Soldiers experience and see a great many things that we, the average person on civvy street, would have no comprehension of. Yes, we can watch news feeds and be horrified, as easily as watching films and getting a sense of the carnage that occurs. Perhaps, we can garner some form of understanding of the nature of warfare from our news sources, but we don’t bear witness, so we don’t see the truth perpetuated in front of us. We don’t hear the ear-splitting explosions, we don’t smell the rot of corpses, we don’t live in a heightened state of constant fear and we don’t see our friends killed if front of us. How can we truly understand?
I’ve known Martin for a number of years now and although I know of his condition, it seems that it’s always been at a distance, I’ve never really understood his day to day. PTSD is a condition which bears multiple symptoms and can have many triggers. A firework going off, someone bumping into you or a heightened sensitivity to background noise. Reactions can include anxiety, panic and confusion; anger and violence; depression; loss of self-belief; suicidal tendencies and isolation.
I am grateful to Martin for letting me into his world and piquing my interest. He let me in and held nothing back from me, sharing experiences that he has shared to very few people. I feel extremely privileged. I have a better understanding of the burden that he carries and although his quest is probably going to be lifelong, I know he has the strength to heal, through groups like combat stress, breathing and meditation techniques, counselling and medication and finally martial arts, which is where our friendship developed. Martin’s is a positive story on how to deal with such debilitating condition and he acts as a beacon to others.
Context and Narrative 