Page 898 - Total War on PTSD

“Happiness is a warm puppy.” - Charles M. Schulz
Courtenay: Kimberly loved serving in the military. Unfortunately, she experienced instances of rape from other service members and severe domestic violence that made it impossible for her to stay in service and an environment she loved.
Missiles launched on and off base and tracers in the sky above the airfield looked like fireworks being launched and I often must remind myself that I’m not over there now, and, when I was over there, that the ‘light show’ was counter-measures being deployed to protect the base and personnel. Before going into my berthing space after work I surveyed the area around me to help avoid vulnerability from local nationals or other individuals. I varied my path to and from work, laundry, the ‘grocery store’ and chow. If I saw someone whose actions were questionable or suspect, I would alter my path, even passing up my berthing spaces when I felt it necessary.
The same applied with the berthing spaces and every time I came in or out of my room. Early morning or late evening were the worst times because there wasn’t enough lighting in the hallway to see to the opposite end. There was always a dark area at the far end and I worried that someone would be waiting in the dark for a chance to attack one of us. When I was in the bathroom, I was on a constant state of alert in case anyone entered the bathroom with ulterior motives. Because of all of this, I was often nervous about leaving my room for any reason, or coming into the building and trying to hurry and unlock our room door. I was very uneasy about taking showers. I always felt that someone could easily get in, something proven by a local national having entered our building and attacking a female service member in the middle of the
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