How do some vets handle seeing fucked up shit better than others?

>>30930399
I think a lot of it comes down to training, upbringing and personality
we had a kid in my platoon that was a classic redneck. Grew up on a farm, lifting haystacks and shooting rifles. then another kid who grew up in the ghetto and saw all kinds of crime and violence first hand
farm kid was faster, stronger and arguably more disciplined then the ghetto kid. But when bullets started flying and somebody got shot, farm kid almost puked from it and ghetto kid wasnt phased at all

and of course somebody like vining is going to go through more intense training then your average grunt, so they can handle themselves better. But that doesn't mean they dont feel things either

>>30930399
Not a vet or a psychologist, but I really think it's just comes down to what the person is like and what they see. "Combat" can mean very different things to two different people. Some see fucked up things and some don't.

It also is just the person and what gets to one person might not get to another and vice versa. Other than being a sociopath or lack of emotion I don't think there is way to predict who will get PTSD or what will cause it for some people.

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>>30930399
Get a hobby that allows closure. Guns, armor, & motorcycles are my life for a reason.

>>30930457
I agree on the training aspect, I know a former SEAL who seems (emphasis on seems, I don't know what goes on in anyone's heads) like it never really affects him. It makes me wonder that if we trained our grunts better, we would have fewer cases of PTSD amongst infantry.

Depends on your life before combat. I met a guy that served 5 years in the Foreign Legion and he said people from fucked up places like Latin America and Africa barely blinked.

Having PTSD is pretty much a 1st world privilege.

It's called resiliency. Or a lack of perception. You decide

>>30930457
Agreed, different people are just different. We all have tolerance levels for things like pain, suffering and violence and some deal with it better than others.

I work at a homeless shelter and I love the fuck out of it. I get to help those that need it, and I also get to have awesome confrontations. Once a guy pulled a knife, not sure why but that remains one of my favorite days at work. Some people (maybe most) fucking hate it. It's not at all uncommon to see someone get hired and quit within the week, they just can't handle seeing the suffering usually. It can get rough, and I've kicked many an old lady out into the snow, but it's a job that has to be done and I can handle it. Not really sure why, but at least I found something I'm good at. I wager soldiering is much the same, you can either handle it or you can't.

For the record, I mean absolutely no disrespect to those that can't handle it. I completely understand why and wish them the best. Different strokes and all that.

>>30930559
Seals just cry "BABY BABY I MISS YA BABY" to their wives tho anon.

>>30930399

People are different sometimes, that's it. Chalk it up to experience with things or some spectrum of autism. I think I recall someone here describing a guy blowing his head off in basic at the firing range and a girl next to him removed his rifle, cleared it an resumed firing while the RO watched. They later found she was aspie as hell.

>>30930399
Most of the military is fucked in the head and joins up specifically to murder people in cold blood. Literally serial killers.

Combination of demeanor overall and early life.

knew a 1sg neighbor.
>talks about Iraq
>we would see gored pools of what used to be people
>it was rough
>then I would notice one body was in a funny pose
>so I would tell the test of my crew
>and we would laugh
>and do it would be good

talking to 'nam vet at work

>be me
>be using p38 as a box opener because no knives in a hospital
>nam vet comes up
>recognised it immediately
>Came up and asked what I was doing
>told him
>says how he remembers a friend getting shot while opening a C ration can while marching
>remembers going to his side and watching him die
>took his can opener after
>Because his was a Shelby, not the generic he had
>laughed about it because he only ran to him to get a damn can opener


laughter and not giving a fuck help a lot from what I gather.

>>30930597
There are people who would think twice about surviving from dumpster diving for food, but I've done it tons of times to survive as a child.

I have PTSD, really its an inability to cope with the US social world in my opinion.

In other countries don't like something, step up.
Here its a game about feelings, cross the line where feelings start and fuck you just violated someone.

There's more but mobile.

>>30930728
Topkek well played anon
B8/10

>>30930715
I've always wondered if being on the Autism spectrum would give a person a sort of immunity to PTSD. I am a little autistic myself (well no shit huh) and I feel that it gives me the ability to sort of detach myself from my emotions and focus only on whatever is at hand.

>>30930749
I don't think poverty is exactly what would make you resistant to fucked up shit. I was talking more about 50% of the liveleak videos being brazilian mob lynch and how people just "get used" to it.

>>30930775
I do know that feel. way more than I want to. I personally love to discuss politics, economics and history. But now that those elements of humanities are flooded with a bunch of SJW fuck wads I feel that my appreciation for the accomplishments of what happened is muddled by everyone screaming "but then there was this woman involved" and apparently that is enough to fucking rewrite everything.

>>30930660
>Agreed, different people are just different. We all have tolerance levels for things like pain, suffering and violence and some deal with it better than others.
This. I'm able to put on a pretty darn good 'stiff upper lip' during tense or sad moments, but stuff involving the elderly tends to get to me more than anything else, probably because I was close to my grandparents. Those little differences in personality and life experience can mean a lot.


>>30930735
>it was rough
>then I would notice one body was in a funny pose
>so I would tell the test of my crew
>and we would laugh
Gallows humour is an entirely different thing and can't be taken as a sign that someone is okay with a situation because it's only meant to help you in the heat of the moment, and lighten the current mood from the dark and serious place it currently is.

https://youtu.be/DTuFNy8NtuA?t=81

Video with Delta operator Tom Spooner talking about this.

>>30930775
>In other countries don't like something, step up.
>step up
You dawg, you disrespecin me?

But in all seriousness, while I do understand what you mean, trying to say that the world would be better if men could be men and solve their disagreements with a fist-fight all the time sounds pretty niggerish.

>>30930828
And at the same time they often have a point. And there's a different between rewriting everything and adding a footnote that says "so-and-so contributed too". I didn't even know that Lewis and Clark had a slave with them the whole way on their trip, I had to learn that shit while watching late night TV.

You claim you love to discuss politics, economics and history, and I DO get what you mean about the screaming retardedness form the SJW's. But at the same time if you really do love history and all that, then you can't just ignore people's contributions because it's not convenient to change the books, or isn't as good of a talking point. That same kind of, "we don't need to talk about them" attitude is why they were left out of the books in the first place.

Love. You either have something to live for, or you don't

>>30930399
Conditioning grow up in a nice place with no violence and then suddenly be thrust into it can fuck people up
>Be spic from mexico
> Used to people being killed or hurt for petty shit
> Go to Thailand for military leave
> A British dude gets attacked and bit by hooker
> Start helping him out since he is bleeding bad
> He starts freaking out on how some one can do this to him out of nowhere
> Calmly Tell him welcome to the third world enjoy your stay and take care of your personal safety

>>30930399
It helps if you've come from a background of seeing fucked up shit already.

A lot of people come into service via poverty, but haven't really been impoverished enough to have seen any fucked up shit. Some people have.

Same reason some OPs are more prone to being faggots than others. People are simply different.

>>30930399
I think ot does effect evryone even spec ops giguys was watching to catch a preditor some ex vet sgt who served in iraq would never go any where without his shotgun

>>30930828
Yeah, the idea of 'civil' discussions are very foreign to what seems like the vast majority. I love watching people getting passionate about their beliefs, (not that Iraq was about this) but that's what I believe we should fight for.
>>30931011
It does seem niggery, but playing for keeps isn't. That's a fine line. I mean really thin. I do understand what you are saying and I agree.

I guess in many ways after being so jaded from the rest of the world and appreciating how infantecent and meaningless in the grand scheme of life is a hard concept to explain. Not to be confused with the impact I have on friends, but the understanding that life is like a thread, its there and gone and very few actually have an impact on this board. You know?

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>>30930735
Humor can be a defense mechanism and can help you cope with things that happen.

It's why you see some rape survivors make rape jokes, some holocaust survivors make holocaust jokes and some self-harmers make jokes about hurting themselves.

Of course, there's some people who have no sense of humor at all, and they often can't cope quite as well with what has happened to them.

Some people are just born wired a certain way.
A buddy of mine told me about a goth guy in his platoon in Falujah, said the kid was really weird, used to go out on the weekends decked out with eyeliner etc.
Turns out the kid was a stoned cold killer.
Walked into house one time of an HVT, and just laid waste to everyone inside, didn't even bat an eye over it.

>>30931277
Dafuq

>>30931277
>stoned cold killer

Puff puff blast

>>30930399
Marine here who was in operation iraqi freedom.

I was already fucked up to begin with so I have no problem shooting down hajis.

To be honest, if I was in africa fighting against child soldiers, I'd neutralize them just as fast without thinking twice.

>>30930813
>autism

if they even let you in, garuanteed you wont last boot camp

>>30931150
XD

>>30931277
Your buddy maaay have been stationed with The Crow.

Did he ask you how many angels are dancing on the head of a pin?

PTSD

Its because these soldiers dont butcher animals before they see combat and dont go on bestgore. cam

Ever wonder how that meat you eat gets made?

Jocko Willink (former Seal Team 3 Commander) said a lot of it has to do with the fact that Seal team guys have a high level of autonomy (control) over their battle situations, whereas the average grunt does not.

Meaning: The Seal team guys get together, plan every aspect of a mission and then go out and jack people. By contrast, the average grunt is driving a Humvee through hostile areas doing random shit just waiting to be blown up by an IED.

Apparently, the "control" aspect (or lack thereof) heavily influences how much stress you experience.

>>30930399
"fucked up shit" really ain't

PTSD doesn't have much to do with that in any case.

>>30932545
well human meat has addictive qualities from what I hear, and I'm too poor to eat meat too often

>>30931277
Had a gunner like that but replace goth with preppy. Fucker was scary with anything belt fed and I pray he never gets a 203 civie side

>>30932260
Depends on how bad. Freaking out at being touched yeah totally fucked. Socially awkward but has a good attitude, knowledge/skill base, and or willing to do whatever...... yeah that's some of my better squad mates back when I was in

>>30932732
Yup shit sucks behind the wheel, up in the turret, on the radio and out walking around. Least stressful part of deployment was searching a village on mine sweeper duty. Yes I was bomb bait but we moved when I damn well believed it was clear

>>30932260
>>30933031
Yes, I'm pretty much the latter. High functioning Autists like myself can live fairly normal lives, we're just kinda weird.

>>30932505
kek

It was the ghost of Brandon Lee

>>30934129
Fellow Aspie here, can confirm. It varies from person whether they like being touched or are indifferent to it. I could watch beheading videos, horrible accidents and some fucked up shit without puking, but when faced with the real thing, I get nausous. Then again, the guy that busted his head was a disabled elderly man, so I don't know if that had an influence to it.

I always imagine Delta operators are usually the type who are immune. I mean you join their ranks by already being an experienced soldier well acquainted with the suck and killing. Delta has the "overcome no matter what the odds" mindset, its SEALs that have fucking kids in their ranks who are probably more prone to their shit. Especially when shit hits the fan and their marines tier invincibility complex falls apart.

>>30930399
Upbringing and training.

I'll take myself : as a small kid I grew up in bumfuck nowhere. My grand-mother constantly gutted rabbits or pheasants in front of me, and every weekend we'd all go to the hunting cabin see the hunters butcher dears, boars etc.
But then I move to an urban area and was pretty sheltered from any sort of meaningful violence growing up.

So for a long time I'd be freezing when somebody would have an outburst of violence, or would jump at shots fired. But blood and guts, injuries never really did nothing to me.

Modern training methods are made to account for that crap. But back in the days when psychiatry and war-related diseases were not studied, you'd have massive amounts of soldiers coming back with shell shock, trauma... As well as most soldiers just avoid outright shooting at the enemy.

>>30934166
There is a lot of people out there who would probably take easier to gutting a haji than a fucking farm animal.

>>30932732

In all experiences that cause ptsd (being a victim of abuse, surviving a natural disaster, being attacked, etc) it seems the common thread is a total lack of control over what's happening to you. I suppose that feeling of helplessness and vulnerability stays with you, and you can no longer feel truly safe

>>30934171
There's always conditioning to dehumanize the enemy, that goes with every war.

>>30934229
True but that's not what I implied. I'm no vegan nor anything like that but I find myself generally having far more pitty and empathy for animals than for other people.

>>30934241
That happens when all the animals you know are pets. You tend to see them as infants.
But older folk who had to kill animals regularly really don't give a shit.
It really made me shiver the first time I had do finish a boar with a knife, but after a while hunting you really don't care so much.

>>30930660
Black humor keeps you sane.
Everyone have some different switch in the head and defense mechanism.
Mine switches are dead children and animals but can handle it.

>>30934156
I do believe who it is has a bit to do with it. I broke a guy's wrist by accident one time and I still regret it even though the dude is perfectly fine today. I cut a gash on another dude's head because he was being a prick and I wish I could do it again.

I know it has very little relation to actual combat. But to me, it is easier to see people get hurt if they "deserved it". I know that may sound strange.

>>30930399
>why are some veterans more subject to PTSD than others?
one thing I've noticed from all the PTSD groups I've been in is that us PTSD vets almost always have a history of childhood trauma, whereas my friends who WEREN'T bothered by the same events I was bothered by, well they actually had very healthy childhoods. since noticing this, i've happened upon some psychology studies about it but didn't even read them

PTSD is largely a disease of having a coddled childhood. Just look at military training, it's meant to take people out of their Sesame Street, Captain Planet, Barney, and ice cream childhoods so they can deal with being sweaty, dirty, uncomfortable, hungry, and irritated.

PTSD is almost entirely a first world problem since children growing up in the third world are familiar with discomfort, hunger, and violence.

>>30930399
Some studies says that PTSD is related to transportation back home, in WW2 vets come home from boats and shits, giving they time to adapt to the new enviroment, no vets coming in a 12h trip in a cargo hull.

>>30934375
Wanna know how I know you've never read classical literature?

>>30934375
my vet center therapist keeps talking about how in third world countries there is no PTSD, and that if shtf then PTSD vets will be the normal people and former normies will be the ones with the disorder.

so I think you are right. because reasons. PTSD is only a thing in our societies because our soft 1st world societies don't work well for 3rd worlders.
>PTSD vets are now 3rd worlders

>>30934402

Yes, I would.

>>30934409
>my vet center therapist keeps talking about how in third world countries there is no PTSD

You cannot see what you cannot measure.

It's why 3rd world countres have less cancer and other illnesses - they literally lack the means to detect it. They're not healthier or more resilient, they're just primitive.

I disagree with the third world assessment. I think it 'doesn't exist' in the third world because a lack of reporting. If Mbutu thrashes his wife 5 years after his village got torched people probably just think it's Mbutu is a cunt. The south american cop with the crippling nightmares probably just chalks it up to stress at work and continues to hit the bottle. The same way PTSD was ignored in the west for a long time or written off as some other shit.

>>30934409
3rd world countries just don't care about PTSD.
It's there.

>>30934333
Checked. And like I said, it varies. A lot of doublethink comes to it.

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>>30930399
Combat vet here, here's what I've seen and what I know, along with my two cents.

Most men who have never experienced death (hunting, butchering, livestock slaughter) have a harder time with it because they have this dreamlike high opinion of life, when they see it, it's a lot to take in at once.

Most of the issues that end up causing ptsd come from a lack of anticipation. So many grown men in basic cried because they didn't want to kill, let alone die. To which I had zero fucking sympathy, you SIGNED UP FOR COMBAT ARMS, faggot.

I was a .50 gunner, I've watched a few heads pop, limbs fly off in a bone/blood mist, seen plenty of bodies. But before I even signed my name, I anticipated all of this, it wasn't a surprise to me.

I think too many kids get into COD and think this is military life, the reality is VERY different.

My biggest peice of advice is if you want to experience the military, that's fine, but don't go combat arms until drinking age. You'll thank me later.

>>30930597
Shitbag who's never been down range.

>>30934843
One of the things that have puzzled me about US laws is that you're allowed to fight for your country when you're 18, but not allowed to drink alcohol.

>>30934843
Unless you're a godddanmn sociopath, you're going to be changed by the unnatural shit you experience.

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>>30934885
War has existed since mankind could poke each other with sticks and throw rocks. There's nothing unnatural about it, aside from the human itself. I talk openly about it and never hide it. I have dreams about it, but the important thing to remember is that human life is no more important than a rat in a trap, you associate with humans, making empathy for the dead a natural thing. But what of the rat? It has memories, family, relationships. But we aren't rats, so who cares? It's all about perspective.

Not only that, but it really comes down to personal experiences - very personal. Even in the same theater of combat, and even seeing people you know die, a set of twins could have different experiences. If one of us has a few comrades in our unit shot and killed, but the other of us sees our best friend who we were talking to last night about our future plans get his head blown off and his grey matter gets splattered into our face, and we taste his brains and see him gasp for three full minutes... well, you do the math.
Very specific differences in the situation can lead to wide variables in PTSD.
I can sympathize with the guy who saw his buddy's brains splattered on his face but manages to put it aside and NOT develop PTSD, however he manages that, and I can just as easily sympathize with the guy who never sees anyone die but develops PTSD out of the fear and adrenaline surrounding his whole situation.
PTSD is some shit stuff. No one should feel like they "should" have it (and something's wrong with them if they don't...) or that they haven't witnessed enough death to justify the fact that they do.
Fighting and seeing death never gave me PTSD. I dealt with that okay. Ten years later, a nasty marriage and divorce with a woman who actively tried to find ways to hurt me definitely DID give me PTSD, along with all the paranoia and stress one would expect from having to deal with cops showing up and threatening arrest when I hadn't done anything wrong, a horrible woman who lied and made it clear she was out to destroy my life and take away my kids... my brain definitely interpreted her as the bigger threat to my sanity.
I never imagined doing terrible things to "insurgents" I was fighting against. I never had nightmares about what they might do to me. I never hyperventilated fearing their next move. I never saw them as a threat to my entire existence, only (maybe) my actual life, if that makes sense.
A cruel woman can be a shitload more scary than the Taliban.

>>30934932
Killing another human is not natural. It's the same goddamn species. You can look as far back the Iliad for examples of individuals who have been changed by the experience of killing another human being. But, no I guess you're some ubermensch killing machine with no conscience.

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>>30934985
And you're naive... So, good point, I guess.

There's a book called "on killing" which bridges the philisophical gap between tribes, give it a read.

>>30935025
I'm not a goddamn virgin and I know the dichotomy of ares and eros.

>>30930597
Dumb ass, stress related mental health issues (from war) are documented throughout history, just people actually know more about it nowadays

>>30934985

>Killing another human is not natural.

I'd say our history drenched in blood says otherwise.

>>30930715

>a guy blowing his head off in basic at the firing range and a girl next to him removed his rifle, cleared it an resumed firing while the RO watched.

Whew. Now that's cold.

>>30934241
Speaking of which, humans are designed to be able to justify the use of violence for their own ends, or we'd all be vegan.
When you think about it, it takes some serious justification to be able to kill and animal for no real reason other than you like the taste. You can survive just fine without killing, you do it because you can ignore the fact that it's still death, murder really, and you're okay with it because you like a burger patty.
If you can deal with the reality of a fellow mammal being brained and gutted just so you can enjoy a Big Mac, you can deal with any PTSD event. It's a matter of perspective after that. Or don't, and be consistent - there's really a hill of beans difference between having someone brain a lower life form for a stupid reason or you personally killing a higher life form for a more "noble" one. It's situational ethics either way.

>>30935177

Rape is also something that has happened throughout the history of the world, yet it's not considered a norm and for good reason.

>>30932505
Depends on the tune.

>>30932545
Im a vegetarian and a combat veteran. Come at me bro.

>>30931277
Did he dress in black skinny jeans and had a strangely intelligent crow following him around?

>>30935189

It's considered morally wrong, but it sure happens a lot to say that's not a norm of the human condition.

Also, you need to make a distinction between killing and murder.

PTSD onset has a lot to do with your upbringing, if you grew in fucked up places, you're likely to be far more resistant to developing due to already being used to all the bad shit that happened around you.

>>30931273

This is a good point. I'm betting a healthy sense of humor goes a long way to coping with the stresses of war.

>>30930728
You're retarded if you really believe this.

>>30934985
Nice naturalistic fallacy there, champ.

He's not saying that he's some edge lord who doesn't feel anything. Anon is just pointing out how you deal with it. He's fucking right. There were Faggots in basic that fucking they could pick what weapons they would carry. The kids thought they were in a video game. They had panic attacks when they realized what they had gotten into.

Metal gear solid 2 was so right. Video games desensitized them into thinking war was a cool thing. It's not. It fucking sucks and is terrifying. You should know that going in, and the only reason I did was because of my uncle who was in Vietnam. He took away the illusion pretty quick.

In my opinion, PTSD comes from seeing things you never thought you'd see, and being unable to move on after its over. Sure, I have nightmares and jump when fireworks go off sometimes, but I know that it's just part of an old life. I'm home, not in a theater of war. You just have to move on.

>>30930544
>Guns, armor, & motorcycles
Add a dog to this and truly, this is living.

>>30930399
Not everyones made equally, add to that training and other life experiences. some people have a higher threshold . I know some vets that have gone through

>>30935182
I'd wife her, especially if she's fit

>>30935189
there's a galactic difference between natural and moral. there is nothing moral about nature. man is the only species on Earth to develop a morality

Nasty girl lowly pfc infantry here. We have a mix of guys... Ones that were in the 75th and such... Guys who have been straight guard.

My general impression of interacting with guys in special operations and guys with CIBs are usually pretty humble and cool.

We have some full nasty girl NCOs who haven't done shit but talk about having bloodlust and shit.

I get the impression that if bullets started flying they'd hide and cower.

Anyone else have that experience?

>>30930399
It's strange how it's different with everyone and it's not always the guys you think will go nuts who do in the end. I saw three people go crazy enough that they had to be taken away and actually put into a mental hospital and that was over the course of 6 years on active duty in a combat arms MOS. Two were during my first deployment, (my platoon sgt/E-7 and a PFC) and one was when I was stationed in the states and a guy just went completely insane, (I don't know his history before that happened). Made for some good stories but seeing someone lose their shit and never come back is pretty scary to be honest.

>>30934985
>Killing another human is not natural.
Tell yourself that the next time jamal breaks into your house. And read a history book.
>It's the same goddamn species
Now go read a biology textbook.
>You can look as far back the Iliad for examples of individuals who have been changed by the experience of killing another human being
You're changed a bit by everything you experience in life, no one's disputing this.
>But, no I guess you're some ubermensch killing machine with no conscience.
honkies r ebul

I think we're done here. If you argued that killing was wrong, I might have agreed with you. I think most people would, depending on the circumstances in which it happened. It's the entire reason for why we have the concept of justice in the first place: When is it ok to beat a motherfucker upside the head?

But unnatural? No.

>>30935718

If you think rape is normalized at all, you need to go back to your college's safe space, sit on the carpet and have some milk and cookies.

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It doesnt stick to some people, met a vietnam vet at my buddy's uncles house during a post deployment get together.

Good Ol' Unc introduced us to the guy, said his nickname is "69" and tells us his story.

Turns out he was LRRP and was out on patrol when SHTF in 1968, his patrol got zergrushed by gooks and the patrol got spread out during the fight that lasted throughout the night, the next morning when they found him, he was sitting in a tree stump all wounded and raggedy, his knife in one hand, an M16 buttstock in the other and 69 dead gooks all around him.

Now I would've called bullshit but I know about how based LRRP patrolmen can be so I chose to believe it.

Point is the saltdog just sat there with a smirk and sipped on bourbon the whole time, maybe it didnt bother, maybe hes had a long time to come to terms with his actions.

The world may never know

>>30930399
>why are some veterans more subject to PTSD than others?
So many options but the core is
Someone of a non sociopathic nature taking a life, or several over a period of time.

or

A side effect of successful conditioning of soldiers to see each other as a family unit, then watching the unit members die while being unable to do anything.

>>30936195
I still think you are misunderstanding the difference between natural and moral. animals rape the hell out of each other by human morality.

>>30931477
Those kids are goners anyway, best thing for em as long as you put them down quick. Thanks for your service m8

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>>30930873
Was literally going to post this.

>>30930660
I like you. You're cool.

>>30934222
>>30932732

Absolutely right. My girlfriend is a survivor of sexual abuse when she was young and losing control of ANYTHING makes her lose her shit. Really a good girl but my life is a living hell trying to be with her, word to the wise... Don't be me

>>30936590
I'd say at least you have someone, but that actually sounds kinda shitty

>>30930399
It's how they cope with it. As an EMS Provider, I am supposedly at high risk of PTSD and depression. I've seen an awful lot of bad things in the field, but it comes down to coping.

Everyone copes differently, and everyone's personality is going to react differently to the exposure to these horrific events, but for obvious reasons some methods are better than others. It also depends on the type of exposure. My understanding is most Veterans suffering from PTSD were non-combat troops, largely suffering because they chose non-combat jobs and their base was still attacked, or mortars landed too close for comfort. Now, this is only what I've heard/read on the matter, and this information could be false. In that instance, they were not prepared, or truly trained to accept that death was a likely part of their job so coming so close (Even if it is only in their minds that they came close) will trigger a traumatic experience for them.

Many will attempt to bury horrific images in a bottle of booze, or drugs, but this does not serve the problem. I've often heard the phrase in EMS that "A bartender is cheaper than a therapist". It's also a machismo thing. Talking it out is "weak" to a lot of people, but we as a society and a culture are starting to realize now that talking it out may legitimately be the only way to fix it.

You also have to take into account that some veterans have deployed 6, 7 or maybe even more times into horrible situations, the amount of things they've seen will compound. I hate to use the movie Hurt Locker here, since that movie was just awful, but for those that have seen it, remember when at the end he doesn't want to be home, he only wants to be deployed? That is a very real experience for many veterans, they don't know what to do at home, so they get scared and that can trigger PTSD as well.

Basically, how people process it, how they cope with it, and how they eventually treat it, if they treat it, is what determines the risk for

>>30934956
Holy shit man, I think that's where my relationship is going... Thank you for saying this I really need to end it because that shit where she hurts herself, the cops are called by the neighbors and they assume you hit her SUCKS

>>30936563
>by human morality
Exactly what you're getting wrong.

any pack or pod species exhibit behavior that could be construed as "moral" based.
The core of what humanity believe more is based in increasing the success of your own pack or pod.

Rape is bad and cause for expulsion, this is encouraged in any pair or poly-amorous bonding species from penguins to lions and it supports successful pairing

Murder is bad, Reducing the population of your pack is bad

Women are to be protected, physically Women tend to be more vulnerable, males have developed comabtive adaptions to lower fatalities in mating contests: eg the adams apple is a wind pipe shield

Stealing is bad, The pack distributes as it sees fit by whatever means deemed acceptable, in danger situations this choice tends to be based on best user, taking this and giving to the less capable is taking away from survival

Protect the elderly and infirm, pack based altruism based on the idea of more eyes to detect threats

>>30936305
Fake and gay

>>30936664
PTSD. People at risk of PTSD need immediate access to places to talk, and counseling which is not always available in the military (See: The VA being a fucking shithole clusterfuck). They also have to be willing to seek that help and counseling without there being repercussions in their work life, or family lives. Meaning that seeking help should not put the person on a watchlist, or a shortlist and should not mean losing benefits for their family or a paycheck. It also should be a stigma free situation for them, where hopefully their colleagues will not belittle or berate them for seeking that help. Especially in the military where servicemembers need to rely on their colleagues to protect their lives.

>>30931106

Born there, grew up there and now is an American.

I'm still surprised by how folks think nothing bad will happen to them while on vacation there. A lot of 'em can't believe shit I saw while growing up.

>>30930660
>works at a soup kitchen
>I am immune to PTSD, guys

>>30936747
Tourism is a very good stimulator of the Mexican economy. The cartels may be barbarous murderers and criminals, but they are also smart business men. They lose nothing stuffing drugs/bombs in a street urchin's corpse in their home town, but if they did it to a tourist, the resulting media outbreak just lost them thousands of customers.

>>30935256
Talk to paramedics or crime scene clean up teams some time. Same deal.

>>30936602
It sucks because she really is great and she's hot lol, but honestly it's a huge drain and I think it will only get worse, so I'm actually getting ready to break it off. I already moved out because it was getting so bad

a buddy of mine with the 173rd told me about an 18b he met. Guy got shot in the arm. He yelled "fuck you, dude!" And shot back at the house that the bullets came from. He ended up hitting the guy about four times before he stopped shooting. That is a bad mofo I would never want to come across.

>>30934222
Really id say it's a lot like what happens with extreme psychadelics experiences. You are put into a situation where your ego is challenged by something out of your control and you can either accept it and deal with your situation or your ego refuses to accept the limited amount of control an individual has in life an they go coocoo.

>>30936961
Haha aad bas

>>30934985
>unironically using (((human being)))

Gas yourself, you fucking kike

My theory is a lower sense of foresight.

In WW2 a British MAJ Wigram spent a lot of time in italy observing infantry battalions in the field to assist him in implementing the battle drill concept in training. He wrote a controversial short paper that got him into trouble, and summed up part of it with this:

The average British Army platoon would almost invariably be 25% "gutful," men who would go anywhere and do anything, 50% "sheep," men who would follow closely behind if well lead, and about 25% "cowards," who quickly ran or became ineffectual once the fighting started.

His observations also noted that those few real fighters did not last long as they performed dangerous acts that got them killed eventually. He also noticed the progress of the unit itself would slow when they died until another "real fighter" came in.

My dad and two uncles have been LEOs for 15-20 years and told many stories and observations that also had a pattern. The most dangerous men were people who seemed to have little to no foresight, engaging in actions that would likely lead to death and injury, but made them incredibly dangerous and difficult to deal with.

So tldr a sort lesser fear of death due to limited foresight.

>>30933060
/fit/ is currently having a stroke over this guy and desu his pic kinda scares me a little. Wtf did he do?
Who is he?

>>30936822
Oh god, a friend of mine is a paramedic and he has one of the darkest senses of humor I've ever seen. He was one of the first to respond to the shooting at Umpqua Community College and when I talked to him the next day he was just joking about the whole thing and said that the only real thought he had going through his mind at the time was that he was really hungry.

>>30937412
That's not really about PTSD, but I've seen that sort of stuff in a lot of different places. Think about it at any sort of workplace - there's the one guy who'll actually go do things, the large group that'll follow his lead (once he starts doing the things), and then there's those who just don't want to do anything at all.

I've seen it in BBwarz as well - it's usually just two sides plinking at each other from behind trees, and then an idiot shows up and starts shouting lines from Patton at them to get them to move forward while waving a handgun at his own team for "motivation" while standing upright in the open, and then they actually do shit for a while until the idiot quoting Patton gets shot, and then they go to hiding behind trees again.

And no, I have no idea who that idiot would be.

>>30930399
Severity of PTSD as inverse correlation of sociopathy indicators. But that's only part of it. Some humans are just raised or learned to work out trauma by relying on others, seeking the comfort and security provided by relationships. Not all of us are that fortunate. A lot of my friends were blown up or had the potential to be blown up. The ones who take it the hardest are the ones who try to handle their suffering alone and in secret.

All the anons in this thread who say PTSD is first world privilege or whatever can shut the FUCK up. If you're an American, raised in the first world, then go to war and see or do fucked up shit: get help. You are my brother, you are my sister. Get off 4chan and talk to someone honestly about your thoughts and fears. You have to do it.

Where is Ricky when you need him.

>>30935182
To me that sounds really hot, I want her so hard.

>>30935847
>My general impression of interacting with guys in special operations and guys with CIBs are usually pretty humble and cool.
>We have some full nasty girl NCOs who haven't done shit but talk about having bloodlust and shit.
That's pretty normal. Paraphrasing another /k/-tard, "If someone you know has stories of being an elite killer, they're a full-of-shit neverserved. If they have stories about being boot-deep in untreated sewage or animal dung, they're probably legit"

because in his day people weren't raised to be spineless whiners like they are today.

>>30930399
It depends on the person

Even in the case of "hardened" veterans I saw a marine who was in fallujah and nasiryah freeze the fuck up and lose his shit in a firefight in AFG.

theres a lot of factors that go into this kind of thing.

>>30939334
to add I think I had some sort of temporary PTSD coming back from my first deployment.

I was on leave, just got back and was driving my car at night, for the second half of my deployment I was an MRAP driver, the only first vic driver in my battalion that didnt hit an IED, I came across many but stopped just in time because I was attentive and knew the warning signs, so I my time as a driver I was always paranoid about when it would be "my time". Anywho driving home from a buddies house and there were rocks lined up horizontally across the road which is one of the identifiers. I freaked the fuck out, stopped my car in the middle of the road and started looking for my helmet which I obviously didnt have. Then I calmed down and went home.

When a balloon popped at walmart I took a knee, that was kind of funny.

At a buddies house he just started pulling up firefight videos because he thought it was cool and I had a panic attack.

But after about 2 or 3 months nothing else happened, whereas I know dudes who I though were way more of hardasses than me have serious problems.

>>30939197
What is Ajax?
You think stress related mental disorders are a new thing?

>>30930559
SEALs don't do 15 months in kandahar.


That said it just depends on your mindset, upbringing, people you surround yourself with and copping habits.

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>>30930544
I like your style, Anon.

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>>30930399
All honesty I think besides what everyone else has said the main thing is time. The more time you spend in a place where youre always on alert, scared, and stressed out. Youre kicking in doors for 12 hours a day for basically 6 months out of the year where people are trying to kil you will get to some people. Its a hard transition especially for people from here where you dont have to worry about a fucking rocket attack coming in at 3am.

>>30930399
Because many vets are POGs exaggerating what was an extended camping trip/vacation

>>30935182
niceee