FOB Tacoma points us to an article last week in USA Todayfeaturing General Carter Ham, who was the commander of Task Force Olympia in Mosul during 2003-2004. Ham, who now commands all American forces in Europe, talks about his decision to seek counseling for PTSD.
"You need somebody to assure you that it's not abnormal," Ham says. "It's not abnormal to have difficulty sleeping. It's not abnormal to be jumpy at loud sounds. It's not abnormal to find yourself with mood swings at seemingly trivial matters. More than anything else, just to be able to say that out loud."
The willingness of Ham, one of the military's top officers, to speak candidly with USA TODAY for the first time about post-traumatic stress represents a tectonic shift for a military system in which seeking such help has long been seen as a sign of weakness.
It's also a recognition of the seriousness of combat stress, which can often worsen to become post-traumatic stress disorder.
General Ham Interview
FOB Tacoma points us to an article last week in USA Todayfeaturing General Carter Ham, who was the commander of Task Force Olympia in Mosul during 2003-2004. Ham, who now commands all American forces in Europe, talks about his decision to seek counseling for PTSD.
"You need somebody to assure you that it's not abnormal," Ham says. "It's not abnormal to have difficulty sleeping. It's not abnormal to be jumpy at loud sounds. It's not abnormal to find yourself with mood swings at seemingly trivial matters. More than anything else, just to be able to say that out loud."
The willingness of Ham, one of the military's top officers, to speak candidly with USA TODAY for the first time about post-traumatic stress represents a tectonic shift for a military system in which seeking such help has long been seen as a sign of weakness.
It's also a recognition of the seriousness of combat stress, which can often worsen to become post-traumatic stress disorder.
