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Raising pansies: U.S. campaign highlights stress of fireworks on combat veterans
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Wuss Report
Sep 14, 2015, 3:37:50 AM9/14/15
to
Every Independence Day for the past eight years, Shawn Gourley
and her family have left their Indiana home for remote
campgrounds to escape the fireworks that trigger her veteran
husband's wartime memories.
Gourley's husband Justin, who served in the U.S. Navy from 2000
to 2004, is one of about 500,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war
veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, which can be
worsened by the cracks and thunder of celebratory fireworks.
"Anytime that we get scared, we react. They do the same thing,"
said Gourley, whose husband becomes anxious at the sound of
fireworks, paces back and forth and searches for ways to guard
his family.
This year, in an effort to expose an issue about which many
veterans feel shame, the Gourleys launched a sign campaign to
educate their neighbors about the effects of fireworks on combat
veterans.
The group, Military with PTSD, on Wednesday was finishing up
mailing out nearly 4,000 signs reading "Combat veteran lives
here, please be courteous with fireworks," to veterans who
requested them, Gourley said. Another 3,400 people are on the
waiting list to receive a free sign.
About 31 percent of Vietnam War veterans and 10 percent of Gulf
War veterans suffer from PTSD, according to the National
Institutes of Health.
The loud blasts and flickering lights that resemble gunfire and
other battleground noises can trigger panic attacks and other
stress responses linked to the illness, according to the
Veterans Health Administration.
The campaign asks residents to inform their veteran neighbors
about when and where they plan to set off fireworks so the
former servicemen can prepare. It also aims to start a
conversation between non-veterans and veterans, whose PTSD can
cause feelings of isolation and a desire to avoid crowds.
"All they want is a heads-up," Gourley said.
The idea that veterans are anti-fireworks is a misconception
that has led to criticism of the campaign, she said.
On the Military with PTSD Facebook page, which has more than
160,000 followers, some people have called it a way to spoil
patriotic festivities.
The page also carries thousands of messages of support, many
from people with family members suffering from PTSD.
One user recalled a childhood memory of his father, a Vietnam
veteran, diving into a ditch after forcing himself to watch
fireworks on a family outing: "I never knew how bad fireworks
could bother someone as big and tough as my dad."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/01/us-usa-julyfourth-
veterans-idUSKCN0PB5YI20150701
and her family have left their Indiana home for remote
campgrounds to escape the fireworks that trigger her veteran
husband's wartime memories.
Gourley's husband Justin, who served in the U.S. Navy from 2000
to 2004, is one of about 500,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war
veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, which can be
worsened by the cracks and thunder of celebratory fireworks.
"Anytime that we get scared, we react. They do the same thing,"
said Gourley, whose husband becomes anxious at the sound of
fireworks, paces back and forth and searches for ways to guard
his family.
This year, in an effort to expose an issue about which many
veterans feel shame, the Gourleys launched a sign campaign to
educate their neighbors about the effects of fireworks on combat
veterans.
The group, Military with PTSD, on Wednesday was finishing up
mailing out nearly 4,000 signs reading "Combat veteran lives
here, please be courteous with fireworks," to veterans who
requested them, Gourley said. Another 3,400 people are on the
waiting list to receive a free sign.
About 31 percent of Vietnam War veterans and 10 percent of Gulf
War veterans suffer from PTSD, according to the National
Institutes of Health.
The loud blasts and flickering lights that resemble gunfire and
other battleground noises can trigger panic attacks and other
stress responses linked to the illness, according to the
Veterans Health Administration.
The campaign asks residents to inform their veteran neighbors
about when and where they plan to set off fireworks so the
former servicemen can prepare. It also aims to start a
conversation between non-veterans and veterans, whose PTSD can
cause feelings of isolation and a desire to avoid crowds.
"All they want is a heads-up," Gourley said.
The idea that veterans are anti-fireworks is a misconception
that has led to criticism of the campaign, she said.
On the Military with PTSD Facebook page, which has more than
160,000 followers, some people have called it a way to spoil
patriotic festivities.
The page also carries thousands of messages of support, many
from people with family members suffering from PTSD.
One user recalled a childhood memory of his father, a Vietnam
veteran, diving into a ditch after forcing himself to watch
fireworks on a family outing: "I never knew how bad fireworks
could bother someone as big and tough as my dad."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/01/us-usa-julyfourth-
veterans-idUSKCN0PB5YI20150701
THE COLONEL, Ph.D
Sep 14, 2015, 9:25:00 AM9/14/15
to
"Wuss Report" wrote in message
news:a480bb9927edd5eb...@dizum.com...
The title should be "Picnic with the G.I. Joe family: less loose the nuts of
war."
news:a480bb9927edd5eb...@dizum.com...
The title should be "Picnic with the G.I. Joe family: less loose the nuts of
war."
︰ones
Sep 15, 2015, 8:05:37 PM9/15/15
to
On Mon, 14 Sep 2015 09:34:25 +0200 (CEST), in alt.war.vietnam "Wuss
Report" <wu...@report.com> wrote:
>Every Independence Day for the past eight years, Shawn Gourley
>and her family have left their Indiana home for remote
>campgrounds to escape the fireworks that trigger her veteran
>husband's wartime memories.
Fireworks suck because they're noisy and attract large crowds of drunk
Report" <wu...@report.com> wrote:
>Every Independence Day for the past eight years, Shawn Gourley
>and her family have left their Indiana home for remote
>campgrounds to escape the fireworks that trigger her veteran
>husband's wartime memories.
people.
They suck because they are *full* of every kind of toxic chemical you
can name.
They're an expensive waste of time; take the money and do something
meaningful with it besides pissing it away. I *hate* fireworks and,
more than that, I hate the sheep who watch them!
Can you say: "baaaaaaaa"?
Jones
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