Military leader warns soldiers about PTSD

BANGOR – People exposed to combat are changed, and sometimes they need a little help, the state adjutant general reminded 170 soldiers during a formal welcoming ceremony Saturday at Bangor Auditorium.

As Maj. Gen. John W. “Bill” Libby stood before the Maine Army National Guard soldiers from B Company, 3rd Battalion of the 172nd Infantry, a regiment based in Brewer, during the Freedom Salute, he said he wanted to speak to them candidly.

He didn’t use the phrase “post-traumatic stress disorder.” Instead, he asked them some questions and then told them about his own experiences.

“I want you to silently answer these questions yourself,” Libby said.

He asked whether relationships had changed; whether they were mindlessly watching TV, clicking through channels and turning the TV off when they hit the news; whether they were emotionally numb or resentful of the fact that they were home when others remain fighting, and whether things they once considered good or great are now less exciting.

“All of us are changed by our experience in the theater,” said Libby, who said that 39 years after returning from Vietnam, he still has his moments.

A National Institute of Mental Health Web site describes “post-traumatic stress disorder,” or PTSD, as “an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened.”

Combat is such an experience, Libby said.

“What’s important is not that we’ve changed,” he said, adding that services are available to help those who are experiencing any problems.

“Honor them [those who perished and those serving] by seeking the help that you need when you need it,” Libby said.

The U.S. Army has created a Web site designed to help soldiers and their families with stress-related issues: www.behavioralhealth.army.mil.