Page 2 - TOTAL WAR ON PTSD

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Photo made shortly after I arrived at Kandahar Airfield outside Kabul and before surviving the first of many rocket and ground attacks.
That innocent newbie face changed. The look eroded with each race for shelter as the Taliban ordnance pounded our ‘secure’ base.
Each round of incoming added to what was becoming the foundation of the Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that stalks me to this very day.
A dark creature is clinging to my back and raising the hair like hackles on the back of a dog.
That damned creature is no longer there. It is gone because I am winning my personal fight in the Total War on PTSD. I am winning the war through mindfulness of body and soul. I am fighting this war through effective treatment I am still receiving to this day of the IV Ketamine variety. I am walking this path and rediscovering my passion, my emotions, and my joy in life through writing, creative and artistic expression.
Last but not least, I live my life to help others...without fail...my mission in life is to help others to fight their war and find their own path to recovery.
LTJG COURTENAY M. NOLD, 6415
SEABEES - THIRD NAVAL CONSTRUCTION REGIMENT (3NCR), KANDAHAR AIRFIELD AFGHANISTAN (2010-2011). AS LIMITED DUTY OFFICER (ENS)