Slaying Dragons
How Writing Can Help Those with PTSD
Wartime journalist, photographer, and blogger, Michael Yon's famous photograph graces the cover of his book.
Moment of Truth in Iraq: How a New 'Greatest Generation' of American Soldiers is Turning Defeat and Disaster into Victory and Hope 1st (first) edition (authors) Michael Yon (2008) published by Richard Vigilante Books Hardcover
In 2004, I sat at my computer, surfing the internet about the War in Iraq. I visited news websites like ABC, NBC, and CNN. After I would read their stories about the war, I turned to a blog.
Blogs That Changed the World
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...
I had started reading blogs in 2001 after the terrorist attack on September 11th of that year. Blogs like Instapundit and The Drudge Report were considered new but had gained popularity after the terrorist attack.
So, during the Iraq War, I turned to blogs for more accurate news reports about the war. Why? Because, for the first time in US history, the war was being logged onto websites (weblogs or "blogs") in real time or pretty close to real time.
Law Professor Glenn Reynolds, journalist Michelle Malkin, and Matt Drudge became as common to me as Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw. I read their daily posts faithfully.
I read them faithfully, especially after the battle of Fallujah.
This deadly battle changed the War in Iraq and also the media's perception of the war. After that, a new phenomenon began: Military blogs.
MilBlogs
Suddenly, dozens and dozens of combat military soldiers and Marines started opening up their lap tops or heading to the computer lab on base and began to write. They wrote about battles they had just participated in. They wrote about the losses they had suffered. They wrote about the journalists they had met. And they wrote about Iraq with its various cultures.
Blackfive, My War, Little Green Footballs, Michael Yon, Ma Deuce Gunner, American Soldier were just some of the blogs I read daily. And I loved their posts! I could read about a battle in Iraq just minutes after it had happened. I read the heart-pumping details about a firefight on the streets outside a Forward Operating Base, written by the gunner who had fought in that battle and had survived.
Some even published books based on their blogs.
The Blog of War: Front-Line Dispatches from Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan
My War: Killing Time in Iraq
These men and women had the privilege of writing. Yes, the privilege of writing about their experiences as they happened because other veterans of war did not have that experience. Writing about the war as it happened helped Iraqi soldiers deal with the trauma of combat. I remember reading one post and commenting on it. A few minutes later, the soldier addressed my comment and I was able to thank him for his service. How amazing is that? How many Vietnam veterans would have loved to have been able to write about their horrific experiences in the jungle and then hear from someone back home just minutes later?
Iraqis Writing About Iraq
I also had followed blogs written by Iraqis during the war. Sometimes they were hiding for their lives because they were pro war. They were brutally honest about the conditions of their towns after the bombings and ousting of Saddam Hussein. But I was able to celebrate with them as their country inched closer and closer to victory.
What an amazing time it was. These blogs inspired me to write my latest book, Leaving Eden. In this book, my protagonist heads to Iraq to embed with the Marines in order to cover the war and their experiences with accuracy. I modeled her characteristics based off of the journalists I read about in various blogs. Some were objectively writing about the war and others were there with an anti-war agenda.
Doves and PTSD
And I suppose these anti-war journos (as the milbloggers called them) were much like the anti-war protesters of the Vietnam era. Their subjective war reporting perpetuated the PTSD our veterans suffered. Their exaggerated theories about Haditha almost cost Marines their lives. And none of this helped the Marines deal with their PTSD.
After that, it seemed more and more people turned to bloggers for news than to famous news outlets. The Dan Rather "Fake but accurate..." scandal didn't help the media's defense that these bloggers were only wanna-be journalists writing in their pajamas.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2004/09/...
This comment inadvertently started a movement. And PJ Media was born.
https://pjmedia.com/
PJ Media continues to host bloggers and news stories, providing an alternative to the mainstream media outlets.
Now bloggers and milbloggers have a forum for their writing.
Veterans, who were once described as "dangerous" and "suspicious characters" walking around town in news stories and in movies, could refute these claims in their articles.
Slaying Dragons
As I have written before, writing can help veterans deal with PTSD. The milbloggers learned this. They were able to report the good, bad, and ugly of the wars as they experienced them. Americans were able to read about their experiences and immediately give feedback.
Today, can veterans still heal through writing? Absolutely. Writing is one of the Fine Arts and there is plenty of research out there suggesting that art therapy is very beneficial.
Veterans can and should write daily about their experiences even if no one ever reads the final product. Getting all the trauma of loss and suffering out of one's head is a lot like deleting the contents of the recycle bin on the computer.
Also, allowing people to read the final product can be a healing experience for veterans, as well. It requires the writer to become vulnerable and let down their shields for a moment, but never their swords. That's part of the healing process. Keeping things bottled up inside is what can lead to further anxiety and depression.
Bottom line, words heal! Writing helps clear the mind. And readers do more than support a writer...they can help save a life.
Sources:
Military One Source http://www.militaryonesource.mil/-/co...
R. A. Douthitt is an award-winning author of middle grade books. She is currently working on her women's inspirational novel, Leaving Eden, to be release later this year. To learn more about her books, visit her website: www.thedragonforest.com
Wartime journalist, photographer, and blogger, Michael Yon's famous photograph graces the cover of his book.
Moment of Truth in Iraq: How a New 'Greatest Generation' of American Soldiers is Turning Defeat and Disaster into Victory and Hope 1st (first) edition (authors) Michael Yon (2008) published by Richard Vigilante Books Hardcover
In 2004, I sat at my computer, surfing the internet about the War in Iraq. I visited news websites like ABC, NBC, and CNN. After I would read their stories about the war, I turned to a blog.
Blogs That Changed the World
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...
I had started reading blogs in 2001 after the terrorist attack on September 11th of that year. Blogs like Instapundit and The Drudge Report were considered new but had gained popularity after the terrorist attack.
So, during the Iraq War, I turned to blogs for more accurate news reports about the war. Why? Because, for the first time in US history, the war was being logged onto websites (weblogs or "blogs") in real time or pretty close to real time.
Law Professor Glenn Reynolds, journalist Michelle Malkin, and Matt Drudge became as common to me as Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw. I read their daily posts faithfully.
I read them faithfully, especially after the battle of Fallujah.
This deadly battle changed the War in Iraq and also the media's perception of the war. After that, a new phenomenon began: Military blogs.
MilBlogs
Suddenly, dozens and dozens of combat military soldiers and Marines started opening up their lap tops or heading to the computer lab on base and began to write. They wrote about battles they had just participated in. They wrote about the losses they had suffered. They wrote about the journalists they had met. And they wrote about Iraq with its various cultures.
Blackfive, My War, Little Green Footballs, Michael Yon, Ma Deuce Gunner, American Soldier were just some of the blogs I read daily. And I loved their posts! I could read about a battle in Iraq just minutes after it had happened. I read the heart-pumping details about a firefight on the streets outside a Forward Operating Base, written by the gunner who had fought in that battle and had survived.
Some even published books based on their blogs.
The Blog of War: Front-Line Dispatches from Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan
My War: Killing Time in Iraq
These men and women had the privilege of writing. Yes, the privilege of writing about their experiences as they happened because other veterans of war did not have that experience. Writing about the war as it happened helped Iraqi soldiers deal with the trauma of combat. I remember reading one post and commenting on it. A few minutes later, the soldier addressed my comment and I was able to thank him for his service. How amazing is that? How many Vietnam veterans would have loved to have been able to write about their horrific experiences in the jungle and then hear from someone back home just minutes later?
Iraqis Writing About Iraq
I also had followed blogs written by Iraqis during the war. Sometimes they were hiding for their lives because they were pro war. They were brutally honest about the conditions of their towns after the bombings and ousting of Saddam Hussein. But I was able to celebrate with them as their country inched closer and closer to victory.
What an amazing time it was. These blogs inspired me to write my latest book, Leaving Eden. In this book, my protagonist heads to Iraq to embed with the Marines in order to cover the war and their experiences with accuracy. I modeled her characteristics based off of the journalists I read about in various blogs. Some were objectively writing about the war and others were there with an anti-war agenda.
Doves and PTSD
And I suppose these anti-war journos (as the milbloggers called them) were much like the anti-war protesters of the Vietnam era. Their subjective war reporting perpetuated the PTSD our veterans suffered. Their exaggerated theories about Haditha almost cost Marines their lives. And none of this helped the Marines deal with their PTSD.
After that, it seemed more and more people turned to bloggers for news than to famous news outlets. The Dan Rather "Fake but accurate..." scandal didn't help the media's defense that these bloggers were only wanna-be journalists writing in their pajamas.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2004/09/...
This comment inadvertently started a movement. And PJ Media was born.
https://pjmedia.com/
PJ Media continues to host bloggers and news stories, providing an alternative to the mainstream media outlets.
Now bloggers and milbloggers have a forum for their writing.
Veterans, who were once described as "dangerous" and "suspicious characters" walking around town in news stories and in movies, could refute these claims in their articles.
Slaying Dragons
As I have written before, writing can help veterans deal with PTSD. The milbloggers learned this. They were able to report the good, bad, and ugly of the wars as they experienced them. Americans were able to read about their experiences and immediately give feedback.
Today, can veterans still heal through writing? Absolutely. Writing is one of the Fine Arts and there is plenty of research out there suggesting that art therapy is very beneficial.
Veterans can and should write daily about their experiences even if no one ever reads the final product. Getting all the trauma of loss and suffering out of one's head is a lot like deleting the contents of the recycle bin on the computer.
Also, allowing people to read the final product can be a healing experience for veterans, as well. It requires the writer to become vulnerable and let down their shields for a moment, but never their swords. That's part of the healing process. Keeping things bottled up inside is what can lead to further anxiety and depression.
Bottom line, words heal! Writing helps clear the mind. And readers do more than support a writer...they can help save a life.
Sources:
Military One Source http://www.militaryonesource.mil/-/co...
R. A. Douthitt is an award-winning author of middle grade books. She is currently working on her women's inspirational novel, Leaving Eden, to be release later this year. To learn more about her books, visit her website: www.thedragonforest.com
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