22FA_IDS142C-Living a Life of Significance

I wouldn't have known these many details about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder if it weren't for the stories told within the book.  In our modern society, we take PTSD seriously of course.  However, in our modern society, we look past logical ways of treating veterans who suffer from "shell shock."

I wouldn't have my own solution because I'm not a doctor.  Based on what I read, I think Junger meant that if people in their communities were less separated by choice and came together automatically by nature, it wouldn't be as big of a problem.  We respect veterans for what they have done for the citizens they protect, but most of us couldn't imagine what a lot of them have to go through before and after the battlefield.  

In the first pages of this chapter Junger explains the moment he realised to have a post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He describes having panic attacks when in confined spaces after returning from the war in Afghanistan. This experience was then followed by dreams that triggered a lot of pain in him . After this experiences he understood that his post traumatic disorder was manifesting in an entirely interior manner because, outside the war, there were no context in which war could be kept in common with other people. Later in the chapter he talks about long term and acute PTSD and the risks of developing it. Acute PTSD makes mammals reactive to danger and keeps them safe until a threat has passed, on the other hand long term PTSD is uncommon and inappropriate. One of the most traumatic events that a soldier can experience that could lead to PTSD is witnessing harm to others, even to the enemy. Combat veterans reported that killing an enemy soldier, or even witnessing one get killed, was more distressing than being wounded themselves. He also states that a person's chance of getting chronic PTSD is related to their experiences before going to war. For Junger the problem with PTSD is not the trauma of the war but the American society, the stress of social isolation that exceeds event the stress of combat. America society needs more unity and social connectedness in peacetimes.

Chapter 3 mainly talks about PTSD, and what soldiers have to deal with returning from war. These soldiers that returned, they didn't get the help they needed. Instead, they were congratulated, and told what a brave job they did. I have a better understanding now why soldiers don't necessarily like that treatment. For example, on page 88 its states, "Today, most disability claims are for hearing lost, tinnitus, and PTSD-the latter two of which can be imagined, exaggerated, or even faked." These people have no idea what they just went through. I think these soldiers were freaked out by all this emotion. They are still in shock for the most part, and this kind of stress doesn't make it any better. What veterans need is support and help. They need help restarting their lives. They need help adapting back to society. I mean, these soldiers can't relate to anyone when they go back home. No one has any idea what kinds of disasters and damage they had to deal with. 

At the end of Tribe Junger dove deep into why Modern American society is the problem when American veterans come home not the trauma the veterans have experienced. Veterans come back to a world that victimizes them and pushes them away from a productive lifestyle. Being unproductive and losing their sense of community veterans turn into the struggling victims that American society portrays them as. What I took out of this was non veterans are the problem in Veterans recovering from their PTSD. 

Chapter 3 goes heavy into PTSD and how it wasn't pushed until years after 9/11. Also how every soldier has a different type of PTSD , which I didn't know was possible. But his PTSD experience wasn't so much trauma but more of he was more emotional after the fact. And instead of trying to get veterans back into the society they just get offered payments as if the government is just trying to sweep these things under the rug. And they accept the payments because what else are they going to do ? Like Junger says " A society that doesn't distinguish between degrees of trauma can't expect its warriors to either. 

Chapter 3 of tribe is mainly about ptsd. Most soldiers suffer from short term ptsd and the ones that had long term ptsd, either had terrible childhoods or feel alienated and unaccepted in society. He talks about how PTSD for soldiers is much different than ptsd for rape victims because some things in war are important and worth remembering. He also mentions that because America is so separated from most wars, we can't relate to the soldiers at all making it even harder for them to return to society. He then speaks on the fact that rather than just thanking veterans, and giving them discounts and compensation, we should instead make them feel important and necessary in society like they felt when they were deployed. Some veterans would also take advantage of the compensation which is terrible especially for the people that truly needed it. Veterans need to be embraced and given meaning and purpose after the war, rather than just thanked and forgotten about.

Throughout chapter 3 of Tribe, Junger highlights the importance of having a sense of belonging when coming back from war. He also explains how PTSD can show up in many different ways and forms, depending on factors like how you were raised, if you've lost a loved one, or even if you weren't held enough as a child, you are more likely to develop anxiety tendencies that connect to PTSD later on in life. People often wonder why soldiers have difficulty adjusting to society when returning from war. Junger attempts to answer this question by saying, "... the individualized lifestyles that those technologies spawn seem to be deeply brutalizing to the human spirit... we are an anti-human society." We have been able to see firsthand how technology has made us as a society become isolated. History proves that having people around that you have a true connection with in your day-to-day life, you feel safer and you feel like you belong. Junger reiterates this time and time again throughout this book because war brings people together on a deeper level, the second that bond or connection starts to fade, you feel alone. The soldiers that come back from war don't have anyone to connect with, because no one here relates to what they have been through on that battlefield. We have never had a war fought on our own land in modern society. Because of this, we don't truly know what it's like to form a bond with someone over war, we don't truly understand what these men have been through. But when they do come back, it is almost like we, as a society, put a spotlight on these men because they DID decide to fight for us, causing them to feel more isolated. All these men truly want is a connection and possibly a job so they feel like they're playing their part in society again. 

In Iroquois society, women would choose leaders known as "Sachems" who would lead in peaceful times. However, once war broke out, masculine wartime leaders would take center stage who only cared about the tribe's survival. This leans into the idea of gender roles (the reactionary heroics of males vs the moral heroism that women would display), and the concept of of survival time leaders vs emotion al leaders that was discussed in chapter 2. In addition, the idea of having different leaders during times of war can be tied into the argument that modern society alienates soldiers compared to the Native American lifestyle. Wartime trauma in Native warriors healed much faster than in the modern soldier due to the entire native society undergoing the trauma with the warriors while American soldiers are put on a pedestal they don't wish to be upon. On page 84, Junger discuses how, "decade after decade and war after war, American combat deaths have generally dropped while disability claims have risen' which indicates a dramatic rise in PTSD in soldiers. I personally believe this is due to a lack of adversity in American Society. According to Matthew Friedman, 54% of psychiatric patients during WWII met criteria for PTSD (Friedman, et al. 267) which is high, but not as high and post 9/11 rates. A 2020 survey done by Cumberland Heights, a recovery center in Nashville, TN, found found that 83% of all US veterans & active duty service personnel have experienced PTSD-like symptoms since 9/11, "as a result of their military service." (Cumberland Heights). In WWII times everyone made a war effort as it was in order to protect American values and domestic tranquility while in the modern day, society goes on even while we're at war.

Friedman, Matthew J, et al. “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In The Military Veteran.” https://doi.org/https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/articles/article-pdf/id12012.pdf. 

"PTSD Statistics | How Many Veterans Have PTSD?". Cumberland Heights, 2021, https://www.cumberlandheights.org/blogs/ptsd-statistics-veterans/.

In Tribe Chapter 3 Junger talks about PTSD- short term, long term, causes, how to avoid it and many other elements of it. Junger talks about how most soldiers actually suffer from short term PTSD not long term and those who do suffer long term may have been affected by a experience prior to war. The chapter continues to talk about PTSD and how it affects our soldiers but then leads into what we can do as a society to make things better. On page 100 it talks about how we don't give jobs to our veterans, we don't make our veterans feel necessary in society anymore, and we make our veterans feel like outcast. The chapter provides insight into this situation that really instead of taking our veterans back into our society, it is as we are pushing them out. Our veterans are forced into isolation and don't have the tribal brotherhood feeling that they did during times of war. 

In chapter 3 Junger starts off by talking about how vets come home with missing the war and is feeling alienated from the normal world. On page 77 he says " War also inspires ancient human virtues of courage, loyalty, and selflessness that can be utterly intoxicating to people who have experience them." in this quote I feel like he's saying that in war the men and women who are deployed, gain courage from severing their country and loyalty to their unit that they are with and the selfishness that he talks about is how they will do anything for their country and their war buddies. He then switches the topic about how they have PTSD from their trauma combined with the closeness they miss from war. He then switches to the topic of how some veterans are faking being mentally scared from war only to get a check from the government.The vets that are suffering PTSD and are looking for help but are either to scared to get it or they are scared that they will lash out on the vets who are milking the system claiming that they are suffering but in reality they're only their to get 100% mentally disable to get a tax free check of 3,000$ from the government. He gives a statistic that the US military has the highest rate of PTSD in the history of its existence. (pg.88) Going back to page 80 he compares PTSD and Rape, in this comparison he says that rape is far more traumatic than anyone that has been deployed, but rape victims and survivors PTSD goes down way faster and more significantly that a war vet. This reason is because war vets have positive experiences while in the war like the close friends that they have and the good times they have while being deployed, while rape victims only have negative experiences. 

The sudden change of surroundings, having to fear for your life alongside comrades, and then once the task is over, going back into modern society is a harsh change that often shakes up any vet. As mentioned on page 74, PTSD is simply the brain staying alert to protect the body from possible harm. This is a trauma response, but where does this stem from? When looking at page 84, Junger mentions that the treatment methods for those with PTSD are different for veterans than those who experience other forms of trauma because they have many good memories attached to the bad ones; memories they cannot bear to leave behind. This is due to, mentioned on page 85, the theory of unit cohesion - a strong emotional connection to the unit in a time of intense danger; for survival purposes. Once they come back into society Junger writes, they no longer have that connection with those around them, and therefore are alienated and make the transition back nearly impossible. 

In chapter three of tribe, I think Junger really highlights how effectively people function in a warlike society. He points out that it comes naturally to us. Junger also mentions more about PTSD, and how soldiers aren’t used to a relaxed way of life.

In chapter 3 of Tribe Junger identifies that society tears apart tribes because of how alienated everything is. It is also brought to our attention how society truly does not come together until there is so much chaos that the only thing you can do is rely on one another. Junger talks about how in war there was a sense of brotherhood and that is missed when they come back home because society is so distant, they rather be back at war.

In chapter 3 of Tribe, Junger intertwines wartime trauma and the society as well as diving deeper into PTSD. He explains multiple times that the closer the society is to war, the easier time these soldiers have adjusting to the society because there is a "shared public meaning of war". He also analyses the system in which veterans are victimized when arriving back to society from war instead of helped and healed from their trauma.

How PTSD works and why are there factors that contribute it?  Soldiers or veterans want to have a "tribe" when they come back how are we able to provide that for them and what are ways we can do to help. One thing that stuck out was civilians thanking soldiers or veterans for their service. My dad and sister does not like hearing it for the same reason being in the book " what are you thanking me for", I had someone thank me for my service using my military i.d. for a discount, that said a lot. Another point in the book how we are meant to be close to each other which would explain how disasters bring us closer as a society but we rarely come together when it is outside of a disaster we are are focused on ourselves and being alienated from others.