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Originally Posted by Elfin
Hi Starman..... A little tale related to me by my son only a week ago.....my father , his Grandad ... Opened his heart up and told my son that he was suffering from PTSD .... And as a result had been seeing a counselor. But after only 2 sessions he had refused more as he didn't feel " comfortable" talking to a stranger about his personal issues. My father is 86. He has been through a lot during his life. A fire officer/ chief for 30 years...prior to that, a police officer .... Prior to that , a soldier in Africa fighting the mau-maus..... So you would think that his PTSD probably comes from Africa with all the horrible things he witnessed..... But no. It comes from beyond that...to his mum being blown up by a bomb aged only 26...and him being only 6 with 2 younger brothers. He never got over that.
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Well look who’s here.
The story you have shared does not surprise me. Your dad had a traumatic experience as a child that left and indelible mark on him, but as far as his wartime experience in Africa. Some soldiers handle war better than others. Having seen his mother tragically killed at a very young age, no other trauma could compare with that. PTSD can come from so many things. I salute your dad as a brother soldier. I have served along side British soldiers, Australian solders, South Korean soldiers, etc.
The major feature of my PTSD was survivors guilt. I was 19-years old when I went to Vietnam, that was the average age of American troops in Vietnam, and I saw lots of people die. Held many in my arms as they took their last breath. I had no previous reference for that. So it left and indelible mark on me. There are different levels of severity in PTSD, some have a mild case while others may have a more severe case. It depends on the person, what they are exposed to, and have been previously exposed to in the past.