Some folks deal with PTSD (or personality disorder if you've been screwed by the Pentagon/Army/Marines) by turning to poetry, painting, writing, ranting and raving (like me), cartoons to maintain our sense of humor while in Hell on Earth. Two of my favorites are political cartoons that if compiled are like well a history book. The other is music, be it original from combat Vets expressing their pride, hurt, pain, anger, or loss of innocence.  

Think hard on these lyrics written and sung by the Eagles shortly before either 911 or the Quagmire of Iraq. I do because if you can understand and remember the words, these song writers were sort of like Prophets and did not know it. The Eagles in particular have written so many tunes that can be related and applied to how young Veterans, and even their love one's feel today. 

Which leads us to, "The Girl From Yesterday"

It wasn't really sad the way they said good-bye
Or maybe it just hurt so bad she couldn't cry
He packed his things, walked out the door and drove away
And she became the girl from yesterday

He took a plane across the sea
To some foreign land
She stayed at home and tried so hard to understand
How someone who had been so close could be so far away
And she became the girl from yesterday

She doesn't know what's right
She doesn't know what's wrong
She only knows the pain that comes from waiting for so long
And she doesn't count the teardrops
That she's cried while he's away
Because she knows deep in her heart
That he'll be back someday

The light's on in the window; she's waiting by the phone
Talking to a memory that's never coming home
She dreams of his returning and the things that he might say
But she'll always be the girl from yesterday
Yeh, she'll always be the girl from yesterday 

 

Folks deal with the burdens and stress of a questionable war that DOES NOT have American National Committment despite having more NATIONALISM than Washington knows what to do with. However, not enough nationalism to change the fate of the Iraq War and those broken by it on all sides except the priviledged few and passive many who had a get out of Iraq free card.

Those of us with PTSD or related mental fatique (or even those of us who do and remain in denial) react in different ways up to and including blindly supporting that which makes us well unbalanced.  No I'm not stigmatizing PTSD, because stigma is a socio-poliitcal phenomena pitched by the establishment as but one more form of silencing dissent.

Fact is that which really should be stigmatized are the nuts in this administration, anyone who wants to inherit their mental illness, the members of Congress (now that is an Asylum) who inhumanely go along with sinful behavior on a natonal scale because they cannot relate to the American people let alone our Soldiers. American flags on a SUIT lapel are about as cheap or cheaper than a yellow ribbon or Support Our Troops bumper propaganda pitch, and most likely MADE IN CHINA. 

Bobby Hanafin

The Mustang Major