Sgt. John Russel: A Reprise - Condemned to the Hell of PTSD

Sgt. Russel, who has seen too much war and strife and sought help for his night terrors which is THE hallmark of PTSD, was probably told by the medics to “suck it up” which is a disdainful way of saying “don’t be a wimp”.

Image courtesy: Police Inspector Blog

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - Sgt. Russel has had a tough life. According to his father he was dyslexic which means when he read words the letters were scrambled like a puzzle. School is tough enough without having scrambled words.

He apparently did not have a decent steady job after school but like many in the same situation joined the National Guard for spending money.

Russel did have some brushes with the legal system and spent time in jail and had domestic trouble and a divorce before he joined the Army.

He has been stationed in Germany for about 10 years but it is certainly not like Texas, his real home.

After 7 years he enlisted in the Army. He must have been at least 25 which is old for a recruit. He’s been in the Army for about 20 years. His chest if full of ribbons, at least 16 of them indicating he has been around the track a few times. He also has two marksmanship medals.

He served in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzogovina which were very nasty little wars and absolutely no fun. In march 2003, he went into Iraq with Combat Engineers which is almost as stressful and lethal as Combat Infantry.

Sgt. Russel has seen too much war and strife and sought help for his night terrors which is THE hallmark of PTSD.

He was probably told by the medics to “suck it up” which is a disdainful way of saying “don’t be a wimp”. Soldiers who get PTSD AREN’T wimps. They are the thinking soldiers who just have had too much strife of battle.

Sgt. Russel’s Army medical care which it wasn’t is/was typical of the “waffle butt swivel chair” therapist/doctors who seem to believe that just telling the PTSD victim that he is OK will solve the problem. THIS WAS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE AT ITS WORST and the ultimate result was predictable.

There have been far too many soldier and veteran suicides, murders, spousal assaults, alcoholism, drug addictions and other horrific results of medical mishandling of PTSD soldiers.

He probably knew on this occasion that the clinic was going to give him medicine which just made him feel stupid and then send him back into duty. The drugs they usually use – anti-depressants just make the patient feel stupid but do not alleviate the problem.

I have said before Sgt. Russel was in a provoked psychosis. He should be treated as a medical patient and not as a felon.

The Army and the VA should get their acts together. They are currently destroying several hundred thousand PTSD service men and women. Check the statistics of homeless, alcoholics, drug addicts and the insane number of veterans in prison.

Army and VA medical care is more dangerous than battle in Iraq.

Sgt. Russel should be in a hospital someplace close to his family. If you can’t tell by my story, I am a totally pissed off PTSD Vet myself and also a doctor taking care of PTSD Veterans.

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