PTSD and Pearl Harbor

Phillip Leveque has spent his life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician, Pharmacologist and toxicologist.

The U.S.S. Arizona under attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941 Image courtesy: /unspunblog.com

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - I’ll bet a nickel that 90% of Americans don’t even know what I’m talking about; PTSD maybe; Pearl Harbor? “What’s that? Some vacation spot?”

Today is October 10th, 2007. I never believed I would see this day or many thousands of others. Pearl Harbor Day, December 7th, 1941 was the worst wrenching of the American psyche ever. The Japanese attacked us without warning and nearly wiped out our Pacific Naval Fleet in Pearl Harbor. If it had done so, we would probably all be speaking Japanese now.

When we got involved in World War II, 16 million Americans were in the armed services. There are only approximately 3 million of us service men and women left. All of us are over 80 years old. We were successful in that war, but 400 thousand of us were killed and about one million were wounded. Some of us still suffer from PTSD and millions of others died from subsequent alcoholism, drug abuse or tobacco poisoning. There were probably a lot of suicides, also. All of these were PTSD related.

I just saw on television, the real story of Pearl Harbor. It was still frightening sixty six years after it happened. What was less surprising was the fact that many of the Pearl Harbor survivors, both American and Japanese still have PTSD.

I suppose fright and PTSD are built in our DNA. We were once chased by tigers and lions. That is probably just as bad as surviving an artillery barrage or being shot at by a sniper, all of which could be lethal.

The worst factor is that we have not been able to satisfactorily treat and erase PTSD from our souls. I say that because we may try to eradicate bad thoughts from our minds by measures mentioned above, but certainly PTSD remains deep in our souls. Some of the Pearl Harbor survivors visibly broke up while they were speaking about their experiences of 60 years before.

The Civil War PTSD veterans had opium which caused what was called “soldier’s disease” or addiction. The World War I veterans had alcohol. Even though it was illegal post WWI, there were plenty of bootleggers. World War II PTSD veterans have had a whole medicine chest of drugs which don’t work well and cause severe side effects making them intolerable. They still have alcohol. Go to an American Legion Post sometime.

Unfortunately, wars have become worse. Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf Wars have produced violence of imaginable intensity even for most WWII vets.

One fact I found out from my Vietnam medical patients, is that cannabis/ marijuana works better to suppress PTSD and battle terror than any prescription medicine. The worst fact is that it is illegal to use it in most states and 750,000 users are arrested each year.

Many PTSD veterans have moved out into the boondocks; isolating themselves from society and the police so they can treat themselves with the only medicine they know which works for them.

Shame on the U.S. Government and the D.E.A.

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If you are a World War Two history fan, you don't want to miss it.

Watch for Dr. Phil Leveque's video question and answer segments about medical marijuana with Bonnie King.

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Welcome Home, Tom

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S.LaMarche; October 10, 2007 6:17 pm (Pacific time)

Thanks Doc. I say Legalize It!

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