Training >> Browse Articles >> Miscellaneous   CISD - Use it or
lose it  One of the few benefits to come out of the Vietnam War
was the acknowledgment that tough guys do cry, and that it’s
good for them.  Unfortunately it took ten years for the Veterans
Administration to recognize this and begin to set up programs to
help Vietnam vets whose lives were in a shambles because of post
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I started one of the first and
few programs funded by, but independent from, the VA and one
thing became tragically clear in the course of a few years after
we lost several vets to suicide and saw a number of marriages
end due to the symptoms of PTSD. That is how so much of this
would have been avoided if the vets had received some counseling
immediately after horrific incidents. Even war has critical
incidents beyond the usual day to day carnage. Some you’ve heard
about, or maybe experienced. Others seem unbelievable: like the
medic I counseled who told me about having to deal with a
friend, still