The story of James Blake Miller is one that has been told numerous times in the past few years beginning with the initial photos in hundreds of newspapers that dubbed him the “Marlboro Marine”. Yet the story alone fails to do justice to what Blake is experiencing. Nor do the pictures. Blake is yet another victim in the senseless War in Iraq. Another veteran cursed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD.
I’ve written before about this subject and will continue to write about it until there are no more of our nation’s military personnel afflicted with it. PTSD is a silent killer that drives those suffering from it damn near crazy. Insane, you might say. Throughout every single combat action in the history of the United States, there has been at least one soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine that has felt the cold effects of PTSD.
Part of the problem is that we don’t know enough about it to be able to provide effective mental health care to those who have it. Many studies have been done that identify the causes of this mental affliction as being “traumatic event(s)” hence the T in PTSD. But deep down I think the problem is more than just traumatic events. It goes straight to the heart of morality, ethics, and even in some cases spirituality. Almost from birth we are taught to do unto others as we’d have them do unto us, be kind, be respectful, don’t kill, don’t fight etc. Yet, in war, the fighting man or woman is sometimes, most times even, forced to do the opposite of these things. And usually for a purpose laid out by those who never see the front lines or experience the horrors of the battlefield firsthand. That’s what makes PTSD such a wicked disease. The findings of most studies indicate that PTSD is actually a natural response to unnatural events. While true, that explanation just barely scratches the surface. It IS a natural response, but makes the person suffering from it question everything about themselves. And that is what makes PTSD so hard to treat.
For Marines, and I’m sure pretty much every other military member be they US or otherwise, you are taught to believe you are invincible, stronger than your enemy. You are taught that failure is not an option. There are many different cliches out there that reinforce this ideal of being somehow superhuman in your abilities. When it absolutely, positively has to be destroyed overnight: Marines. …And on the 7th Day when God rested, we overran his perimeter and stole the globe and we’ve been running the show ever since. And while the military does teach you that your body can accept much more punishment than your mind thinks it can, you are still human and suffer the same fallibilities as other humans. What isn’t taught is how to trick your mind or at least separate your actions from what you’ve been taught all your life (life is sacred, thou shalt not kill, etc.), not that that can be done successfully. Sure some soldiers are able to try and justify their actions and/or response, but many are not. This is why many veterans turn to alcohol, drugs, and other self-medicating techniques to try and mask this so-called natural response.
In closing, I’d like to say that I’d like to meet Blake Miller. Not in the hopes that I could “fix” him because once a thing has been seen or experienced, it can’t be unseen. Rather, I’d just like to talk to the guy and be his friend. Although by now he has requests for so many interviews I can see why he just wants to be alone. In the story I saw about him, most of his biker friends ARE his friends specifically because they don’t question, they just accept. Many of them have been through what he’s been through as well. I just hope he’s able to get the help he needs. I hope all of our service personnel with PTSD get the help they need.
