For years I remember watching my Grandfather enjoy the 4th of July with his family. The worst part was when night fell and the fireworks started. That man would flinch and jump every time the boom would shake the house. It was the first time I had ever seen anybody suffer from what was referred to as "Shell Shock". My grandfather received a purple heart for an injury he sustained during his service in WWII, and other metals that were displayed on top of his coffin on the day we buried him. I still cannot shake the vivid memories of the look of terror on his face when he would hear those fireworks. Today, many soldiers suffer the same scenario I just described. Now they call it PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is pretty much along the same parameter. I know many kids that have seen things they should never have been exposed to, but they have seen it.....and they have the scars to prove it......you and I just don't see them. I myself have never served in our country's armed forces, but I do know something about PTSD. It can affect anybody. I know this because it affected me. In my years as a medic, I saw things happen to the human body that I will not describe here on this page. I will say that losing 2 babies during my tour as a medic stayed with me for years. I still wake up on some nights with the image of a lifeless child burned into my memory with no way of getting it out. I know many Firefighters and Medics that share these particular memories. So Dan, What is your point here? My point is that we need to be proud of all people that take the time to serve their country or their community. Both are forms of service to their fellow man, and both can leave the scars that nobody sees. I am only sharing what I have had to live with and what others I know have to live with every day of their lives.
Most people will never know what soldiers feel like after seeing battle and people dying on a daily basis. Most people will not know what the firefighters and medics and police feel like after the World Trade Center and Pentagon bombings and the plane that went down feel like. Anybody that is a civil servant deserves understanding that even though everything looks great on the outside, the battles rage on in your mind.....whether it is a fire or a battle.......many times it doesn't end by closing your eyes. I have thankfully used the tools available to me, and talked with many other medics and firefighters that have experienced similar situations, and been free of the images waking me up in the middle of the night for a while now. There is a certain stigma associated with being affected by something tragic, and unless we break that stigma, it will continue to affect many people that are afraid to talk with anybody about their scars. I know this is a paranormal blog, and it may not make sense to many of you.......but one way I'll link it to paranormal is this way......what if we encounter somebody that died with this condition, and along with the haunting their remaining spirit is creating........is a deep scar that still haunts their soul? Think about those that are not home and fighting in a battle field this Thanksgiving, or the men and women that ride the fire engine by while you sit and eat your dinner with your family.....these people all have families as well, and they all have scars unseen as well. I am not ashamed to admit that I at one time was deeply affected by what I had experienced as a young firefighter and medic. I am not ashamed to say that I shed many tears of grief when nobody else was around to witness it. I am not ashamed to admit I am human. Aren't we all. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.......hopefully my story will make you hold the ones you love a little closer tomorrow.
Dan
Dan
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