One Way Soldiers Die

PTSD is now a well known malady, generally brought about by experiencing a traumatic event or events. During the time of the Vietnam war, this phenomenon was poorly understood, and often misinterpreted. As a result, many of the soldiers who suffered from this were often classed as malingerers, cowards, or once back in civilian life, were treated as if they were simply mentally ill, crazy. Mental illness was still stigmatized in those days, so that rather than being helpful, most people simply avoided or ignored the sufferers. That happens in our time as well, but was more pervasive back in the 1970s and earlier. Because their malady was not a recognized, specific mental condition, many soldiers who were dealing with PTSD were ignored and misunderstood. Certainly, they received no support from the government or the society in which they found themselves. Occasionally they became violent, a threat to others around them, or to themselves. This novelette, loosely based upon an actual case, attempts to explore the mental and physical world of such a returning veteran. The reader will accompany him as he reaches the denouement of his situation.