http://mediastorm.com/publication/the-marlboro-marine
All best,
Mike
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| James Blake Miller in Iraq, 2004. This photo became one of the most iconic images of the Iraq War. |
Monday, October 19, 2015
Connections to TTTC posted by Mike Lohre
Link to the short film we will watch in class. We know PTSD affects
children and adults and makes life very difficult. This film helps us
understand it from one American perspective.
http://mediastorm.com/publication/the-marlboro-marine
All best,
Mike
http://mediastorm.com/publication/the-marlboro-marine
All best,
Mike
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This video was very touching. I guess I kind of take for granted what people go through when they come back from war since I've never been in a war or in that sort of environment before. I would more then likely congratulate or thank someone when they come back from war then ask them if there was anything I could for them or if there alright which is what James said they would rather have happen then be thrown a party.
ReplyDeleteI wish more people gave our veterans the recognition that they deserve. I was in great disbelief when he said that the congressman didn't have the time to speak to a veteran. James did not have to fight for our freedom but he did, and a man who is suppose to be a leader of country does not even have the decency and respect to acknowledge James for even a minute. This honestly disgusts me and makes me lose faith in those who are suppose to be in charge of our country.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jenny, we should ask how our veterans are doing and feeling as apposed to if can we celebrate their return. It's time to check up on the actual people not congratulate statuses. A "you've been injured" can you tell me where so we can start the healing process.
ReplyDeleteThe most profound thing I felt that was stated in the video was the alone feeling that the veterans feel and how that ties into their troubles. My uncle John, a Vietnam veteran, didn't talk much about the war but if it was haunting for me to hear about watching oneself from third person and not occupy one's own body from him, I don't wish to imagine it first hand.
What really struck me was that before James went off to war, he and his Fiance felt that they were destined to be together for the rest of their lives, but after the war, he left his old life behind, including his wife, for a brand new life. To me, it's not just the veterans that need help, it's their families too. They also need some help to support the veterans in their family.
ReplyDeleteThat is a really good point, Dixon. It must be very hard for the families of the Veterans to cope with the hardships of PTSD. This film made me see how impactful PTSD is on the lives of veterans. The psychological effects that the war has on these soldiers is like nothing else. Good people have to deal with the effects of bad things. Vets feel the moral hardships of killing someone. This stuck with James after the war and has really impacted him. I cannot even imagine what veterans with PTSD go through, and what they think on a daily basis. I've learned how serious PTSD is through this short film.
ReplyDeleteThis video is a sad reminder of the terrible hardships the men and women who come back from war must face. James reminded me of my cousin. I loved seeing my cousin at family get-togethers. He was funny and caring. Things changed after he came back from war, though. I was still young when he got back so I didn't really understand why he was acting so differently. My cousin wouldn't play with me and he didn't make jokes anymore. I now understand that the war changed him dramatically. I could see parts of my cousin in James' actions. It saddened me to hear that a relationship was torn because of the war. I felt as if I had a small understanding. James and his wife faced a much harder situation, but I kind of felt like I could slightly relate to the sadness and disappointment faced after the war.
ReplyDeleteSomething that often comes into my mind regarding the return of our veterans is the aftermath from the war, us celebrating their return from the unforgiving conflict. After we celebrate them we usually forget about the horrifying, dramatic circumstances they had become a part of and leave them to themselves to figure out how to reconnect with what community they once connected with. We can never put ourselves in their shoes returning from the war, but believe we can resulting in conflicted people like James struggling to figure out how to live their lives from this point on without the help of others.
ReplyDeleteI think that this was a very sad video to watch. I feel bad that he has to try to live through something so traumatic. I also find it a little odd how he was suffering from war but then he joined a motorcycle group because he liked the feeling of brotherhood. I don't think I would ever want to be a part of something that reminded me of something so traumatic. When we hear about PTSD we don't really know how much it can destroy. This video showed us how much can be destroyed.
ReplyDeleteYou can see the survival's guilt that James is going through, which speaks volumes to what he actually went through when he was in the Battle of Fallujah. It's heartbreaking seeing what he goes through at a daily basis and how hard it drains him mentally to point of being suicidal. As for him joining a brotherhood Devon, I feel he joined to get a sense of belonging towards a group that didn't know him before and after the war. This particular group accepted James for James opposed to other people that did see the traumatic changes he went through after the war.
ReplyDeleteThis video was very eye opening. I've read several books written by various Navy Seals and one thing that they always talk about is the bond that they form with their teammates. They become like family, so I can understand why after returning home he looked for that brotherhood or camaraderie in the motorcycle gang. He wanted that brotherhood again, that close-knit group.
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting that it's a very common reaction to throw a party for a returning veteran, but that may not be what they need. how instead just asking them how they are, and how you can help them so much more by doing so.
The video really made me open my eyes to what the veterans go through, and it is something I know I couldn't handle first hand. It was hard to listen to James talk about the guilt he felt, and I have empathy for him. His PTSD, just like many other veterans, was/is severe. I know only a few veterans personally, including my grandpa, and it makes me glad to see that they are happy. I wouldn't stretch as far to say that they have gotten over what they had to do, but they seem to be living good lives. At least that's how it looks on the outside. No one can really know how they feel on the inside, and all of the wars still going on in their minds. People tend to avoid talking about those kinds of things, such as war, in their typical conversations, but James made me realize that we should ask how veterans are feeling, and try to make them understand that people want to help and truly care about them, especially in times where they feel alone.
ReplyDeleteI never realized until watching this video just how many disturbing thoughts and memories that veterans carry around with them after war. There is survivors guilt, memories of bodies, and of killing, and of watching your friends die. It really brings to light how hard simply coming home and leaving all that behind would be. Many people try to convince veterans to celebrate the fact that they are home and safe. However, this will very rarely be enough for a veteran to be happy after returning home. I think this issue needs to be brought to light so that more people are aware of the struggles that veterans face.
ReplyDeleteJames ask himself man times "why is he still here". He has survivors guilt very bad and it seems to haunt him daily. Also seeing all the bodies would be terrible and haunting. The video said that he had to pull the trigger a lot. That could be a big part as well.
ReplyDeleteThe video accompanying this image is as powerful as the photo itself, it did an amazing job to show the American people how real and tragic PTSD and the effects of war are. The video showed people sort of what the soldiers go through and how hard it can be for them to return home and live a normal life after the war. As well it shed light on the psychological and mental problems the soldiers face because of the war and the things they had to do.
ReplyDeleteWithin the video, he said something that really stood out to me, "What have we gained as a country? Other than losing some damn fine people." Like honestly I wonder if this is how most soldiers feel after coming home from war. I wonder if they, like James, feel as if it was not worth the emotional pain that he now has to endure. You can tell that James thinks he is beyond fixing which is sad. He is young he shouldn't have to think like that.
ReplyDeleteI think this video was very very powerful. Towards the end when he started talking about how he didn't want to feel the pain anymore, how he didn't know if he could go one anymore, I got goosebumps. That comment really put war into perspective for me. We are given this image of a hero that's fighting for us, someone who is invincible. But this shows just how broken people are when they come back from something this terrible. People who haven't gone to war think that when a soldier kills someone, it makes them some sort of bad ass, but in reality, it breaks the soldier. The death takes a toll on them, and it can seriously break a person. This video really opened my eyes to just how awful war really is, and how much it can affect a person after they come back.
ReplyDeleteThis film was very touching to me, it allows one to feel what he might have felt dealing with his ptsd. The most interesting thing he said was " what have we gained or accomplished as a country other than the loss of some damn fine people who gave their lives for this nation." That is one of the most touching and true things I ha heard said about the war. It really makes you think too. Why do we fight? What are these men fighting for? Even if they don't die in battle, why do we let them feel like they died anyway?
ReplyDeleteThe video really made me think about all the people I know now who are joining the army and who have been in it. Several of my friends are int he training program right now to begin enlistment in the army and it really makes me worried what kind of effects it might have on them and if it will be like Jame's experience of completely changing the people who surround him and whether any of them will have the need for isolation. I know none of the people who have completed their service who I know have not experienced issues like this or atleast do not talk about them so it is a very eye opening video to what they might actually be thinking and feeling.
ReplyDelete