. The Regulars career soldiers saw the impact of Bob Menzies' policy advocating the 'domino theory' in Korea and Malaya and believed in earnest that Australia would be next. Many conscripts were too young to grasp the concept of the 'yellow peril' and more often than not did not initially have a clue where Vietnam was.

For many, service in Vietnam was an adventure and for the majority of conscripts it was an opportunity to travel. National Service increased the size of the Australian permanent army in from 24, to 32, and by the permanent army of 28, was increased by conscripts to 43, an increase of The 'nasho' spent 10 weeks of intensive training on fieldcraft, drill and army procedure at either Singleton, Kapooka or Puckapunyal.

On graduation they were assigned to a corps for another 2 - 3 months training before being posted to an operational unit.

Nashos' being sent to Vietnam were required to complete a course at the Jungle Training Centre at Canungra. Nashos who were selected for Officer Training School during their basic training were sent to Scheyville. Army policy with regard to conscripts in Vietnam was such that they constituted less than half of each unit and served only one month period on a tour of duty. Contrary to the anti-conscription and anti-war effort national service did not end until December when the Labor Government came to power.

In general terms, WW II saw soldiers of both sides in uniform, boundaries were clearly drawn, there were rules and codes of conduct for both soldiers and civilians. The enemy were clearly distinguishable and there were clear procedures to follow if you were either captured or wounded. Vietnam was different, it was a guerrilla war.

For the young serviceman their tour was a combination of intense stress, fear and endless boredom, though they did establish a reputation as being formidable opponents and skilful allies. Trinh Duc a village chief described the military skills of the Australians:.

Worse than the Americans were the Australians. The Americans' style was to hit us, then call for planes and artillery. Our response was to break contact and disappear if we could, but if we couldn't we'd move up right next to them so the planes couldn't get at us. T he Australians were more patient than the Americans, better guerrilla fighters, better at ambushes.

T hey liked to stay with us instead of calling in the planes. We were more afraid of their style. Stone in his book War Without Honour provides an excellent insight into the digger's training, skill and stealth. The Australian Battalion has been described by war correspondents as the safest combat force in Vietnam The Australians, often covering the same ground and running into similar enemy emplacements are different; and there are important reasons for this. Australian patrols shun jungle tracks and clearings. They choose, instead, to 'scrub bash', picking their way carefully and quietly through the bamboo thickets and tangled foliage to take maximum advantage of cover.

It is a tiring, frustrating experience to trek through the jungle with Australians. Patrols have taken as much as nine hours to sweep a mile of terrain. They move forward a few steps at a time, stop, listen, then proceed again. However, like in all wars there were some bad decisions made at a higher formation level which caused the deaths of many Australian soldiers. In his biography, Soldier in a Storm General Alan Stretton admits that the tactical error of laying 23, mines in a minefield from Dat Do to the South China Sea without making appropriate arrangements for its security was a blunder.

It was naive to the extreme to think that such a minefield could be protected by regional South Vietnamese forces and that they would be capable of stopping the Viet Cong from lifting the mines and using them as a source of supply in their own operations against the Australians. Some 8, were lifted from the field by the Viet Cong and caused death and injury to hundreds of young Australians. Neil Davis shares his view on the nature of the war in T.

Bowden's book One Crowded Hour As an Australian, I was very proud of the Australian troops. They were professional, very well trained and they fought the people they were sent to fight - the Viet Cong.

PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): An Australian Vietnam Veteran's Experience

They tried not to involve civilians and generally there were few civilian casualties inflicted by the Australians I believe that fifty per cent of Australian casualties were caused by land mines and booby traps. When the Communists found the Australians weren't using the tracks but fanning out through the jungle, it was turned against them. The VC would discover and sometimes reposition Australian mines that had been left in ambush positions, which were then triggered by the Australians themselves. Meanwhile the VC were using the jungle trails like highways, because they knew the tracks were free.

Working with veterans on a professional basis it became quite clear that there were three phases of approximately 4 months each which veterans went through during their one-year tour. The first phase centred on being invincible, they were part of a proud army with a history of tradition and victories.

This was reinforced all through basic training, during their Corps training and especially at Canungra. The intensity of training prepared them both physically and psychologically for their tour. It was drilled into them, they were the best, they had the best training, weapons and equipment but more importantly they were to carry on the Anzac tradition. On their arrival in Vietnam they felt they were invincible until they found out the enemy were just as good, if not better.

Their invincibility was soon tested and eroded as their colleagues lost their lives, were killed and maimed by accidents and friendly fire. Worst of all was seeing their mates maimed by mines and primitive booby traps. The frustration and the boredom of search and destroy missions, the repetitive ambush drills, all providing limited results.

The enemy were becoming inaccessible, too clever, would not stick around to fight and generally, fought on ground of their own choosing. Often after combat the only trace of the enemy would be a blood trail. The second phase could be regarded as the reckless phase, everyone had settled in and buddied up, the initial novelty, wariness and newness had gone, soldiers realised that they could get killed or maimed and that this conflict was for real. Their compassion had waned and a 'them or us' mentality prevailed.

They had been well and truly blooded by this stage and had become numb and indifferent to many of the things they saw. To survive, you shot first and asked questions later, you became wary of all Vietnamese, you showed little feeling toward the enemy. Patrolling was constant with little rest. Tour days became just time, days of the week lost their names and meaning as did weekends and days of rest. Tour days simply became a number between 1 and It was during this phase that abnormal behaviour occurred on the part of the majority of soldiers.

You rarely questioned what your mates did and like all soldiers acclimatising to constant death and uncivilised behaviour you developed a black sense of humour with regard to life and death. During this phase you became careless and frustrated and did things that would stay with you the rest of your life. At the time it seemed the right thing to do.

Paul Fussell was a year-old Lt. He was severely wounded and returned home to write his highly acclaimed book Wartime. In his book he reminds us that soldiers were once young, athletic, credulous and innocent of their own mortality. They had not as yet developed their character. Phase 3 was the survival stage. By now you had either experienced, witnessed or heard about a mate being killed or maimed. If not a close mate, at least someone in the next Platoon or Company. Your time was measured in 'wakies' and you expressed your days to go as 'so many days and a wakey'.

You tended to mix with experienced diggers they were tested and reliable and had proven themselves , kept away from the 'reos', mixed only with your section as you could rely upon their skills and acquired professionalism in a firelight. The Section was your world and you rarely heard anything about what was happening in other Platoons and Companies except when they had casualties. By the time your tour was up you couldn't wait to get home even though you may have felt guilty about leaving your Section.

Unfortunately, the return to Australia was not as expected. Many things had changed after 12 months in-country. In drawing together the points made in this section, I firmly believe that the impact of military training and the type of warfare the soldier is involved in has severe consequences in the severity, the nature and the treatment aspects of PTSD. As pointed out the Australians fought a different war to the Americans.

One of mundane search and destroy missions, ambush patrols, the constant stress of slow movement through the bush, taking even several hours to cover a few kilometres, constant stopping, listening for enemy activity and then moving on again. All the time being hyperalert, searching the tree lines for 'hides', listening, watching and waiting. The Americans, on the other hand, often mounted large scale actions supported by immense artillery and air support, were highly mobile and used different tactical doctrine.

By nature of the Australian soldier's experiences it is felt that any effort for treatment should initially address the nature of the soldier's military training and how that training has influence on his operational style and attitude. The military has developed its own unique client group of programmed, concrete thinkers with rigid perspectives on life. It is felt that therapeutic change can be achieved by taking the veteran through a deprogramming process which encourages him to think in shades of grey, to share his feelings, and to assist him to communicate more effectively.

As discussed previously, the military means of education is so deeply ingrained into the soldier to the extent, even 30 years after the event, he is still living his life in a military manner. That is, how they do everyday things, how they relate to their family members, how they organise themselves at work and socially, how they handle their rage, how they handle their problems and the list is endless.

Coupled to the nature of the training is the nature of their diverse duties in Vietnam. Having worked professionally with war traumatised and non-war traumatised clients diagnosed with PTSD, I believe the circumstances of war and non-war caused trauma are different. That is, being traumatised in a combat situation could be viewed differently to being traumatised in a car accident.

Both traumatic experiences are different by the nature of the event and different due to the extended duration of the stressful event. Couple this view with soldiers being healthy and at their physical peak, the nature of the soldier's training instinctive obedience, denial, desensitisation, programming, warrior class, etc then it is feasible to argue that technically they should be prepared for the worst.

Yet, over the years more and more Vietnam Veterans are being diagnosed with clinically severe PTSD with delayed onset. However, this trend has seemed to have peaked in recent years. It is understandable that Australia's fittest and finest were disillusioned when they returned home. While on active service they had their 'R and R' Rest and Recuperation and when they again hit Australian soil they experienced a new 'R and R' Having gone through the worst experience possible and not having your efforts appreciated by society can be a thwarting experience.

He talks about the events that led up to the Vietnam Moratorium held on 8 May where between 70 Australians marched in the capital cities throughout Australia protesting the Vietnam War. Not once did he mention the loss of Australian life, the wounded, the impact of fighting in a foreign country and the knowledge that fellow Australians did not support you.

His writings justified the need to have Australian soldiers withdrawn from the conflict, not because they were being killed and wounded, but because Vietnam was an American war and Australia should not be supporting American Imperialism. His book contained graphic scenes of the atrocities committed by American troops and its associated inferences about Australian troops supporting this behaviour. Imagine the feeling of Australian troops fighting for what they believed was correct at the time and knowing that you were not supported by your own country.

Perhaps Jim Cairns was too busy politicising his dogmatism to realise that during the year , the year of the Moratorium, 68 Australians died while fighting in Vietnam. Remember that politicians of the day create wars, soldiers just obey orders and fight them. I feel that the Moratorium was the turning point for our involvement in Vietnam. From that day the political change in attitude saw the staging down of the conflict. Unfortunately, society seemed more concerned about the Vietnamese people and the carnage that occurred than what was happening to the Australian soldiers.

While in Vietnam the posties weren't delivering mail, the wharfies were not loading ships with essential supplies and some Australians were taking up collections to support the other side. Over the next few years with the winding down of Australia's commitment, many soldiers just slipped quietly back into Australia, were told to grow their hair long, not to be seen in public in uniform and try to get on with their lives.

For R and R in the military sense it's hard to imagine that one day you're 'in-country', having seen bloodshed and carnage and 24 hours later you're back home with your family and friends How often were you asked by your mates with whom you grew up 'how many VC did you kill'? It's strange how your childhood friends now had become distant, your own self-realisation that you had little in common with them and you were now beginning to wonder what you ever saw in some of them.

Their ignorance of the Vietnam War most were not aware of where Vietnam was on the map , their immaturity, their anti Vietnam attitude but you were 'OK' and were accepted because you were a mate , their lack of political awareness, dad wanting you to go down to the pub for a drink so he could show you off to his mates Lastly, mum who suffered in silence just being thankful that you had survived this far.

These attitudes all contributed to a feeling of alienation. Further, you longed to get back to your unit as you felt you were letting your comrades down and besides, they were someone you had something in common with.

The return to Mascot airport in the middle of the night, dumped at holding establishments, held over until the military could finalise your paperwork and told to make your own way home, leaves a feeling of alienation toward the military. Many were rejected by the RSLs, shunned upon by Korean and World War II veterans who believed that Vietnam was a police action and not a war, couldn't relate to their mates whom they had grown up with and had difficulty settling back into the workforce.

For National Servicemen the going was harder. The Regulars were part of a family, the Regiment or the Corps. They came home to a world of messes and support, the secure world they knew before they left. Most conscripts were years old on their tour. At the time they were forced to fight for their country but had no say or rights in elections. The voting age was reduced from 21 years to 18 years much later. Most 'nashos' probably grew up more quickly and had more life experiences during their twelve months tour in Vietnam than they have had during the rest of their lives.

Imagine your son or daughter today, at 20 years of age, having to go to war Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please select your reason for reporting Please give full details of the problem with the comment Let's talk about sex and pornography - like adults do Caroline West Now is the time for a mature and sensible discussion about sex and porn. We really need mandatory modern sex education introduced in schools too, writes Caroline West. Debunking the myth of the squeezed middle Killian Donoghue High earners pay more tax but they also benefit from the fact workers in the service industry get paid low wages, writes Killian Donoghue.

The Irish state is a very bad parent - when its children turn 18 they often end up on the streets Shane Dunphy Sometimes we talk about people ending up as statistics. But there are no statistics compiled for how many children raised in state care become homeless, writes Shane Dunphy. Woman stabbed at 'isolated, unlit' Dublin bus stop. Trial of doctor accused of murdering son hears from her neighbours.

Garda convicted of careless driving causing death of elderly woman. Murder accused tells court victim came at him with a knife. My officers would not stand by and watch violence at an eviction. Father of boy 6 killed after being struck by van says the family forgive the driver. Nurses in Dublin hospital may be told not to turn up over busy New Year period due to visa issues. Couple who named their son after Hitler sentenced to prison for membership of banned right-wing group.

Trial of doctor accused of murdering son 3 hears from garda who arrived at scene. Contact Us Advertise With Us.

Follow Us Twitter Facebook. Switch to Mobile Site Night mode Sites: Please log in to comment. Please log in with facebook to become a fan.

RSS feeds available here: Report an error, omission or problem: One email every morning As soon as new articles come online. Let's talk about sex and pornography - like adults do Caroline West. Debunking the myth of the squeezed middle Killian Donoghue. The Irish state is a very bad parent - when its children turn 18 they often end up on the streets Shane Dunphy. Khloe Kardashian called out a fan for claiming Chicago isn't Kim's biological daughter

• Precálculo. (De estudiantes para estudiantes nº 1) (Spanish Edition)
• Como sanar su vida - Lecciones en el camino de Ayurveda (Spanish Edition)
• Chicken (Animal)
• Outback Reckoning
• Kosaburo, 1945 (Un endroit où aller) (French Edition)
• Jazz Bass on Top: A Guide to Left-Hand Technique