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Kelly Kennedy, George Carlin, and the Reason for Traumatized Iraq Veterans
Juan Cole quotes George Carlin on post-traumatic stress disorder and adds:
I have concluded that Carlin was right about that issue. Being traumatized by war is not a disorder. In fact, if you are not traumatized by the sight of body parts flying all around you as you are splattered with the blood of people you know, then you would have a disorder. Why not just say “war-traumatized”? Or better yet, “war-scarred”? The PTSD phrase has the unfortunate effect of making it seem abnormal for people to be negatively affected by wartime violence.
He also embeds the above video of Army Times reporter Kelly Kennedy discussing her first hand experience with the horrors of the war in Iraq. This is important stuff. I don’t think the American people fully understand what’s happening to our soldiers, not the mention thousands of innocent Iraqis.
