SENTINEL WATCH November 22, 2004 Issue

Post-combat healing

By Ryder Stevens

Combat Action is an intensely personal experience. Each foray into battle heightens your awareness of everything going on around you. Each step on a patrol requires that you watch for mines and booby traps, or listen for the tell-tale "plunk" of incoming mortar rounds. It's mentally draining, physically exhausting, and emotionally excruciating.

The highs and lows of being in a combat zone can take a long-term toll on any soldier, especially those who have narrowly escaped being killed, wounded, or maimed. It's also extremely difficult for soldiers to return to "normal" life after being involved in combat operations. When they come home, they are warmly welcomed by loved ones and friends—yet something is not quite right. This effect of prolonged exposure to the terrors of combat, once called "shell shock" or "battle fatigue," is now called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I know, because it's what I had after my first taste of battle action.

I'd been through some horrific moments. The images of the trauma inflicted on human beings through the modern armaments of war were graphic. I didn't sleep. I found it hard to really get close to others. I was desperate for balance and sound perspectives. I needed healing.

About the author

Ryder Stevens is a retired Army chaplain, who spent more than 12 years with paratrooper and special operations units. He is now a Christian Science practitioner, living in Auburn, Washington.

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