Advanced Essay #4 (Keith Hodge)

Introduction: The goal for my paper I would say is to get some info out about PTSD and I believe I have. My reflection I think I did very good on the paper as well to I think it was one of my best advanced essays this year. I also started the paper soon as I got it even though finding sources was hard I did. So like I said I think this was a very good paper and hopefully you enjoy it.


PTSD is a disorder that is brought upon people but not just any type of people these people have been in war or just plain battle. But they have not just seen a couple bullets come right past them They have seen people shooting the enemy and their own men - things blown up, and even worse - people dying right in front of them. This disorder, or whatever you would like to call it is called PTSD, which stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Hopefully this essay will enlighten you on this disorder.


Well one of my first examples is from five poems about Vietnam where the actual guy that wrote them went and served in Vietnam as a long range reconnaissance patrol unit. The first quote is from the poem Armed forces recruitment day ¨Rules and regs. You are probably surrounded. There are five others beside you. You are twenty-three. You look look quickly around you: The sky, the trees. You're far from home. You know now that your life is no longer yours.¨. This next quote is from the poem Natural history ¨One night, shivering uncontrollably with fear, knowing I would have to kill whatever was out there, walking slowly, scratching.¨. Those two poems are almost like feeling PTSD because the first one gives us what you feel during war because we can imagine it would feel very surrounded by the enemy, the trees, you are so far from home and then you realize you're life is gone, or no longer yours. Also, the 2nd one it gives you a feel of a bad dream or a nightmare, one of the symptoms of PTSD as well.


The next source I used is called ¨Moral Wounds of War¨ which is basically a interview about a rifleman in Afghanistan, and also tells the story of some doctors and some other veterans that have PTSD or are specialist in PTSD. The first quote from this source is this one here ¨LT. COL. ERIC OLSEN: It’s a hard place where you are asked to do some very difficult things, and once you’ve crossed those lines it’s hard to navigate back. It is a soul wound. It’s definitely a soul wound.¨. The 2nd quote is ¨DR. JONATHAN SHAY: Well, that idea has a great pedigree, and I’m afraid it’s complete crap. It is simply wrong. Moral injury causes good character to become deformed.¨. The 3rd quote is ¨SEVERSON: For too many veterans, coming home doesn’t end with kisses and hugs. Now there is an increasing awareness and some say an urgent need for America and Americans to step up and share the pain of our returning veterans and help them reclaim their lives.¨. I liked this interview because it is this guy that has PTSD and he is talking to doctors and another guy that has it.


The 3rd source is just a couple of examples from storycorps which are videos about war veterans from Afghanistan to Vietnam. Quote #1 is ¨Before he came home we used to hold hands but now I can't and I had to remind myself not to rub his back or sneak up on him.” Quote #2 is ¨I can close my eyes and see that guy collapsing with his hands up, and I think about that kid often.¨. Quote #3 is ¨I had white gloves on and a uniform with my medals but I felt dirty, you know I thought I was gonna die in vietnam but I didn't half to go back there I had my ticket punched by my nephews blood and I felt that I failed him and I failed my family and uh I still feel guilty to this day.¨. These videos were my favorite source because there were so powerful some were with their families and others were describing family members.

PTSD is once again a disorder brought upon people that were in war and battle. My first source were poems that I thought gave you visions or images on PTSD. The 2nd source was a interview with a veteran that had PTSD and he talked with doctors. The 3rd source is about vets with PTSD that discuss their stories. So hopefully this essay gives you some more info on PTSD.


Citation #1: Quintana, Leroy V. "Five Poems About Vietnam." www.pbs.org. Pbs, 25 Mar. 2005. Web. 13 Mar. 2017. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/reflect/quintana.html>.

Citation #2: "Moral Wounds of War." Http://www.pbs.org/. WHYY, 28 May 2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2017. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2011/03/11/may-28-2010-moral-wounds-of-war/6367/>.

            Citation #3: "Story corps." Story corps. Story corps, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2017. <https://storycorps.org/listen/?collection=veterans-stories>.

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