Before the launch of Number 788 and conscious of the impacts of conflict and trauma especially those caused by war, and other military operations, your war diarists wanted to publish a column on combat trauma & PTSD. We draw on some existing documentation, and our discussions with veterans and psychologists to add a few lines on a well-documented and important area.
Each of the people we spoke to had a different experience in their military service. Some cried when they thought of the friends that they had lost; others lamented their comrades who were hurt through blue-on-blue fire. In modern times these conversations are perfectly acceptable with little taboo – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or combat stress, is widely accepted as legitimate mental illnesses. Some had a stoical view of ‘we need to be tough, and that is it’. Others said they could not bear the pain of having x number of friends killed, and their memories haunted them.
Some commented that ‘there is no hard reset for the mind’, and so we empathise; As a society, we need to hear the voices of those who are asked to do really challenging work – many of whom are later forgotten. When we consider the longer discussion, we realize that these issues are not new. The tragedy and human reaction to the brutality of war has been documented by writers since antiquity.
An extract from Gorgias’s Encomium of Helen:1
For the things we see have a nature that does not depend on our will… as soon as … an enemy battle formation (is seen)… for however strong the discipline of law and custom, it is driven out by fear (phobos) resulting from sight… as soon as some see fearful things they abandon their present composure… fear quenches (and) this causes terrible sicknesses (nosoi), and hard to heal madnesses (maniai).
Homer spoke of ‘heroes’ who were stricken by fear and who froze, and Thucydides and other writers spoke of ‘loud chattering of teeth, losing control of the bowels, clanging of armor of the shuddering soldiers occurred all too often, and even experienced officers were not immune to terror.’2
Before the First World War, the U.S. Army’s view of battle fatigue was stark and unyielding, with soldiers often branded as cowards or accused of trying to shirk their duties. Those who trembled, wept, or froze in fear were seen not as casualties of war but as malingerers deserving of punishment.
As the Great War dragged on, with its relentless artillery barrages and harrowing trench warfare, an old issue with a new name began to emerge —‘shell shock’. Initially, it was believed that the powerful concussive force of exploding shells caused a kind of physical injury to the brain, leading to a range of symptoms from tremors to muteness, to nightmares and hysteria. The military doctors were baffled. Soldiers who had shown no previous signs of weakness were suddenly incapacitated, their nerves shattered as if struck by an unseen enemy. The symptoms were undeniable, but the cause was elusive. Some still clung to the idea of cowardice, but as the cases mounted, it became clear that something more complex was at play.
By the time of the Second World War terms like ‘combat fatigue’ came into use. But many refused to believe it was a thing. General Patton infamously assaulted Private Charles H. Kuhl. He questioned the soldier as to why he was in the sick ward. Unhappy with the answer he slapped Kuhl with his gloves and threw him out of the tent. Another incident saw Patton draw his pistol and threaten a soldier, Private Paul G. Bennett, who had been suffering from combat stress. Maybe it was bravado, but there is an argument that Patton for good or bad really believed that these men were cowards. Patton had seen ‘shell shock’ in the First World War, and also different types of trauma in the Second World War and historians continue to debate this issue. The one thing that is clear is that these incidents showed bad judgment, and it certainly had an impact on his career going forward.
Patton recorded his assault on Kuhl in his diary stating that he met:3
the only errant coward in this army
I clearly understand that firm and drastic measures are at times … this does not excuse brutality, abuse of the sick… I must so seriously question your good judgment and your self-discipline as to raise serious doubts in my mind as to your future usefulness.
Number 788 is a memoir and tells the story of Max’s first missions. The pages of the book are not stained with gunpowder but are rather a story about Max’s life. There are some elements of violence and tension that comes with the territory. With that, we acknowledge that PTSD is a challenging condition, and we welcome all veterans to seek help and write to us if you need to be signposted.
Tony & Max
The War Diarists
- Combat Stress Disorders and Their Treatment in Ancient Greece. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269035855_Combat_Stress_Disorders_and_Their_Treatment_in_Ancient_Greece ↩︎
- Combat Stress Disorders and Their Treatment in Ancient Greece. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269035855_Combat_Stress_Disorders_and_Their_Treatment_in_Ancient_Greece ↩︎
- https://press.armywarcollege.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2776&context=parameters ↩︎
- https://press.armywarcollege.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2776&context=parameters ↩︎
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