Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

16
The Experience of Vulnerability in
Geriatric Combat Veterans With
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
During Times of Disaster
JOANNE IZZO
On the morning of September 11, 2001, veterans and staff of the Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Mental Hygiene Clinic at the Brooklyn
VA Medical Center stood shoulder to shoulder, aghast, as they watched
the attack on the World Trade Center towers unfolding. Looking out the
north-side windows of the clinic, they saw Tower 1 on fire. In the clinic that
morning were Vietnam, Korean, and World War II veterans. The work of
that day took on a different dimension; clinicians roamed the clinic and
checked on each veteran and on one another. It was an open-door-policy
day. Some veterans were able to sit with a mental health provider and process
how they were feeling. Other veterans simply walked up to an open
door and met with an available counselor. Over the next 48 hours, there was
an atmosphere of mutual support as veterans expressed their concern for
the staff with statements such as: “I see the work that you are doing. Are
you all right? Is there anything I can do for you?” The terrorist act of violence
brought out feelings among the veterans ranging from outrage to
anxiety, concern for others, and a desire to be of service.
Thematic statements expressed to staff over the next week among
the cohorts of veterans from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam included:
“Now you have a sense of what the experience of combat is like. Sadly,
now America knows in a way what it means to be vulnerable.” The attack
on the twin towers, while not leveling the playing field between
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