On Veterans Day, I came upon a veteran speaker at Wickersham park in Petaluma, on my walk to the café from which I began this post. I stopped to listen to the presenter, who spoke of many topics pertaining to veterans. One subject that I found personally relevant and therefore invaluably interesting, was his sharing of the plethora of veterans who have incurred Traumatic Brain Injuries. I knew of this reality due to the sharing of a dear family friend, who is a navy seal. Hearing the speaker attest as such, brought this truth back to top of mind.
“Military service members and Veterans are also at risk of brain injury from explosions experienced during combat or training exercises…The (DVBIC) reported nearly 414,000 TBIs among U.S. service members worldwide between 2000 and late 2019” –U.S Department of Veteran Affairs
My awareness of the reality that some service members share not only this debilitating Injury but also the consequential hardships of a post traumatic stress disorder, as I did & do, arose. In fact, I remembered my caseworker referring to the PTSD I was experiencing many years ago and personally questioning this truth – I’ve never been to war!? as that’s the context in which I’d heard PTSD referenced.
Once I mentally assigned the words from which the acronym arises: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, I certainly began seeing it’s application to my disability as well as the incurrence there of. Inapplicable to me, is the reality that many Veteran’s trauma is layered as a result of blasts, witnessing death, severe accidents…All of these incidents & more accumulate for them experiencing layered PTSD.
Affirmation of the knowing that service members endure immense hardships, 1 of which I know all to well personally, in order to protect citizens, makes me all the more gratuitous for their service.