Anyone can have PTSD, it’s not just a military issue. But
combat veterans are suffering from PTSD at alarming numbers and there are simply
not enough resources to help them- if indeed they are able to ask for help at
all.
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| Dr.Linnerooth (on right) enjoying a cigar break. |
Almost two weeks ago, the world lost another veteran to
suicide. But he wasn’t just any veteran. He was a mental health professional
who helped thousands of active duty and veterans make it to the next day. His
first duty was to keep the troops from committing suicide. Dr. Peter Linnerooth, a Bronze Star winning
psychologist, a true hero, lost his battle with PTSD and took his own life five
years after his active duty service to the Army.
The time he spent in Iraq was at the height of the war
when the bloodiest battles took place and as an active duty member of the Army
and a health professional, he would pitch in during mass causality events. It’s
no wonder some of these events haunted him. Witnessing carnage of that
magnitude would have an effect on the most grizzled warriors- let alone a
lifesaver.
When Linnerooth returned to civilian life, he continued his
work at Veterans Administration hospitals. First at the Santa
Cruz County Vet Center
in Capitola, then the Reno,
Nevada Veterans Administration. He helped veterans suffering with mental
health issues even while fighting his own demons.
Dr. Linnerooth was extremely frustrated by the lack of concern by the Army. A 2010 article titled Invisible Wounds: Mental Health and the Military, Time Magazine, quoted Dr. Linnerooth. “The Army has been
criminally negligent," says Captain Peter Linnerooth, an Army psychologist
for nearly five years until 2008, who notes that the service has had a
difficult time finding psychiatrists to care for combat vets, which puts even
more pressure--"and way too much burnout"--on those who stay.
We owe our active duty troops and
our veterans more than this. Through November of this year, 177 active-duty soldiers had committed suicide compared to 165 during all of 2011
and 156 in 2010. In all of 2012, 176 soldiers were killed in action,
all while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom, according to DOD.
These numbers are not going to get
better. If the war(s) end tomorrow we will still have 21.8 million veterans –
many of whom are homeless, jobless and some in dire need of mental health care.
Even veterans that are seemingly doing well may be struggling with PTSD and
trying to hide it. The military mindset makes it extremely difficult if not
impossible to express a need for help.
I have heard people say (stupidly) that WW2 Veterans just
pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and carried on… but I can assure you
that is not quite the way it was. My own Great Uncle helped pick up the bodies
and body parts of Marines on Iwo Jima and into
his 90’s and until his death at 91, shook when any war was mentioned. They
suffered in silence, but they suffered greatly- and still to this day have
flashbacks and nightmares. According to one study, “The suicide rate among these (WW2) veterans is roughly double
the rate of veterans under 35, those who are returning home from Iraq
and Afghanistan.”
Since my own son returned from Iraq, in 2007, I have tried to
raise the awareness of Combat PTSD. Like most things – unless it affects you
personally PTSD is not something people are interested in. Many of the people
with little or no interest in this matter will be out on the July 4th,
in the parade, or on the sidelines, waving their flags, drinking their beers or
pink lemonade and having a good time. So please remember when you are there, we
are celebrating on the backs of these fine men and women who have sacrificed
their lives, their limbs and in many cases their mental health for the sake of
our country.
Try not to make assumptions about the homeless vet living
under the bridge and drinking himself to death. A slow suicide is still a
suicide and these men and women are everyone’s responsibility- we owe it to
them to help- at the very least- we owe them some compassion and a huge thank
you for their sacrifice.
If you know someone that is suffering from combat related PTSD and would like to help them or understand what they are going through, I urge you to visit this website: Hearts Toward Home
Dr. Cantrell has helped thousands of active duty, veterans and their families work through their PTSD and related issues. In my book, she is a hero too.
