For me, there is the fear of losing my freedom that makes me appreciate what I have now. It’s good to see the resistance reclaiming the Stars and Stripes. Maybe we should all fly the flag as a statement that we don’t want to lose America to a bunch of billionaires who only see our nation and its people as a source to fill their need for greed.
Music:
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot
(Ooh, bop-bop-bop-bop, ooh, bop-bop-bop-bop)
Obviously I have mixed feelings about July 4th this year and I don’t think I’m alone.
One thing I won’t do though, is contribute to the use of illegal fireworks. I’m talking about the missiles and mortars that can set whole neighborhoods a blaze.
I’m also thinking about my veteran brothers and sisters who suffer from PTSD.
A few years ago, when troops were feeling the effects from wars in the Middle East a veteran’s group came out with signs that vets could put up in their yard.
I don’t know if those signs asking for cooperation in not setting off the big stuff did any good. Most combat vets will flee the scene when the fourth arrives because the PTSD symptoms are too hard to deal with.
“All of a sudden, out of nowhere, there's a giant boom. Those triggers, those cues bring back the unwanted thoughts and nightmares.“
This doctor specializes in the treatment of combat veterans with PTSD. He’s heard from many about the problem with fireworks.
“How do they respond? You might find them on the ground. You know, they're on the ground in a defensive position.”
Vet:
“My reaction is to squat, to drop down and just put my hands over my head.”
“And everybody's looking at him.”
“What's wrong with you, dude? I mean, this is just a fireworks display.”
Vet:
“They laugh.”
“People look at the veteran like they're weird instead of understanding that this is a symptom of their disorder.”
Vet:
“You don't know what I'm thinking when something like that goes off.”
Jim Adams is a Navy veteran who now works for the Veteran’s Administration as a counselor.
“Combat is always one of the most horrible things anyone can ever imagine or ever think about. And those who have been in it act differently after that when they come home. As I mentioned, I could just get off the phone with one of my dearest friends and he has trouble with it, but he tells me it's no problem. My wife and I go somewhere else. There's places for them to turn.
We have various entities that are available to them and they just get on our website and they can find that and they know where to turn,”
Some veterans turn away from the 4th of July forever.
“We don't celebrate the fourth, really, because it's not a celebration to me. The things I saw, the things I heard and experienced, it replays and situations and noises and smells here trigger those things to replay. It's very hard because I can't control it and I don't know when it's coming. It's not something that I can feel or predict. Especially since I can't predict the one thing, the main thing that's causing the reaction, the fireworks.
And since I can't control that, I can't control the situation.”
This VA Psychiatrist says it’s important for the vet to deal with the problem, not just avoid it.
“The problem is that if it persists or you react to it, if you go down in your basement and stay all the time in your basement and don't come out with your bottle of Jack Daniels, that's not good for you or your family or your work.“
But it’s a tough call for a combat veteran who paid a high price for our freedom. They want to celebrate but can’t do much about all of those fireworks and how it makes him feel.
“Brings back everything that I think about every day, but I don't intentionally. The sights, the sounds, the smells, even. I don't want people to not celebrate.“
But the Fourth of July parade this year might look and sound a little different.
Music out:
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sounds of silence"
I’m Mike Turner
Thank you for listening.
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