The Immutable Gloom of War

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Recommended: War and post-traumatic stress disorder medical sciences

Humming to myself, I wait at the bus stop. The day is warm, the sky is a fine blue, and the vibe of the Chandler Down Town area is the same as always. I sit there, waiting for the bus to arrive, when suddenly, from the corner of my eye I notice a man. He is in a dark green trench coat, he has a grey beanie on his head, and some old, baggy jeans. He is walking with a grocery cart, which appears to be filled with his belongings. Among those belongings I manage to see an old military cap with ribbons on it and some sort of uniform on the side. I have seen men like him before, walking around with stubbled beards, matted hair, and a lost look in their eyes. However, this particular man stood out to me. Not because of his appearance and not because he was a veteran, but because of what he was doing. He had passed me and was waiting at the corner of the street to cross, but as he was standing there, he was talking to himself. He was looking directly down into the cart and to his left, and having this whole conversation with no one. The people at the bus stop starred at him with pity, some even with disgust. Others that were also waiting on the street corner to cross, looked away as if he wasn’t even there, and others stepped away from him. I myself didn’t know what to think of it, but all I could do was stare, not with pity, but with curiosity.
To think of how war was able to cause veterans so many mental health issues that made it harder for them to interact normally in society. It is upsetting and intimidating, especially when disorders such as Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and substance use disorder (SUB) cause them to lose their mind slightly, if not completely, use drugs, and ...

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...terans to come back to a changed society after so much trauma.Those feelings and memories must have been painful to face so, although those horrific recollections of war may be different now then they were in World War II, when it comes to the veterans, the issues they face once they are home is the same, and not even a nice warm day, with a fine blue sky, could change that fact.

Works Cited

SAMHSA. "Behavioral Health Issues Among Afghanistan and Iraq U.S. War Veterans." Http:// store.samhsa.gov. Department of Health and Human Services USA, 2012. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
"U.S. Soldiers Face Host of Mental Health Issues." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Williamson, Vanessa, and Erin Mulhall. Invisible Wounds: Psychological and Neurological Injuries Confront a New Generation of Veterans. Rep. IAVA, Jan. 2009. Web. 18 Jan. 2014.

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