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Living to serve
Originally appeared on spirituality.com
Veterans around the world, no matter what war they served in, share a common experience of investing themselves in their nation, supporting what they believe to be a true cause, motivated by a heartfelt desire to contribute to humanity’s betterment.
But for some veterans, the effects of war seem to follow them and their families. In the United States, much has been written about the effects of stress as soldiers return home after service in Afghanistan or Iraq. In extreme cases, this is called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
After serving in combat as a chaplain with the 82nd Airborne Division, I was aggravated in crowds, I started to sweat when I was close to people, and I became ill-tempered over simple things. I recognized these symptoms as signs of early PTSD when I was attending a training conference. I looked up at a slide as they described the symptoms and realized, “That’s me.”
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