PTSD/Depression: Fighting an Unseen Battle: Strategies to Maneuvering On the Battlefield

By Lonnie Whitaker

The challenges/issues with dealing with PTSD/Depression and the strategies I use to maneuver in my daily activities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Apr 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543926828

Book preview

Maneuver

Introduction

I was born in Magnolia, Arkansas, home of the nation’s largest steak cook-offs, and seat of perhaps the most important town to fueling the war effort of WWII. I’d make my own contribution to the American military after I graduated from Walker High School in May 1992, in a graduating class with a total of nine students. I joined the Army Reserve nearly a year before graduation, in July 1991. Fort Jackson, South Carolina, was where I attended basic training and advanced individual training, also known as A.I.T. I was assigned to the Delta Company 3-28 Terminators for my basic training. I continued to serve in the Reserve until October 1996, when I switched to active duty. During my time of service in the Army, I completed four combat tours to the Middle East. I retired in January 2014, after 22 years of service. After retirement, I was diagnosed with severe PTSD and depression, along with other issues associated with PTSD.

Statistics reports, that on average, 22 veterans commit suicide a day because of PTSD and depression, and the lack of help being provided.¹ If this condition continues to go unchecked, and if we remain unaware of the signs and symptoms, PTSD will continue to devastate individuals who are suffering, and the loved ones who are trying to support them. Dealing with PTSD and depression is a constant, everyday battle to stay alive. Most veterans acquire this condition from being in combat or from other significant military-related circumstances. Combat changes a person. Military personnel who have deployed leave a piece of their soul in the Middle East.

I hope the information in this book will help my fellow veterans relate to the issues that I have dealt with and the experiences that I have encountered on this journey. More importantly, I hope sharing my story helps other people who are dealing with this illness. My name is Lonnie Whitaker, I am a combat veteran, and this is my story.

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1 For example, see https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dustin-demoss/veteran-suicide-rate_b_6417182.html

Chapter 1

The Life I Left Behind

I had a wonderful life in the Army. I didn’t see myself as just an ordinary person. I was a soldier protecting my country and defending my nation’s freedom. That meant something to me. It gave me a purpose. When I wore that uniform, I felt like I was helping to shape the world into a better place. I didn’t see my deployments as hardships, but as learning tools and experiences to become a better person. When I deployed to the Middle East and was stationed overseas in Germany and in other places, it opened my mind and my eyes to whole new meanings of life. I don’t know what it was, but getting up early in the morning for formation to conduct physical training (p.t.) made me feel like I was being shaped into something extraordinary. The Army gave me pride and prestige, knowing that only a select few could do what I did.

The Army life is not for everyone. Some people join the military for the experience and short-term benefits, and once their contract ends they are off to the next part of their plan. To each his own. But the short-term was not for me. I knew the Army life was more than just a one-and-done experience; for me, the Army life was a higher calling and a higher purpose. When I took the oath to defend my country against all enemies, both foreign and domestic, it gave