Hungry Joe PTSD

In all war zones, trauma is present and touches the minds and hearts of all those surrounding. From soldiers to children, and all who fall in between, terrors shape their mental well being. These terrors stay with individuals forever, taunting them constantly. The horrors of war create Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, greatly impacting the lives of many individuals. By definition, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, “ is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary or dangerous event” (Source A). War can be categorized into one of these events, in that it too is very dangerous, and horrific. Those who experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) do not recover from past traumas, and feel stressed and frightened

In the novel Catch-22, character Hungry Joe suffers from PTSD on a daily basis while in the squadron. His PTSD came in the form of nightmares which “...appeared to Hungry Joe with celestial punctuality every single night that he spent in the squadron throughout the whole harrowing ordeal when he was not flying combat missions…” (Source B). Hungry Joe is in no danger while in his sleep, however, due to the past horrors that he has witnessed while on combat missions, he has shrieking nightmares. He imagined himself in danger, and cannot escape the traumatic events. American Soldier Carlos Huerta experienced children being blown up and killed by explosive devices (Source D). He would be awakened nightly by heart-attack like symptoms and panic, which was diagnosed by doctors as being PTSD (Source D). The terrors of seeing innocent children killed caused him to mentally suffer. No matter what it was that triggered his panic, he was left afraid. This is a result

With the impact on men, women, and children, it is made clear that all aspects of humanity are affected by terror. Many children in war zones show symptoms of PTSD. Thompson states, “Some studies show rates as high as 82 percent, but the fact remains that war is hugely traumatic for children, especially when they are directly affected.” To have 82 percent of children in war zones experiencing PTSD is extremely high. It is their devastating surroundings that create the disorder within them. Many of these children are forced to fight and develop depression as a result of the things that they have seen and done (Source F). Depression is a symptom of PTSD, and is caused by stressful and heart wrenching situations. In the novel Hiroshima, a mother fought to survive the horrific bombing alongside her two children. Post bombing, “Toshio was still having nightmares, always about the nineteen year old mechanic, Hideo Osaki, his hero, who had been killed by the bomb” (Source E). The child witnessed the death of his role model, which he has not been able to let go of. It haunts him constantly in his sleep. This is an example of PTSD, and how it has the same impacts on children as it does on adults. All humans experience terror in war in the same ways. It doesn’t matter the age or size, terror haunts everyone equally in