Jonathan Was Killed By Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

“RYE — Jonathan M. Mickle, 27, of Rye, died Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012.”, Was posted in The Portsmouth Herald on November 2, 2012. The obituary left many unanswered questions. Why so young? How did he die? A few paragraphs down, the obituary states that Jonathan had served in the Army. Could he have died at war? Although Jonathan’s death was ruled by the medical examiner as a suicide, I prefer to believe that Jonathan was killed by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
Post-Traumatic Stress disorder is a mental health condition that is triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. PTSD may include symptoms like rumination about the event, flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance of the event and depression or anxiety. PTSD affects more

He was an artillery specialist, so it is a given that was often involved in a line of fire. He never talked much about it, unless he was with his Army brothers, and even then, the graphic details were never divulged. For those who were close to him, he didn’t have to say that what he did and saw in the Middle East had affected him greatly, it was obvious in his day to day life.
On the outside he wore this mask, a façade if you will, of a strong Army man, one who could pick you up and throw you over his shoulder with ease, and who you would never see shed a tear. He lived and breathed the Army, and he fully embodied their “Army Strong” to the outside world. Inside he kept to himself the anguish and confliction he had with what he had experienced, and no one knew that.
While riding in a vehicle on a busy highway home one time, Jonathan was sitting in the back seat cracking jokes and telling stories with the brightest smile. A car in the next lane over honked their horn and the laughter and general silly mood quickly changed when Jonathan ducked and instinctively threw his whole body on the floor of the vehicle, startled by the car horn. To you and me a car horn is mildly alarming, to make you look up and notice something, but not quite dramatic as ducking for cover like you will be hit with incoming fire like it was for Jonathan. He minimized the event by making fun of himself and reminding us that sometimes, old

He worked in many odd jobs including landscaping and factory work and often toyed with going back to the military lifestyle that he understood much better. He would look at his “brothers” who were still in the Army and wonder how his life may be different if he had stayed. Jonathan decided to take the school route and utilize the free education that he earned from his military career. He took some classes and of course he excelled. It seemed that everything came easy to Jonathan. He a champion at sports, smart, well liked, and could make anyone