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POINT-COUNTERPOINT
PHOTO BY OLEG VOLK • A-HUMAN-RIGHT.COM
Unravel
Post S
[ B Y A R T M I Z E ]
The whole idea of some sort
of psychological hangover
resulting from close
encounters of the firearms
kind is not new.
The stories of the effects of war on
combat veterans in American history
go back at least to the Civil
War. In World War I, the term shell shock
was used to describe the symptoms of
those severely affected by combat, even
though they might have been nowhere
near a bursting shell, as the name implies.
Severely impacted vets from World
War II were diagnosed as having combat
fatigue by compassionate folks who
were in charge of organizing treatment
for warriors who carried debilitating
mental wounds home from the conflict.
There were significant limitations in the
shrink community’s understanding of
how strong, otherwise healthy young
warriors were being mentally wounded
in the wars they fought, and even less
understanding about how they might
be healed. That courage and valor were
no shield against the effects of a long
and bloody conflict are evidenced by
the fact that our most decorated soldier,
Audie Murphy, suffered from debilitating
depression, insomnia and addiction
to sleeping pills, problems which
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CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2008