Monday, February 25, 2013
War, part 3
Okay, there are still several things to consider. Comment on one of the following 2 ideas - either discuss your thoughts on the so-called "piss-tube moments" that Brendan O'Byrne talked about with Money or the humor soldiers use as a defense mechanism. Do these moments help the soldiers while in dangerous situations? Does the humor help give them better perspective on their predicaments? Finally, everyone should comment on the thought about what these soldiers do when they get home. What type of challenges do they face? How will they deal with those who did not make it back home alive? How will they deal without the constant adrenaline rushes? Let's make this one due on Wednesday, March 6.
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The humor the soldiers use as a defense mechanism help them in dangerous situations. It helps by once they kill an enemy soldier, they cheer and have a fiesta. Not because they killed a guy, but because that man won't be fighting with them again. The humor makes them have a more positive perspective. The decisions they make seem to be a little more easier with the humor.
ReplyDeleteWhen the soldiers get back home they will face challenges such as post traumatic stress disorder. They might also face the challenges of going back to an "ordinary life." They were just off killing the enemy, how can you just go from killing people, to having a calm laid back life. It seems like a very difficult challenge. They will also think back on the soldiers that didn't get home. They trained with them for months, and fought in combat with them and grew a brotherhood with one another. Losing someone you're that close too is not easy. The constant adrenaline rushes is a little difficult. They could take part in adrenaline rushing activities, such as jumping out of airplanes. Or just something extreme like that. These are the struggles these veterans may face coming back to the "ordinary world."
-Connor Lanoie
When soldiers use humor as a defense mechanism it helps them in dangerous situations in war. When they have to kill someone they can either be sad and become depressed, or they can use humor and cover up the sadness for the time being so they continue with their job. The humor also gives them a more positive perspective on the war. Tad Donoho, for instance, seemed completely fine and at times even giggled. All the other men during their interview were either serious or emotional. Donoho was not as emotional and I believe this is because he used humor as a defense mechanism. Humor is also a good way to cope with all the things that you have seen and done once you get back home.
ReplyDeleteOnce the soldiers get home it will be difficult for them to adjust back into our society. Being in such a aggressive and dangerous area for so long and then coming back home to a more comfortable place is a big transition. Also, it would be very difficult to come home with out some of your brothers who you trained and deployed with. Their probably is no clear way to get over the loss of someone who you have lost in war. Dealing with adrenaline rushes are another difficult thing to transition into our society since they won't be running around like they did in war. I think that the easiest way to cope with this would be to participate in different physical activities to get out all adrenaline.
Gilisa Paternina
After engaging in firefights, shooting and being shot at, and living in some of the worst conditions imaginable, soldiers develop a sense of brotherhood that roots itself deep into who they are not individually but as a unit. One demonstration of their deep connections between one another is their senses of humor. We must keep in mind that although they are soldiers these men are still human and need to develop ways of coping with death, violence, and just plain boredom. Comic relief serves as a perfect way to express emotions while at the same time taking a psychological break from the mentally taxing aura of war. “Jones wandering around the outpost wearing a fake afro with a purple plastic pick jammed in the back” is one example of how soldiers make light of their very serious situations without having to keep their emotions bottled up inside them. Another example of how they use comedic relief as a coping mechanism was when “Donoho would pretend to see obstacles on night patrols and climb over them so he could watch the next guy in line try to do the same thing.” These few examples although they are funny are also tragic in a way. Consider the fact that we laugh at their “mom jokes” and sister jokes because we get to return to a normal life after hearing them. We can tell our moms and sisters that we were just joking, hug them, and tell them that we love them. The soldiers on the other hand have to realize that after they make a joke their situation reminds them that the circumstances they face are anything but a joke.
ReplyDeleteAside from dealing with hardships in the war soldiers’ struggles don’t end just because they return to American soil. Upon arriving home many soldiers develop serious psychological issues such as PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder. Other soldiers like in the case of Jones “think the rattling of the pipes when he ran the water sounded just like the .50” he had shot while on duty. Others still are overcome with worry for their fellow brothers who remained in combat without them even for only periods of 18 days! Junger pointed out that war was “the type of combat where one man could make all the difference, but you couldn’t be that man if you were home partying with your friends.” From what I read, hear about, and witness from personal experience all soldiers cope differently with the drastic change from tent to apartment building, enemies to friends, and chaos to virtual calm. Some soldiers have seen the most unimaginable sights and survived situations that left them scared both mentally and physically and cannot sit in quiet or shut their eyes because those horrific memories rush to the back of their eyelids without hesitation. Thus, there is no denying that no matter what a soldier went through in combat the transition from soldier to civilian is in no way a smooth one.
---Nick Palumbo
When someone even you are in a negative mood or did something bad alot of people may think of it in a humorous way because it will lighten up their mood. Such a time would be when they might be close to death or think of such a moment it doesn't stay with them because they think of a funny moment in thier life. It's better to get rid of your worst memory by having humor because other wise people everywhere would be paranoid or depressed.
ReplyDeleteFinally the chalanges a soldier might face when they get home would of course be some questions from those who have never experienced it and ask questions that might bring up deaths the soldier might have seen. Other things that could be a problem is death's of comrades because one thing is that you could have seen him die right infront of you. Alot of veterans have ptsd and suffer from it greatly because of what they have seen through there time out in war such as comrades exploding even because of explosives. There is also those who have to deal with the lack of an adreniline rush which can be dealed with by having such thrills like a roller coaster or such but it still could be more of a connection that he had with his comrades. Lastly there is that connection he will have with those he fought with in the war which he may feel to be like a closer family than his real one which could happen.
-Jesus Garcia
Soldiers us the humor of war as a coping mechanism to keep mental stability in a war zone. After a high stress situation such as a fire fight where they could be potentially killed or their comrades could be killed mental instability sets in like depression. Making was seem humorous lovers the stress of these situations making it easier on the mind's of the solders involved. A less mentally impaired soldier will make better decisions and make it less likely for another stressful situation to take hold.
ReplyDeleteSecondly soldiers going home face many problems when coming back home. PTSD is a serious problem that faces many returning soldiers. They have reoccuring nightmares that make it difficult to sleep and function in normal daily life. Soldier cope with this by joining support groups or meetingup with other former soldiers.
-Colin Krohto
During times of deployment soldiers use humor as a was to deal with their state. During deployment soldiers are put under a tremendous deal of stress, fear, and discipline. One way to cope with these emotions is through humor. This is because a little laughter and humor is always enough to bring a smile to somebodies face even through the worst of times. Also when soldiers come home from wartime they're faced with a great deal of issues. These include trouble sleeping, PTSD, stress, flashbacks, etc. They come back with all these issues just for doing a job and theres not to much that can be done about it. Sure you can take medicine and other things but NOTHING will get rid of that flashback of your fellow soldier being shot and killed in front of your eyes and you not being able to do anything about it. One way to get over the hump of fallen comrades is through speaking to other soldiers that have been through the same thing, or possibly seeing a therapist.
ReplyDelete-Ben Guyette
To defeat the “bad guys,” they must be killed. To kill the bad guys, the army needs soldiers that can perform and operate. To perform and operate, the soldiers must be not just physically able, but mentally as well. To keep their mental health up, the soldiers use humor. The humor that they use to not only keep themselves from becoming psychotic, but to also kill the bad guys, ultimately affects the outcome of the war. Without this sense of humor and camaraderie, the men would never be able to cope with the pressures of war. No matter how trained the soldiers are, without any alleviation to the constant burdens that they face, could destroy their mental well-being. Even the stereotypical “G.I. Joe super soldier” needs this humor. It is not just something to pass the time in war; it is a necessity to war.
ReplyDeleteAfter the horror (or the fun) of deployment is over, soldiers do not come home to a simple life whatsoever. All soldiers return home a different person regardless of what they may say. War changes everyone. Some may suffer from minor incongruities such as a bit of extra edginess, while others may suffer from PTSD. I myself have seen the effects of war on a person. My grandfather, a Vietnam War veteran, has told me many times of the nightmares that haunt him on many nights. The vividness of these dreams are vastly superior to regular dreams. The flashbacks are recordings of the atrocities of war that are set on replay, rather than just something the brain has conjured up by itself. This makes them more than just nightmares. They are experiences to the person. Experiences that are forced upon them when they try to seek solace in their own mind.
The men use humor as a defense mechanism during and after war to cover up how deeply the violence and deaths have impacted them. While deployed they use this so that they are still mentally able to function and complete their tour. When they return back to the States humor is used so that they can seemingly slip back into a "normal" life, however many of the people who use this mechanism have a breaking pont and are better off not talking about what actually happened.
ReplyDelete-Sarah Kennedy
The soldiers use this humor as a way of trying to cope with whatever impact the war has had on them. In battle, the soldiers are under a lot of stress which affects them tremendously. They use humor as a way of trying to make these stressful moments seem less stressful, and it takes some of the pressure off of them in a way. When they go home, they use humor so that they can appear to be normal to everyone else. They have a lot of issues related to PTSD, which makes normal life harder than it use to be. They also have to learn to live with the fact that some people they new while they were there did not make it back. This can be overcame by them overtime, because there isn't much else they can do about it.
ReplyDeleteNick DeGennaro
I think that humor is a healthy way for the soldiers to protect themselves. When they use humor they are defending themselves from the truths of what they are doing and they need some happiness and relaxation. When using humor they are using it as a defense mechanism it is shedding light on what happened but in a better way. It helps them over come what happens and makes it easier for them to stay sane so they can still fight and protect themselves and others.
ReplyDeleteWhen the soldiers get home they are now faced with a whole bunch of new problems. Some develop PTSD or others are always freaking out, to start a normal life again though they need to find away to get back to some sort of normal functioning state. They should use their family to support them when needed. The soldiers can meet up with the people in their platoon to talk it over after the war, they all need to find ways to express themselves in a healthy way so they can get back their families and not be so jumpy and stressed all the time. It is hard but they can recover and find ways to relieve the pains of war.
-Pamela Whatley
I believe that these so called "piss-tube" moments ate very important for a soldier to have while deployed for active combat. This is because it allows the soldiers to take everything going on around them and attempt to make sense of it. War is a disease to the mind of soldiers fighting in active duty. Many traumatic events they face while in duty can be caried with them for the rest of their lives. Soldiers who don't properly cope with the stress that they are put under can often become mindless killing machines. A "piss tube" moment can allow a soldier to stop and think through different perspectives. An example of this would be considering how to the enemy that you are at war with, they think that you're the bad guy and the reason that they are fighting against you is justified. Without rational thinking such as these moments our own trained soldiers can turn into monsters. An example of this is in the movie Platoon when the U.S soldiers go into the village and terrorize the people living there. That is why "piss-tube"moments are so important to have.
ReplyDelete-Ryan Brehio
And also when a soldier returns home it can be very difficult. A common thing to happen to veterans is PTSD. A good example of the difficulties returning home is in the movie The Hurt Locker where one soldier returns home from the war and cannot decide what cereal to pick because he is overwhelmed by the amount of choices. So he ends up re-enlisting in the army. It's little things like that which make returning home so difficult for soldiers.
Delete-Ryan Brehio
Soldiers can use humor as a way to relieve some of their stress. When they are constantly being put into predicaments where their life is in danger keeping a clear head can be one of the most important things they can do. If someone were to constantly be thinking about all the negatives in their life and how rough they have it, it could drive anyone crazy. Not only that but it would push them to become more and more depressed, and when your life is in jeopardy, keeping a clear head and being able to think clearly can help to save not only your own life but others as well.
ReplyDeleteWhile trying to keep a clear head is important, seeing your friends being shot around you is next to impossible not to think about. The mental strain that soldiers endure during war is truly terrifying, and it changes them. While they may seem the same and say they're fine, what they have gone through is something I believe that nobody should have to live with. Each soldier has their own way of dealing with it and how they wish to do so should be respected. Whether it is drinking with other vets in Vermont and telling old war stories, or simply just keeping it to themselves, it is a tough thing to live with, which everyone who makes it back has to find their own way to cope with it.
-wyatt detonnancourt
The humor soldiers use to deal with the reality of war is a very effective mechanism. It allows for the soldiers to escape the harsh stress for a few brief moments. Instead of drinking away your sorrows it is much more positive to laugh them out. However when it is time for business, jokes should not be tolerated. It will distract them from the mission and could potentially end in a death. War is nothing to take lightly but there are acceptable moments where humor can help.
ReplyDeleteWhen soldiers return from a deployment I believe that they should find something like an activity to reduce the challenges of PTSD. It may not completely solve the problem but it will decrease the amount of stress. The soldier needs to find out if he or she feels better when they talk about it, or forget about it. It will be very difficult but it necessary in being a veteran. I also feel that the society has adapted to handle soldiers with PTSD much better in the recent years. It is medically handled, more public and there are more support groups. With these resources available I don’t believe that soldiers should be turning to drugs to aid their PTSD.
-Zack Shepherd