Abstract:

This is a study about the effects of the Gulf War in terms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) upon 12 male members of armed services reserve groups now located in Bozeman, Montana. By 2007, more combat troops were killed by snipers, improvised explosive device (IEDs), and other forms of combat than died during the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Because these war(s) have seen the activation of reserve combat troops rather than drafts to get recruits, combat troops have been redeployed 2 to 4 times to Iraq and Afghanistan, ensuring an increase in occurrences of psychological trauma. According to findings published by the American Medical Association, 1 in 3 soldiers returning from Iraq requires some form of mental health treatment. Combat trauma occurs in myriad forms among a wide distribution of males and females, depending upon expectations and what materializes and length of combat tours. Many types of psychotherapies exist to treat posttraumatic stress disorder from cognitive behavioral therapies to prescription drugs. Psychotherapy is the preferred method. The typical combat stages--precombat, postinitial, and fatalistic--observed in my previous work with Vietnam veterans, were not observed in these veterans. This new generation experienced little or no effect upon their feelings; they seemed not to engage their feelings. They had not been away from combat long enough to "loosen up" and allow their true feelings expression. This is likely because these combatants have not seen the passage of time that allows new cultural beliefs to reshape personal beliefs. For now, they are in a state of consciousness known as "betwixt and between" (in a state of limbo). Although recent studies show that service members reported receiving some kind of mental healthcare since returning, many feel they are not receiving the care they need for treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and a number of other problems, including depression, relationship issues, and substance abuse. In summary, it is too soon to tell what the wars' true effects will be for these men and women, except to prepare for the onslaught of veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder, for surely it will come.