My Hero Is A Hero

Another courageous person I know is my grandfather, Gary Breeden. When he was younger he was a marine in the Vietnam War. This shows courage because, he volunteered to fight for his country. He put himself in danger to protect, not only his loved ones, but the entire country which is a very brave and courageous thing to do. Volunteering to be in the military also shows a lot of courage because all throughout boot camp and training, the body and the mind are pushed to their breaking point. Breeden has taught me how to help others by sacrificing his life for the greater good. Breeden also displays courage by always putting the needs of others before his own. My grandfather puts his needs second to the needs of his loved ones. Breeden allows himself

The soldiers that fought for or are fighting for our country are some of the bravest men and women that there have ever been. These men and women put their lives on the line as well as their own mental health for fighting for the people of the United States. The most common mental disorder that Americans hear about veterans having is PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, Louise Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible,” and “Midnight Movie” by Mike Subritzky, the characters all show signs of PTSD. The Vietnam War is a large part of America’s history and therefore is one of the greatest examples of the effects of war, such as PTSD, on a soldier.

Problem that the Vietnamese war veterans faced was the psychological effects which was very common for Vietnam veterans to have. The main cause of this is because it was different compared to other wars in the past like the condition that the soldiers were in. Studies has shown that a World War II soldiers experienced up to a total of 60 days under combat like conditions. A Vietnam infantryman endured on a comparable basis 300+ days therefore Vietnam veterans have more likely to develop psychological problems than a World War II veteran. (POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), 2001)

The Vietnam War was a unforgettable war that has had lasting effects on the United States and was a poor decision on the part of the United States government to get involved in. The United States had drafted many young boys into a war in which a lot of people did not support or even know why we were getting involved in, many people fled to neighboring borders or faced the criminal charges that came with dodging the draft because they were so against it. This war has left the United States with lasting impacts and there are many ways that we have changed since including our country as a whole and our veterans themselves. The war has affected our veterans in ways that are unimaginable, the psychological effects that they have endured are tough

Some veterans experienced feelings of depression and distrust, and that the war impacted them negatively. PTSD is a severe emotional disorder that an individual can get after a traumatic life event they experienced, and for the veterans it was the Vietnam War. War includes witnessing terrible violence, the feeling of guilt of having to kill people and seeing your friends injured or dead, and the mixed emotions in the battlefield. In 1988, the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study reported that 481,000 men and 716 women currently suffer from some degree of PTSD as a result of their experience in war, and overall 40% of Vietnam veterans have suffered from PTSD at some time of their life. In addition, it has been estimated that 900,000 Vietnam spouses and partners, and approximately 1,098,000 children are affected by their respective partner's and father's combat-related PTSD. These statistics showed that the Vietnam War extremely affected the veterans', and not in a good way. PTSD could have been very common among the veterans', because of the traumatic experiences they went through in the war. The war was not to be treated like a game. The war was a reality for the soldiers, and they could have constantly had the feeling of "I am going to die any minute now". Another issue that they developed was domestic violence. About one-third of six hundred men were reported of physically violating their partners. Their violent behaviour towards their partner/family could have also linked to PTSD. Veterans who were reported to perform domestic violence were treated with therapy to help them reduce their threatening behaviour. They either had group therapy with their family, or individual therapy. Not only was PTSD terrible for the veterans', but it was also bad for their children. Due to their children being raised in a home with their father having PTSD, the disorder could have

The Vietnam War started in 1945, resulting in almost 60,000 American deaths and nearly two million Vietnamese deaths, according to Mintze. Years after combat countless Vietnam veterans suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder in every aspect of their lives (Price). Posttraumatic stress disorder is an illness that can happen to anyone who has gone through a horrifying experience. It has been documented in all forms of literature and films the brutality of the war and the side effects it came with. The history of Vietnam is quite long and winding and leaves one to question its purpose (Mintze).

The Vietnam War is one of the most controversial wars the United States has ever been involved in. This is due to the lack of reason for the United States’ involvement in the conflict; it was not necessary to have Americans fighting in Vietnam (Cornish). Regardless of the lack of need for soldiers, young men from the United States were still drafted to fight and were shipped off to Vietnam, despite not knowing what they were fighting for. While there, most of them experienced horrific events that ended up following them after Vietnam, resulting in a condition called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which would weigh on the veterans’ shoulders for the rest of their lives. Tim O’Brien, author and Vietnam veteran, is not an exemption to

The Vietnam War was a war divided. The United States was equally against and for it, creating a hostile environment for returning veterans. While many Americans were treating the Vietnam soldiers with contempt, they may have been unaware of the mental battle that 11% of Vietnam veterans were fighting (“PTSD: A Historical Perspective”). While soldiers were in Vietnam, they experienced many horrifying situations that contributed to their post-traumatic stress disorder. One-third of the American army that served in Vietnam was drafted, which occasionally created a hostile environment. While in Vietnam, warfare was very different than previous wars fought. Soldiers were often isolated and fought in the jungle. There were many occasions where a soldier would not even know where the enemy was (Badalucco). The Vietnam War was the war that eventually brought a name to the mental disorder that many soldiers and everyday people have fought for years.

Almost 31 percent of Vietnam veterans are affected by post traumatic stress disorder also known as PTSD. In the book The things they carried by Tim O’brien he writes about his stories from Vietnam war. The effect of war are also heard in the television program by This American life interviewing families of soldiers and the soldiers themselves. There is also a radio interview from Frontline that talks about some of the impacts after war. In the Personal Interview I had with Steve McHale a veteran from the Operation of Iraqi Freedom he told me his experiences from war. The impacts of war are loneliness, suicide, guilt, and communication.

Many American soldiers who returned home from the Vietnam War had psychological damage, which today is commonly referred to as PTSD. In an interview one such soldier, Larry Colburn, he mentions his experience when seeking

For 11 months and 28 days my father was on guard. He was 21 years old. He was older than most around him but to young to have to see the horrors of war. For those 11 months and 28 days he led, he followed, he cried, he killed, he survived. He was, and always will be a Combat Grunt in the United States Army. Flash forward 41 years. My father is still a combat grunt; Even though his uniform can only be seen in the photos that hang on the wall, by the young man that carried a gun so many years ago. The memory of wearing that uniform and each and every day haunts him. There is never a day that goes by that he is not proud to have served his country, but every day that goes by is another day that he serves in his own body. The scars that he has are buried so deep and can 't be seen in his flesh. When talking about Veterans, war, and PTSD, there is absolutely no way to compare every Veteran in every war and wrap them in a neat and tidy bow. I can tell you, the combat troops of 1966-67 are in no way similar to the combat troops of 1969-70. The vast differences are too many to describe. I have found through my studies that "The War" was so very different. As I write this, keep in mind that I am writing strictly from the guys who served during the 1966-67 timeframe and only speaking about Combat Vets. PTSD is not a mental illness. It is an illness, but it goes so much deeper and can not be written off as a mental illness. PTSD is in your pores, it is deep in your soul and it is in

As the Vietnam War began preventative measures were being taken to decrease the psychological impact of war on soldiers. Unfortunately as the war ended soldiers were often met with hostile demonstrations by anti-war activists and society offered little acceptance of Vietnam veterans even years after the war. This is when early studies on PTSD and the effects on military families began being documented. Early research showed that PTSD can have devastating, far-reaching consequences on the patients functioning, relationships,

“When I was in serious danger I was almost completely paralysed by fear, I remember sitting with a coffin (a fellow soldier) on the fire-step of a trench during an intense bombardment, when it seemed certain that we must be killed”(The Psychological Effects Of The Vietnam War). Our soldiers that we send to war to protect us against the countries trying to harm us are put into dangerous situations that affect them physically and mentally and leave them with permanent damage to their minds and bodies. The server damage that our military soldiers faced when returning from war is PTSD which stands for post traumatic stress disorder and is the most common disorder that returning soldiers are diagnosed with , but a more tragic diagnosis from war

PTSD is more common in “at risk” groups than as those serving in combat, but that doesn’t mean that people that serve as combat are less likely to get PTSD. At least 30% of men and women who served in Vietnam experience post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD begins usually after a traumatic event but it can also be delayed for many years. Most of the symptoms can improve gradually after a year but for some the symptoms can last a lifetime (Blow et. al. 266).

What does make a hero a hero? Is it there looks? Alternatively, maybe is it their personality? However, the question is what are those essential qualities that make one a hero? Different people require different heroes to look up to or try to emulate. However, whoever it may be, they all possess certain qualities. My hero is my mother, for the reason that she is selfless, compassion, and courage. That kind of selflessness can often be premeditated, since concentrating on others' needs often winds up helping one accomplish one’s own goals. However, a heroic leader does so without any anticipation of a return. The display and concern show the care one has for others. This can often apparent itself in strong but gentle actions planned to increase the lives of others. Courage and bravery come to mind first when we think of heroism. However, it is difficult to achieve anything truly heroic unless one is up against overwhelming chances. As Nelson Mandela put it, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it." These minor acts of heroism rarely attract any notice. A true hero is always sympathetic, benevolent and shows a great deal of compassion and sympathy to those poorly or in agony. He or she keeps away judgements; that are oriented to the self and embraces an attitude that serves others.