Roscoe said…
October 10, 2012 10:58 AM
All wars have affected the children of a parent who suffered from the symptoms of moral injury and PTSD. In the case of Roscoe and his friends, they were all kids from the post WWII generation. I know the drill well and wrote about it from my heart in my book, Reconciliation: A Son’s Story. Reading Roscoe’s comments above to one of my blog postings, reminded me that our WWII parents suffered in silence by not talking about war or getting adequate treatment, but acted out in ways that created a toxic home culture, venting anxiety and anger at children, spouses, and loved ones in general. The high percentage of kids born just before or following WWII are just beginning to talk as a result of the freedom given to them to speak about past fears and abuse piled on for an entire childhood and in adult life, causing an intergenerational PTSD problem. Most WWII combat veterans like my Dad and countless others, including Roscoe’s father, who came home from the war damaged emotionally, were told to “go home and forget about it.” Most who suffered from severe PTSD symptoms used alcohol to self-medicate, which caused them to act out more severely from their pain with aggression toward kids and loved ones. Consequently, in addition to young combat veterans returning home, older Viet Nam veterans who are post WWII kids, and thousands of “boomers” coming of age are now faced with addressing all the baggage carried around for so many years. I hear every day about damaged family relationships with children and spouses. These older sufferers of PTSD are attempting to reconcile with loved ones to achieve spiritual peace of mind. The above comments reinforce how my book, as just one example of creating awareness, has given me peace of mind along with others who read my book. I feel blessed that all the pent up anger from my childhood and adult experience is no longer “heavy baggage” to carry around. The worst past experience of children growing up with a parent who served in combat and suffered from moral injury, is not knowing why or where the emotional pain and anger came from until now. Damaged relationships of the past can now be reconciled and repaired much easier. Peace of mind can be achieved albeit later rather than sooner. I am so encouraged to keep up my campaign of moral injury and PTSD awareness as more and more men and women affected by war come forward and begin to understand the roots of PTSD and moral injury, clearly a legacy of war…. Thank you, Roscoe, from the bottom of my heart, for reaching out and making a difference for others by sharing your story…
Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story
