Fear of a Veteran

We’ve all heard it before, probably even said it at one point or another - “Not in my neighborhood.”  Not in my neighborhood, the call of the concerned homeowner, used to be restricted to pedophiles and criminals.  Halfway houses kept from areas with children or residential areas are a standard.

So my surprise when I read in article about a neighborhood in my own backyard fighting to keep out a place for veterans with PTSD and TBI to come for treatment was quite warranted. In San Diego, a place filled to the brim with military, neighbors are “questioning” – a word I find hilarious – whether the Old Town area is a suitable place for recovering veterans.

“Called the Aspire Center, the proposed facility would have 40 beds, including six for female veterans and 10 for veterans with mild traumatic brain injury. The aim is to provide temporary housing for honorably discharged veterans for an average of 60 to 120 days, according to VA San Diego Healthcare System."

Center Planned for Old Town San Diego

It would be a treatment center plain and simple and one of few of it’s kind in the country.  It would be in my opinion a shining example of how San Diego cares for it’s veterans.

Another article, one I think ties into San Diego’s fight against the Aspire Center, calls the media out for causing a state of fear over returning Iraq and Afghanistan war vets.  That piece spoke of the “Dangerous” veteran.  That I think is why there is growing concern about where these veterans are treated. 

Now I’m generally not a conspiracist or a fatalist.  I believe in good intentions so when my husband and I sat over coffee discussing the recent portrayal of veterans with PTSD in the media prompting his statement that they feel the American public needs a boogieman to keep our eyes off the real problems in this country I wasn’t quite in agreement.  But I’m not sure I can’t give it some thought.  Since the days of William Hearst and cries of yellow journalism the media has been known to swing the public attention to their desired subject.

I tend however to lean toward the thought that blood and fear sell “papers”.  PTSD is in the public eye under a spotlight at the moment.  Beside the patriotic “let’s support our troops” attitude there is an underlying current of fear over the unknown because as much people think they know about PTSD they do not know it like those of us who live with it do.

I understand this fear.  I have a lot of experience with PTSD and yes the symptoms are scary.  I’ve also read the stories of vets and soldiers “snapping”, most recently the soldier who killed all those civilians in Afghanistan.  But are the public, and worse, our police force buying into this “dangerous” veteran?
I tend to think they are.

Not long ago a local Marine was killed in front of his children by an officer.  He was unarmed and though the reports were slow to come out, it was clear his vehicle was marked with the familiar stickers many of us have.  My own vehicle is adorned with an Army sticker and my husband’s with a veteran tag.  Am I taking my life into my hands?  Should I worry that the public is becoming increasingly leery of returning veterans who might suffer from this PTSD the media has told them about?

I’m going to let my geek hang out a bit here but I remember an episode of Star Trek where the soldiers who had fought to keep their people safe were exiled from society because of fear.  After all they were killers.  Trained killers.  Life often imitates art and more than once my PTSD suffering husband has said “eventually the government is going to round us all up and lock us away for the safety of the public.”

I scoffed.  I laughed and joked with him.  And underneath it all, I feared what he said was closer to the truth than I cared to believe.