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In this post I mentioned how PTSD was rampant in returning Iraq vets. It came as no surprise to me that in this millennium, even after all that has been learned about this disorder, our brave guys and gals are still not getting the mental health services they need.
My husband and I watched Flags of Our Fathers last night on Pay-per-view television. This movie was directed by Clint Eastwood and told the story of the soldiers who fought on Iwo Jima in 1945. Specifically, it was the story of the marines who raised the flag and who were immortalized in the famous photograph depicting that historic event.
My husband and daughter are major history buffs, but I am not. I found this story fascinating and I researched it some more after the movie … but by and large, I don’t remember or retain much in the way of historical facts. So I didn’t know there were actually two flags … one that was initially raised by one group of guys and photographed by one photographer, and then a second flag that replaced the first and was erected by another set of soldiers and captured in the famous photo.
Within a few weeks, 3 of the 6 soldiers depicted in the famous photo (the second group) had been killed. I didn’t know that the three surviving “heroes” were shipped home and then paraded around the country in a bid to raise war bonds. One of the three, an American Indian, didn’t even want to come and literally had to be forced off his ship. These guys didn’t feel like heroes. After seeing what they did at Iwo Jima, they were mortified to be poster boys when so many of their friends and fellow soldiers had died.
Throughout the scenes of war rallies and baseball games and meeting the president, it was easy for me to understand the depth and breadth of PTSD these three guys were experiencing. What blew me away, however, was the obvious fact that no one else around them seemed to have any idea about it. Now, I understand PTSD was officially recognized after the Viet Nam war, but I think earlier they called it “combat fatigue” or something like that. This article about PTSD in World War II vets discusses how almost none of them received any help for this at all.
Now when you Google PTSD you get all kinds of hits. So why are our soldiers still not getting adequate treatment?
There were several scenes in the movie last night that really stuck with me. One scene in particular occurred at one of the endless fancy dinners these poor guys endured, flashbulbs popping and people staring … They were served a molded ice cream dessert … in the shape of the flag-raising photo … vanilla ice cream figures straining to erect this flag. And then impeccably dressed waiters hovered over their shoulder and inquired if they would prefer strawberry or chocolate topping? And then they poured red or brown stuff all over the white mound of ice cream. Can you imagine? The blood literally poured on the hill and no one has any clue what these guys are thinking as they see this.
So how often does this happen with our kids? I know Julie talks about this all the time. Stress and trauma triggers that set LuLu off that are totally invisible to anyone else.
Another aspect of this movie that really stuck in my crawl was the treatment of the American Indian soldier. He suffered the most from PTSD; he was drowning his pain in alcohol, somewhat ineffectively; and most of all, he was so disrespected by so many people because of his ethnicity. Again, I get it, they didn’t get it back then. But one scene shows how a bartender refused to serve this man … this same guy the entire country was honoring but at the same time discriminating against completely.
Of the three men who became symbols of the war, only one was successful in getting his life back on track. Ira, the Indian, died at age 32 of exposure after a night of drinking and mumbling about his “good buddies.”
This is not an easy movie to watch but in terms of really illustrating how horrible experiences leave horrible scars, it was very effective. My husband says we now must watch Letters from Iwo Jima to see the Japanese point of view. I agree …
IF you liked Flags of our Fathers, you’ll need to see the flip side Eastwood filmed at the same time–Letters from Iow Jima starring Ken Watanabe and done completely in Japanese with English subtitles. What an amazing pair of movies this was in so many ways!
Have you ever read the book, “The Greatest Generation” by Tom Brokaw? It is a very effective way of finding ways to understand and relate to people in the same generation as our grandparents. If Ira’s story in “Flags of Our Fathers” stuck in your craw, read about Daniel Inoye’s (spelling?) experience in WW II. He came home from the war in full uniform, with a sleeve pinned up and an arm obviously missing. On his way home to Hawaii, he had a layover in the Bay Area. He decided to get his hair trimmed, and was told by the barber that “We don’t cut Jap hair!” Hello? This decorated veteran who served his country honorably went on to serve it as a United States Senator.
There are SO many things that factor in to why some were able to return from this war intact, while others fizzled. The same with our kids. Why do some RADishes grow up to be wonderful and productive adults, while others continue to struggle?
Actually, The Greatest Generation is my parents and their sibs (and the parents of most Baby Boomers)–married in the early 40s, Dad went to WWII and then was drafted again into Korean War.
DO watch the second movie. IT demonstrates the universality of this situation.
Well, it depends on how old you are…. it was my grandfather (mom’s dad) who fought in WW II, including Guadalcanal. He married Grandma in 1931 and was also in Korea, finally retiring from the Marine Corps in 1958, after 38 years of service. My dad went to Korea and Vietnam.
For purposes of this discussion, maybe the Greatest Generation is the general description of the parents of Baby Boomers (1946 – 1964)?
You are right though…. I have heard that both movies are remarkable! Universality is an excelent way to put it. Have you ever watched “The Best Years of Our Lives”? Excellent movie, but very different from the aforementioned, which are obviously much more recent.