BY ALICIA FEYERHERM
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As the last event for Disability Awareness Week, the Fort Hays Honor Society hosted a military and PTSD presentation via zoom on Thursday.
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Jason Veach served in the Marine Corps infantry for 20 years and spoke to the group.
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One big hurdle that those with PTSD face is recognizing that they have PTSD in the first place. Veach himself was in denial for years.
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\u201cI didn\u2019t believe it,\u201d Veach said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to buy into it. I was a marine, a firefighter, I was stronger than that.\u201d
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Within the marines, Veach felt like there was a culture where seeking mental health support was frowned upon.
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\u201cYou fixed your feelings with pushups and Irish whiskey,\u201d Veach said. \u201cIf you started reaching out beyond that, it would affect you and your future.\u201d
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In recent years, Veach has seen an improvement in mental health resources, but it is still a struggle. It is impossible to repress PTSD.
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\u201cThe scary thing about PTSD is that it\u2019s going to come out,\u201d Veach said. \u201cIt will come back to you.\u201d
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For that reason, early intervention and management are key.
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\u201cSometimes we wait until it\u2019s almost no longer manageable,\u201d Veach said.
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Veach has dealt with five personal losses of marines to suicide.
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\u201cIf you see the signs, reach out – reach out early and reach out often,\u201d Veach said. \u201cBe proactive. Be spicy about it.\u201d
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Multiple resources are available, so if a certain support group or therapist doesn\u2019t work out, it\u2019s important not to give up. Find what works for that particular individual.
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These situations are very delicate and Veach says sometimes we want to ignore the signs. We don\u2019t want to acknowledge that someone we love has an issue.
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\u201cBe willing to have hard conversations, but also be willing and expect pushback,\u201d Veach said.
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For those personally dealing with PTSD, Veach recommends analyzing your environment. After leaving the marines, Veach became a firefighter before examining if that was the best fit for him.
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\u201cI enjoyed service and enjoyed helping people, but it came to light that it wasn\u2019t the best field for me to be in,\u201d Veach said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of death and very extreme experiences.\u201d
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This realization prompted a change in career paths for Veach and he became a seventh-grade science teacher in Tulsa, Okla.
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He is now a high school principal, serving an economically disadvantaged area. Ninety-seven percent of students are on free or reduced lunch. Interacting with students, Veach saw PTSD through a new lens.
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\u201cVeterans, no matter how much we try to own this, we do not have a monopoly on PTSD,\u201d Veach said. \u201cI\u2019ve been to war. I\u2019ve been to war a lot and I cannot fathom what those young people are experiencing.\u201d
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Everyone\u2019s trauma is unique. We cannot and should not rate or categorize other people\u2019s pain.
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\u201cIf you look at what our LGBTQ and trans community face on a daily basis, the children of the pandemic, the social issues that came about in 2020 and 2021 – all of these things can incite trauma,\u201d Veach said.
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It may be hard to recognize events that may be traumatic for others.
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\u201cWhat may be trauma for them, may be a normal Tuesday morning for me,\u201d Veach said.
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As far as media representation of PTSD, Veach says Batman\u2019s origin story represents PTSD well.
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\u201cYou think about it, Bruce Wayne is the literary incarnation of PTSD,\u201d Veach said. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t always handle it well and doesn\u2019t always get it right, but he\u2019s found a way to manage it.\u201d
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It took one bad day to turn Bruce Wayne into Batman. One bad day can change your life forever.
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\u201cWhen you deal with your friends and family who you know have had one bad day- make sure you give that day the consideration it deserves, give it the thoughts and availability it deserves,\u201d Veach says.
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Veach reminded everyone that at the end of the day, we\u2019re all humans.
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\u201cBeyond race, creed, gender, sex, anything we go through on a daily basis, humans help humans,\u201d Veach said.
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