Collectivizing War

I.

Every July 4th, I wish I was somewhere else other than the United States. For the last five years, the anticipation of Independence Day fireworks has become as dull as the banality of war itself. I know what to expect: if I don’t find a way of shutting myself from the sounds of grand fireworks, I can be certain to expect an onset of panic attacks and reliving of images of war in Bosnia, which I survived as a child. This strange, boring evil has a hold of me for an hour or so but the effects last a few days.

I thought I was alone in this. Who else on this Earth could possibly experience flashbacks of something as gruesome as war during a festive display of recognition of America’s independence? Who else, could possibly hear that final, grand whizzing sound, which resembles shelling, intended to destroy, ending in a bright flash of quick light? Who else could have associated this sound with a quick existential reflection by uttering to oneself, almost silently, almost invisibly: “This may be the end of me”? Then I read about men who returned from Iraq, and that they experienced exactly the same symptoms and feelings relating to the fireworks as I did. I was not alone.

II.

Department of Veterans Affairs issued on July 12, 2010 new regulations on PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) claims for war veterans. According to the Fact Sheet (which may be found on www.va.gov), this new regulation “liberalizes the evidentiary standard for Veterans claiming service connection for PTSD.” Before this regulation, the only veterans being able to claim benefits were those who were in direct combat. Now, benefits are open to military men and women, who can claim that they are experiencing a stressor related to a “fear of hostile military or terrorist activity.” Furthermore, according to the Department of VA, this regulation is necessary because it is “timely and consistent with the current medical science.” But it is never explained what new scientific discoveries are we actually dealing with.

I have the utmost respect for the soldiers, who serve this country. Personally, I think that they need any help they can get after they return from combat, or even those men and women who were not necessarily in the combat but were exposed to the unstable environment. However, I must say that this regulation is rather vague and in the end, I am not certain how it will actually help veterans.

One of the reasons why it is vague is the fact that it deals with “fear of hostile military or terrorist activity.” By definition, PTSD means that a person has actually experienced a particular traumatic event (war, rape, etc.) and because of one or many linked events, he or she is constantly experiencing flashbacks, nightmares, or paranoia. I can safely conclude that having a “fear” of these events (even if the person is in the environment, which has a greater possibility of traumatic events) does not constitute a PTSD. Disorder also means that the daily life of a person suffering is greatly disrupted, whether through anxiety or inability to function properly in the society.

This regulation actually puts veterans in psychological danger because it is affirming an anticipation of PTSD symptoms before an experience, which led to the PTSD symptom, even occurred. It is as if the regulation wants to turn veterans into victims, which is mentally unsound and logically impossible.

VA officials need to differentiate between PTSD and a fear of being attacked. Men and women returning from Iraq need all the help they can get, especially in the area of mental health. “Loosening the criteria for PTSD” is not the way to do this. It will actually create more bureaucratic issues since every single person is placed in the same category. This will be tremendously damaging. Separate and unique voices will not be heard. Collectivizing an experience of war is dangerous business; as much as the military works as one body, let us not deny each soldier’s individuality and personal history.