Posts belonging to Category Veterans

This is my farther’s Story

But it can be any Vietnam veteran’s story.   I’m writing this on veterans day to salute all the vets who gave us freedom, and made America great.  My dad did not want to go to Vietnam, and kill people. His story is almost the same as many veterans who went there to fight a war that had no purpose. I love America and our veterans i’m not here today to talk about the politics of the war. I’m writing this to tell a story of one man, and his 30 year struggle with the war. Even after he came home the war stayed with him for many years while the government did very little to help the veterans of Vietnam. Also when they arrived home they were treated as killers, and mutants with no respect. It took 20 years before we showed them the respect they deserved.

My Pops

Born in a small Indiana farm town in the year 1947. He ran away from home at age 16 from an abusive father then came back in 1968. That is when he got his first draft notice. He did not want to go so he ran to Houston Texas in august 1968 where he got his 2nd notice. He ran again to Bakersfield, California when the police showed up at his door. They told him jail or Vietnam so off he went to basic training in Ft. Sill Oklahoma. That’s where he first discovered marijuana from other soldiers on the base. After boot camp he went to Fort Knox, Kentucky for training as a Cannoneer for 30 days. He was in the 8th army artillery division.

Vietnam

After training he went straight to nam pin Vietnam. He made the rank of corporal, and his duty was Inventory, and when they were firing the cannons he would carry the rounds to the cannons for firing. He also went out on occasional patrols that’s where he found his brothers Mamasan. In a small village 30 miles north she walked up to him saying Ringler,  Ringler she thought he was his brother Jerry Ringler. So he played along with it.  His brother Jerry was there 3 months prior to him arriving, and left. One night back at base they had a weekend party, my pops was involved in selling thirteen 55 gallon drums of gasoline for $70.00 so they could hire a band. The 1st lieutenant, and 1st Sargent were in on this scheme they wanted a band. So they 1st lieutenant called everybody to attention while my dad drove the gasoline out behind them to the village to sell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He has many other stories like this, and some worse but i would rather not discuss them here. But you get the picture of his life there. He made the rank of buck sergeant for just 1 a night. Then went down to the village to celebrate, they had in coming that night, and he was not there with the keys to supply. So they had to kick down the door to get ammo. The next day he was busted back down to corporal. This is when he got hooked on drugs during this part of his story. Heroin it was everywhere he told me, and some not all men were doing it. Mind you before Vietnam he never even heard of marijuana let alone heroin. He would spend his whole paycheck on this evil drug. He got 30 days rest and recuperation in a place of his choice so he went to Thailand because he knew there was plenty of heroin there. He continued doing heroin until after he left Vietnam.

Volunteered for demolition, and wounded purple heart

One day they were looking for volunteers for the demolition squad, go out find land mines and defuse them. They said you Ringler now volunteer for this. That’s how they did it back then, and maybe still do it. The only training they gave my pops was going out with another guy 4 times then let loose on his own. It was my dad and 3 men with him they had m16′s to protect him one of those men was his best friend lance Christopher newton.  Lance was a black cowboy from Philadelphia and my pops best friend. Lance never did heroin just marijuana but lance knew about it. It was the 15th time defusing a mine when something went wrong, remember my pops had very little training for such a dangerous job!!  He cut the wrong wire, and when you do this you’re supposed to fall on It’s chest first, they had a steel chest plate. But animal instinct is to turn and run. The land mine blew my dad up really bad. The Viet Cong was coming in fast they were taking ground fire from all sides, and the medic shot my dad with morphine then told lance just leave him no time the enemy is coming. Lance said no way grabbed my dad, and carried him wounded under fire 2 miles to a helicopter. Then lance went back out, and was never seen again he is labeled MIA. This is my namesake after the war dad went to Philadelphia to visit lances mom and promised to name his first born after lance, and that is me lance Christopher Ringler.

Recovery in Okinawa, Japan and discharged

After he was well enough to be moved from the field hospital they flew him to Okinawa, Japan for recovery. At the hospital he continued to use heroin, the nurses would shoot him up with it. From a small indiana farm kid now a full blown heroin addict in just 2 short years. He holds no blame but himself but with lot’s of veterans like him it makes you wonder why. After he was fully healed they discharged him with a purple heart sent him to Seattle for a 30 minute debriefing August 18th 1970. Then with no other after care set him free to the world with just $510.44.  He stayed around Seattle for 5 days looking for heroin, and being treated like shit. He went into a bar told the bar tender im just back from Vietnam how about a free drink? The bartender said so what get out of here BUM. How can someone treat a veteran like that?  So after he could not find the drugs he got an old car then drove to the VA hospital in Houston, Texas to get rehab treatment.

After the war

It took him 20 years to get better after the war. He struggled with PTSD , and heroin addiction until he lost his mind in 1989. That is when his PTSD showed up in full force. He thought the Viet Cong was coming to get him so he made some bombs, and locked himself in his house alone with a rifle. The only one who was able to talk him out was his VA doctor. Finally he got the help he needed from 1989 to 1991. Now he is better off the drugs, and his PTSD is under check. He still has nightmares sometimes of the war so does all of our veterans from every war. So on this veterans day stop and thank a veteran for his or her service to this country. Not just today but every day of the year. We need to start helping our veterans more than we do. It’s a shame we treat out veterans as 2nd class citizens when we should be holding them at the highest levels in our society. This is just one of the many stories from that war remember there was so many more just like it. So i say thanks to all the veterans for my freedom and everything I hold dear in my life.

In Memory OF Lance Christopher Newton And For all The Veterans Out There We Thank You For Our Freedom.

The man who saved my fathers life in the war, is still classified as MIA there for his name in not on the Vietnam memorial wall.

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Traumatic experiences are part of human life and experiences. The effects of trauma can last for a short or long period depending on the

situation and person involved. Military veterans may find it difficult to deal with stress, anxiety, and depression experienced in combat. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 30 percent of Vietnam veterans have struggled with PTSD. The ensuing Desert Storm War and Operation Iraqi Freedom have seen a rise in PTSD cases. Statistics from the VA Department shows that both wars have respectively registered 10 and 20 percent PTSD cases. Military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan exhibit a high PTSD prevalence. At least one in five soldiers from these two wars has PTSD. A veteran who finds work as atruck driver might experience difficulties in the new work environment. Several Acts have been enacted in a bid to improve the economic situation for veterans. These efforts are commendable but the PTSD situation calls for more research, treatment, and support efforts.

Understanding PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been known by names such as battle fatigue and shell shock. This debilitating condition develops after witnessing fatal or life threatening situations. This leads to a feeling of helplessness, extreme fear, and horror. Most of these experiences occur on the battlefield. PTSD symptoms will vary from person to person. This is due to the unique nature of every person’s DNA make up and ability to handle stressful situations. You can leave the military feeling healthy only to develop PTSD a few months or years later. Others may develop PTSD a few hours or days after combat. Some of the situations that may lead to PTSD include war, terror attacks, natural disasters, kidnapping, assault, death of a dear friend or companion, and rape. PTSD cuts across all races, ages, and gender. Data published by the VA Department shows that 71 percent of female personnel in the military suffer from PTSD. This is astonishing considering 17 percent of the military population is made up of female personnel.

Signs and symptoms

Military personnel have different trauma experiences from normal trauma. All traumatic events will make the person involved feel numb and afraid. These feelings may last for a few days and subside after some time. You might have might have nightmares and shudder at the thought of going through the same experience again. Most of these symptoms ebb away with time and life continues as usual. However, PTSD symptoms are not short lived but last for a long time. Veterans suffering from PTSD will feel like being stuck in a rut. Mental health experts have recognized three key PTSD symptoms. These include:

 

 

 

• Experiencing the traumatic event repeatedly This phase involves experiencing continuous memories of the same event. The flashbacks will make you behave as if the event is happening again at the present time. When this happens, the heart rate increases rapidly followed by sweating and rapid breathing. This will happen even when you are in bed sleeping.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Deliberately avoiding reminders You will find it difficult to be in places or surroundings that remind you of the traumatic event. Many veterans lose interest in activities that were a joy in the past. This is accompanied by feelings of numbness and detachment from reality. Most of the veterans who experience these feelings do not expect to live a normal life again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Increased anxiety The person suffering from PTSD will have difficulty focusing on a given task. This is because you will be extremely anxious and easily startled by unexpected movements. In such a situation, it is easy to lose your cool. These symptoms make it hard for a veteran to thrive as trucker. A PTSD patient driving a truck on a busy highway will snap easily if other drivers block the road ahead. A tire burst may cause intense flashbacks while behind the wheel. This is not only dangerous to the trucker but to other road users as well.

These symptoms will make you feel depressed and guilty. The resulting self-blame attitude has led many veterans to dabble in drugs. Trapped in this unending cycle, some veterans entertain suicidal thoughts. If help is not available, the results can be fatal. This is why many veterans suffering from PTSD find it difficult to trust anyone else.   Diagnosis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Veterans in the trucking industry should seek professional help before PTSD symptoms become worse. Diagnosis begins with a complete evaluation of your past medical history. This is important in order to address the root cause and rule out other physical ailments. The initial examination can be carried out by your doctor before referral to a specialist. Mental health professional are involved in the next step. This includes psychologists and psychiatrists who will carry out a thorough assessment of your mental state. Your interaction with a mental health expert will be the basis for treatment. The assessment takes into account the severity of PTSD symptoms. There is no standard PTSD benchmark or threshold. Most psychiatrists and psychologists recommend treatment if symptoms have been exhibited for more than one month. Early medical intervention is the best way to treat PTSD. This will save you a lot of physical and emotional trouble. The National Center for PTSD has published a study showing that PTSD can result in heart problems. As a trucker, you need to have a healthy heart or else it will be impossible to work in a demanding environment.

Risk Factors

It is important to note that anyone can develop PTSD. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 31.3 million people develop PTSD. Women seem to be highly susceptible to PTSD. Data published by HHS shows women are twice as likely to develop PTSD as men. Up to 80 percent of people who experience severe trauma end up with PTSD symptoms. These statistics show that PTSD is not a scourge affecting military veterans alone. Certain individuals may or may not develop PTSD depending on exposure to certain risk factors. Traumatic events that occur over a long period will most certainly result in PTSD symptoms. Acts that are intentionally perpetrated by other people also carry a high PTSD risk. This includes physical assault, rape, and neglect. Veterans who experienced traumatic experiences as children will find it difficult to cope with stressful combat situations. The same is true for veterans with a family history of depression, physical abuse, drug abuse, and PTSD. Continuous stress in daily life will make you a PTSD candidate. There are people who cope well after a traumatic event. If you find it hard to cope well after such events, the risk of developing PTSD is very high. As a veteran truck driver, you may lack the necessary support after going through trauma. This makes the situation even worse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treatment

The good news is PTSD treatment can help you live life to the fullest. Treatment is geared towards helping you regain emotional and physical balance. Treatment usually involves a combination of medical intervention and psychotherapy. Your doctor will help you to learn how to cope with trauma event triggers. Some of the tools used include expressing your fears about the event and coping with the memories. The following are some of the psychotherapy approaches employed.

• Group therapy This is carried out by a counselor in a setting where people with similar PTSD symptoms talk about personal experiences. This will help you open up and stop bottling up fear and anger. As a trucker, you will find this avenue offers a chance to trust other people in the same situation.

• Family therapy PTSD affects the person who is going through the trauma experience as well as family members. Working with loved ones can be productive and lead to healing within a short time. The support and love provided by family members can be the difference between hopelessness and healing. Communication during this difficult period is vital.   • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) This is a new approach that encompasses aspects of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Your treatment sessions include learning how to manipulate information-processing systems. This comes in handy when you are about to relive the same experience once again.

• Exposure Therapy This involves reliving the same experience in a controlled environment. Your doctor may introduce objects that trigger flashbacks. This is done with the aim of helping you come face to face with the anxiety-causing event. This technique has been used to treat PTSD in many veterans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medication

Doctors also prescribe a wide range of medications to treat PTSD. The medicines are used to control anxiety and depression. Your doctor will prescribe selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Zoloft, and Elavil. Other medications include mood stabilizers such as Lamictal, tranquilizers such as Ativan, and neuroleptics such as Seroquel. All of these will help make you to be less irritable and worried. There are many organizations ready to help veterans struggling with PTSD. Healing will not happen overnight. It takes treatment, taking positive steps to avoid hopelessness, and having a support network around you. It is wise to practice relaxation techniques. These will come in handy whenever you are in a stressful situation. You must avoid negative influences and drugs like the plaque. Occupy your time with pleasant activities to avoid negative thoughts creeping into your mind. Isolation is the worst enemy you can entertain.

This Article is for all the Veterans out there. On this Memorial Day weekend let us not forget the sacrafice they gave for our freedom.

The Truth A Veterans Story
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