Veterans After Vietnam War Essay

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Veterans after the Vietnam War PTSD or also known as post-traumatic stress syndrome is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. Symptoms may include, flashbacks (reliving the trauma over and over), physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating, easily startled, feeling tense or “on edge”, having difficulty sleeping, having angry outbursts, bad dreams, and mood swings. Although there are some people who have not actually gone through a traumatic experience still can have symptoms of PTSD. There are two ways to treat PTSD that have been proven to be effective on Veterans. These treatments are counseling and medication. Physical therapy or counseling can help you understand your thoughts and help you learn techniques to cope with situations. Research has shown that certain kinds of counseling can be very effective for treating PTSD. With only 15% of veterans who have the disorder, only about 11 % still struggle with PTSD till …show more content…

Being drafted as a young man, his tour began in 1969 as a foot soldier and ended his tour in 1970. During a grenade attack, O’Brien was hit with shrapnel and was sent home, in which he later received the Purple Heart. O’Brien tells his side on how he felt during this time period and the struggles of Vietnam. The book itself sets the scene in the time period of Vietnam and gives a sense of fear as he explains the horrific and graphic events that occurred while on his tour. As a way to cope with the long lasting memories, pain, and effects of the war, O’Brien began to write about the ordeals he went through as a young man in the Vietnam War and the honorable men who he served with. Sparing not a single graphic scene, O’Brien goes into perfect detail on the men, who put their lives on the line for their county; who had called them to