I wanted to take a moment, I don’t speak too often here despite the fact I strongly support this group.  Today however I realized I had somehow missed that it was PTSD awareness month, and that struck me.

Why?  Because I have PTSD.  I have friends with PTSD.  My version isn’t so bad, a little anger issue, some insomnia, and sometimes I get really sketchy and have to get away from all people.  There are however people out there who have it a lot worse.  I’ve lost friends, including my Senior Drill Instructor, who also lost his son to PTSD.  Guys I knew, guys I served with, drank with, went to the beach with, and cussed about officers and lazy NCO’s with.

However, for all the suicides and other issues, there are more people with various levels of PTSD that we take into account and remember.  We still have battle buddies (for my fellow Marines, I did some time in the Army, so yes I know the term) who suffer quietly, never saying a word.

It’s that deep calming breath they take, or the backing out of a full room.  It’s that avoiding of crowds, or those quiet moments staring into a glass.  It’s that sudden jump out of bed, or perhaps nothing more than an odd look that crosses their face.

I just want to remind everyone, be there for each other, yeah there are a lot of fakers, but there are a lot of guys and gals with PTSD of varying degrees that never get checked out and never say a word.  We are their support group, watch each others backs, and never leave a fellow Veteran behind.

Jonathan “Ivar D” Clay