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Kyle Lythgoe
English 110
Professor Sipin
20 October 2014
The Problem with Being a Soldier
Society may know what a soldier is, and they have an idea of what they are asked to do
for Americas freedoms. But, what society doesnt understand is what they have to go through
mentally as well as physically. The physical problems anyone can see. If a soldier gets shot or
loses an arm or a leg it is easy to recognize that and treat with medical science. What is harder to
fix than a physical wound is a mental health problem. One cannot put their finger on depression
or PTSD and say there thats it right there because it is intangible. Doctors can only treat the
symptoms of them, and they still dont have a cure for mental problems because it is not an exact
science. Using the video Suffering Soldiers: A Look at PTSD to demonstrate the difficult
mental stresses that soldiers face upon returning home and what society needs to do to help them.
Suffering Soldiers: A look at PTSD Is written to developed by the Lee Memorial
Health System. Lee Memorial a family-centered health care system working collaboratively to
deliver excellence and compassion. They are committed to safety, quality, and service and have
been awarded over 20 awards and recommendations. These qualities make them a very highly
credible source. They also use people like Kevin Boyd, Commander American Legion Post 38,
and Dr. Omar Rieche, the director Behavioral Health Center, a former soldier, and a health care
official, to illustrate first-hand knowledge of what the stresses the vets are put through when
adjusting to civilian life.

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In the video they are imploring all U.S. citizens to listen and realize the difficulty of
mental health issues faced by the veterans. All civilians will not be able to understand the
horribly crippling problems of PTSD or depression unless they are in a relationship, a parent, or
a child of a veteran facing these issues. Society may not understand them but only society can get
them the help that they need.
The title of video directly states the message that they are informing about, soldiers
suffering from PTSD. This issue has never been more important than in todays society.
Psychiatrists project that 1 in 3 U.S. soldiers will suffer from PTSD after serving in Iraq or
Afghanistan or both (DoSomething.org). These wars just happened and almost 40% of all U.S
troops serving today have fought in one or both of those (DoSomething.org). This culture is
filled with the images of soldiers and Americas freedoms.
Throughout history freedoms have come with a price. One of the highest prices paid are
the lives lost from battle. Now if and when heroes return home they are still paying the price for
everyday lives that society take for granite. An example of what PTSD can do to someone and
their family is the story of Chris Kyle. Kyle was a husband and a father of 2, a national hero. He
was the most lethal sniper in US history, with 160 confirmed kills and having survived six IED
attacks, three gunshot wounds, two helicopter crashes and extensive surgeries. He said the
hardest part about being back home is missing his boys (DMagazine.com). Missing being
around them in the action. That was his whole life for everyday for years. I hate to say it but
when youre home and walking around a mall or something you feel like a pussy
(DMagazine.com). Chris, like many vets, are so used to the thrill and danger of battle every day.
They become hyper aware because of the danger. This awareness is good while they are in
combat. Also while in war they dont have time to think to cope with the things that they are

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forced to do, they simply survive and complete the mission. When they are out of combat they
are paranoid and at home they are left with time to think about the things that they have done or
regret the things that they wished they could have done. This mental stress along with PTSD is
enough to destroy the strongest soldier. According to Kardiners book, The Traumatic Neuroses
of War, [soldiers] bodies continued to react as if they were back at the moment of trauma and
took the same physical actions that they made at the time of trauma, like blowing up, ghting
back, ducking, or becoming frozen (Kolk 517). This elucidates that even when a soldier makes
it home he is never really back home. Their body has made it back but their mind has been so
damaged that they are stuck in war even when it over. The U.S. needs to make it a point to
combat PTSD and have more opportunities for soldiers to seek help and treatment for PTSD.
Soldiers protect away from home it needs to be Americas job to protect them when they are
home. Society cannot understand the pain that they suffer but society can make their lives easier.
This video was successful in delivering its message of the crippling effects of PTSD.
However, they could have used examples of PTSD and soldiers and their families surviving with
it every day. This tugging at everyones heart strings would have given the audience a stronger
emotional feeling and would have persuaded them to make a difference and a change to help
Americas wounded vets. The video did do a good job of showing how the trauma will affect the
soldiers that recently fought in wars like Iraq and Afghanistan and how treatment can help
prevent the bad memories and give the soldiers peace.
Freedoms come with a price. U.S. soldiers are the ones that pay that price during war and
sadly now even when they make it home safely. PTSD and depression are brought on from the
trauma that they experience in war and now it follows them when they return home. Many of our
heroes cant adjust without help. There may not be a cure for PTSD, but any help or peace that

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can be given to a veteran will help them adjust back into everyday life. They gave their time and
sometimes their lives, wouldnt any American do anything they could to protect them?

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Works Cited
11 Facts About the Mental Health of Our Troops. Do Something. Do Something, n.d. Web. 18
Oct. 2014.
Erbes, Christopher R.Meis, Laura A.Polusny, Melissa A.Compton, Jill S.Wadsworth, Shelley
MacDermid. "An Examination Of PTSD Symptoms And Relationship Functioning In
U.S. Soldiers Of The Iraq War Over Time." Journal Of Traumatic Stress 25.2 (2012):
187-190. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.
Kolk, BesselNajavits, Lisa M. "Interview: What Is PTSD Really? Surprises, Twists Of History,
And The Politics Of Diagnosis And Treatment." Journal Of Clinical Psychology 69.5
(2013): 516-522. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.
Lee Memorial Health System. Suffering Soldiers: A Look at PTSD. Online Video Clip.
YouTube. YouTube, 12 Nov. 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2014.
Marshall, Brandon D. L.Prescott, Marta R.Liberzon, IsraelTamburrino, Marijo B.Calabrese,
Joseph R.Galea, Sandro. "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, And HIV Risk
Behavior Among Ohio Army National Guard Soldiers." Journal Of Traumatic Stress 26.1
(2013): 64-70. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.
Mooney, Michael J. The Legend of Chris Kyle. D Magazine. D Mag., Apr. 2013. Web. 19 Oct.
2014.
Mission, Vision, Values. Lee Memorial Health System. Lee Memorial Health System, n.d.
Web. 18 Oct. 2014.

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Recent Awards & Recognitions. Lee Memorial Health System. Lee Memorial Health System,
n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2014.
Vasterling, Jennifer J.Proctor, Susan P.Friedman, Matthew J.Hoge, Charles W.Heeren,
TimothyKing, Lynda A.King, Daniel W. "PTSD Symptom Increases In Iraq-Deployed
Soldiers: Comparison With Nondeployed Soldiers And Associations With Baseline
Symptoms, Deployment Experiences, And Postdeployment Stress." Journal Of Traumatic
Stress 23.1 (2010): 41-51. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 19 Oct.
2014.