Spiritual Alienation

Life AFTER War or... !

To take a look at how Trauma may open a door to spirituality visit the following page!

Do you have anger, fears and personal struggles at home? Feel depressed about life and its outcome for you. I have and I'm still working on those problems myself! Even 30 Years after Vietnam!! Check out some personal information and what I'm doing about these Problems myself!

What the HELL is "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder " or PTSD anyway (Long Form)? Visit this page to get general information about what it is and how it effects veterans, and other people that have experienced a traumatic event in their life.

Have you run into a series of Health Problems over the last few years? Take a look at this fact sheet page for some general information on this topic. Do you have difficulties with your Family Life too? Emotional numbing closes you to sharing your feeling! Why do I feel that I will never live to retirement age? Why can't I forgive myself for the acts I saw or took part in during my tour of duty

Hope Rides Alone[KIA]
Freedom Feels Good[KIA]
God's Basic Training' Coming Under Fire
Even Chaplains need refreshment classes.

The following is a quote from
The Vietnam Veterans BIBLE.

Vietnam... a tiny nation nestled in the jungles of southeast Asia.
Vietnam... a war in which America lost 58 thousand PLUS lives.
Vietnam... an event decades ago, which time cannot erase or gloss over.
Vietnam... a place where boys were transformed into men and heroes made!

• IT was unreal. On a Tuesday I was locked in a life-and-death struggle in a jungle country next to nowhere. A few days later, after my discharge, I was having lunch at McDonald's, in clean and safe American suburbia, and thought everything was all right in the world. I couldn't handle it and became filled with anger.
• In Nam I saw buddies die, blown away right next to me. Another guy lost his legs on a mine, one of ours. I'll never forget, and I'll never be the same. I can answer a lot of questions about the war, but here's one I can't... Why them and not Me?
• I guess you could say that I've lived in quiet desperation- alone with my past, shut up inside. NO one knows... or cares.
• They're indelible in my memory and nightmares... the images of Nam - smells, sounds, rain, thick humidity, relentless jungle. And the children begging in the city and crying in the villages. The screams, distant thunder of bombs and the deadly silence.
  

Where was God in Vietnam?

Faced with the realities and brutalities of war, it's natural to wonder where God was. If he really cares about us, how could he allow such a thing? Did God go AWOL?
Too begin to answer these difficult questions, we must go back to creation. There God created human beings with a "will," the ability to follow him and live his way or to go off on our own. Since Adam and Eve, we have consistently turned away from God. Unfortunately, history is littered with the results of humanity's self-centered disobedience and independence. God doesn't start wars, people do - fueled by self-interest, blind hatred, and retaliation.
God is not to blame for Vietnam. Sinful individuals and nations are! And God was not absent. He was there and in control. Instead of being AWOL, he kept men and women alive, and brought them safely through for a purpose.
In the midst of any kind of torment or struggle, it may be difficult to see God. But he is there, working in your circumstances. And what God wants most of all is to have a personal relationship with you.

Doubting God?

His purpose in all of this is that they should seek after God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him - though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and are! As one of your own poets says it, "WE are the sons of God" Acts 17: 27-28.

Personal humor: Navy SEAL teaches the instructor God's Time is Precious

Can I come home? Letter from father of Marine who did not make it] KIA
Most depression is a result of what counselors call "frozen anger," or anger turned inward.

A person may become angry with someone or with a situation over which they have no control. They feel powerless, and anger begins to build inside. But without a healthy outlet for these feeling, they begin to take it out on themselves, turning their anger inward. As a result, they may become verbally aggressive, depressive, and even suicidal.

And if the pain becomes too great, they may turn to what they thing will kill the pain, like alcohol and drugs.

In the military, you were taught to kill. To do this, you probably learned to dehumanize and hate the enemy. Rage pulled many soldiers through combat.

Vietnam was filled with many other reasons for anger: the conditions, the suffering, the war itself. Your anger may have been multiplied by the apathy and anti-war sentiments at home and your reception when you returned.

What did you do with this anger? You kept quiet, suppressing your true feeling, and turned it inside.

The first step for curing depression is to recognizer its root cause - to identify the anger producing situations. Think through your experiences and pay attention to how you react emotionally to each one.

The next step is to talk to God about your feelings, telling him all about why you feel the way you do. That's the heart of prayer… being honest with God. You may have to confess something you've done, ask for guidance and direction, or ask for the power to forgive and forget.

As you open up to God, he will forgive you, begin to bring healing, and give you insight into what you should do next. Of course, then it's important to do what you know he is leading you to do.

Also, you may want to consult with a trained Christian counselor. A counselor can help you find the cause for your depression and work through your feelings.

Depressed?