Returning Home to Another War: Veterans and Ptsd

By Rev. Kalawai’a Goo

Returning Home to Another War, is an enlightening look at the impact combat has on the warriors psyche, his/her community, and offers coping options. Its goal is to reintroduce the warriors back into society to lead well balanced productive lives. The condition known as insanity during the American Civil War, is now known as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which leaves no physical trace yet is being call wars signature injury. The book begins with an Old Testament account that demonstrate how long people have been exposed to this condition, regardless of what it was called through the eons. It moves forward to the 20th and 21st century and gives a rare glimpse into me mind of the modern warrior, looks at causes of the psychological trauma, warning signs, and the personal and social impact of the condition. It informs caregivers, love ones, employers, coworkers, family, friends, etc. on what to expect and offers options on how respond to the warriors in their life. Finally, the book offers numerous treatment options that range form modern pharmaceuticals to holistic traditional practices. Just like ice cream, hopefully there is a flavor that works for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: May 20, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452533179

Rev. Kalawai’a Goo

Kalawai’a Goo is a retired combat medic, co-founded road rage, and suffered from undiagnosed PTSD for over a decade. He spent many years gathering bits and pieces in the academic study of religion, spirituality, psychology, and the human condition, but never practiced any of the teaching in that time. After many years of gathering, he decided to sit and quietly meditate for one hour a day for 90 days to assemble all the pieces. The wisdom of the years began and continues to solidify beyond the 90 days. Profound understanding began to emerge and manifest into positive life changes. He holds a special place in his heart for veterans. He hopes this collection of wisdom helps to guide them onto the path of recovery, onto a well deserved good life, and inner peace. From one veteran to another, you are being asked to make the choice to recover and embrace the beauty that should be the rest of your life.

Book preview

Contents

Introduction

Numbers 31: 19-20

The 21st Century Warrior

Instinct vs Culture

Intention

Possible Association

The Slippery Slope

PTSD or Not to PTSD?

Source & The Shattered Mind

Murder, Killing, Guilt and Forgiveness

Survivors Guilt

Hope

The Law of Attraction Says:

Like Attracts Like (Darkness)

The Art of War

Tactics

Make Excuses for Other People

Speaking

What Next? -

Communicating With Your Veteran

to Begin Healing

Move Forward -

Communicating With Your Veteran

to Begin Healing

Thoroughbreds

Horses

Fifteen Years Goal?

Big to Small, Small to Big

Philosophy, Logic, God, & Universal Truths

The Lonely Path

Leadership

Getting Through

Getting Through Too

Addiction, Part I

Addictions, Part II

Separation of Therapy

Friends

Therapy Dogs

Humor

Nature

What’s the Rush?

Traditional Cultural Foundations

Thought Field Therapy

& Emotional Freedom Techniques

Acupuncture

Brainwave Therapy

Hypnotherapy

Medical Marijuana

The Message From Water, Dr. Masaru Emoto

Watch What You Feel About

A Peaceful Place

Lessons From Batman

Lessons From Alfred

Direction

The Secret to Life

Feel Positive

Law, Code, or Rule?

Do Good Works

Nothing to Loose

No B.S. Assessment

Test Your Answers

Some Final Words

Introduction

Sadly, Returning Home to Another War, has been and continues to be a timely essay that looks at the plight of citizen soldiers returning from the battle front and their communities and attempts to offer holistic solutions to reintegrate veterans back into society using religious and spiritual teaching, but using secular language. The language follows the line of universal insights with compassion at its foundation. The language is plain and speaks directly to the veteran, family, and friends.

It is an insight for the veteran and concerned citizen/care givers who may not understand what is happening to themselves or their loved ones. It acknowledges the sacrifice and very real emotional trauma of the veterans and beseeches everyone of them to move forward and embrace the beauty of now. It offers strategies and options for the care givers/loved ones on how to deal with the shattered spirits and beseeches the care giver not to give up on the shattered spirits.

Although the focus here is on veterans, the strategies and options are applicable to a broad audience, i.e. children, significant others, friends, parents, etc.

Pronouns are used interchangeably, i.e. he/she, veteran/soldier, care givers/love ones/friends/family/coworkers/employers/etc.

Numbers 31: 19-20

All of you who have killed anyone or touched anyone who was killed must stay outside the camp seven days. On the third and seventh days you must purify yourselves and your captives. Purify every garment as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood.

The nature of historical battles were up close and personal with handheld edged weapons. Hacking a man to death is nothing like the sterility of sparing, but a well trained soldier will kill an enemy soldier, at very least out of self preservation. The soldiers under Moses’ directions just got through killing every Midianite man. When the commanders reported, Moses was angry with them because they had not also killed every boy and woman who had been with a man. Moses’ army returned to Midian for a second wave of butchery.

It is one thing to kill an enemy soldier trying to kill you. It is quite another to kill defenseless boys or women. Even for the pious believer in a holy war, killing the weak leaving an indelible stain on the psyche.

Seven days outside the camp was necessary to purify not only the body and equipment, but also the spirit before rejoining family, friends, and society. To know is the upper range of wisdom. A doctor who knows everything about a disease does not know until he/she has also contracted the disease. For anyone suffering from or studying PTSD knows that seven days is about enough time to purify the little to of the spirit body. To the spectator, the expression of PTSD is limited to physical and oral expressions. The depth of emotional damage cannot possible be understood by the witness outside the field of combat. The dark places in the mind of combat veteran is truly a horrific place. This is an important consideration when coupling or seeking social and family harmony. It is of paramount importance during times of extended conflict when so many veterans are being released back into society not only imbalance, but coupled with lethal knowledge.

In WWI Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was called Shell Shock. In WWII, the same condition was called, Battle Fatigue. In the Korean War it was called, Operational Exhaustion. After Vietnam the condition was called, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. During a standup routine, comedian George Carland said, …Shell Shock…Battle Fatigue…Operational Exhaustion…the very same condition was called, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder…I’ll bet ya’ that if we had still been calling it Shell Shock, some of those Vietnam veterans might have gotten the attention they need at the time… George’s point is that no mater what it is called, humans have been living with PTSD since antiquity. PTSD is a signature injury of warfare.

The 21st Century Warrior

One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train. Morihei Ueshiba: The Art of Peace

War is the final extension of politics that is sadly being exploited with increasing frequency. Even when the political outcome is positive, the toll on the soldier can be negative. There have been many veteran success stories, but to lump all combat veterans into a success stories is absolutely irresponsible and dangerous in many cases. It completely ignores the fact that while veteran population is 1% in the U.S., veterans account for 20% of suicides (Center for Disease Control). In a protracted conflict these numbers will predictably increase. The ghost of the conflict in the Middle East will haunt this generation for many years, with no end in sight, perhaps more than any other conflict in American history.

In the 21st century, when the American soldier goes to war, Americans go to the mall. This is the video