I am proud to let you know that GoDaddy.com has adopted a U.S. Marine Corps Rifle Company that is currently operating in Iraq. The rifle company we adopted participated in both Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom. It continues to serve in Iraq.

The supplies Go Daddy provided to the Marines.
The purpose of the "adoption" process is to provide the troops with supplies that are of a more personal and convenient nature than what is provided by the military. The supplies that Go Daddy purchased (all of which were suggested by the Marines) and shipped to Iraq are as follows:

• Power Bars
  
• Tooth brushes (good ones)
  
• Gatorade powder
  
• Aqua Fresh toothpaste
  
• Juicy Fruit gum
  
• Duracell AA batteries (for use with Mp3 players, etc.)
  
• Repel Mosquito repellent (I personally found this to be an interesting request. I couldn't help but wonder if they're still using the same stuff we used in Viet Nam; that stuff never worked for me. It was a special kind of hell to have to sit or lay still all-night in a rice paddy, waiting in ambush, without bug nets and with repellent that didn't seem to work, while mosquitoes (as thick as you can imagine) ate away at you. I remember one night that the back of my hands, wrists and forearms were so bitten, that when I made a fist, my wrist and forearm were swollen almost even with my knuckles.)
  
• Gold Bond medicated powder
  
• Bicycle playing cards
  
• Nerf footballs
  
• Old Spice deodorant
  
• Huggies baby wipes
  
• Q-Tips
  

I've not mentioned the particular unit we adopted for security reasons. Our shipment was sent through special channels that ensure it is secure and safe for the Marines on the receiving end.

It's no longer possible to send packages to an anonymous member of the military.
As I understand it, the military will no longer accept packages sent to "any marine" or "any soldier." This is being done for security reasons.

I recommend the USO.
If you want to support our troops, there is no better organization to do it through than the USO. (http://www.usocares.org/src/uso_home.htm). As I understand it, the USO has expedited channels so that the packages sent by (and through) them, are delivered to our troops very quickly.

No matter how we feel about our current situation, we need to support our troops.
I personally had the privilege to serve back in 1969 with Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, while it was operating in Quang Nam Province, Viet Nam. Because of that, there are a few things I know firsthand to be true:

1. Our combat troops are there because our country sent them. They are professionals one and all, and they are all doing their job to the best of their ability.
2. It's no picnic serving in any type of hostile area (and Afghanistan and Iraq are presently very hostile environments). Any additional, small personal convenience makes a huge difference to those on the receiving end.
3. No matter how you or I personally feel about the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq, the last people we should hold accountable for what's going on are the troops serving there.
4. Everyone who serves in a combat situation comes back changed and slightly damaged, whether they are physically wounded or not. Many, if not all of them, will suffer to some degree from post-traumatic stress disorder. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that one out of six soldiers surveyed (serving in Iraq) may be struggling with PTSD. (http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=331092&page=1) However, the study was done early in the conflict and the one out of six number may be deceptively low. Things have gotten much worse since the study was conducted. In fact, I personally believe that most — if not all — of our troops will have to deal with PTSD.
5. It's important for our troops to know that folks back home care about and support them. We must never again treat our troops the way those of us who served in Viet Nam were treated. They (our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq) will have enough to deal with when they return. Our support will make a significant difference to them.
6. Whatever this country has, ultimately it's our military that protects it. We owe our freedom to these brave men and women.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is very real.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an unusual, but very real, type of malady. Most of us who served in Viet Nam have had to deal with it in one degree or another. I served in a combat situation in 1969 and PTSD didn't strike me until many years later. In fact, I did not deal with it until 1990 (21 years later!).

Sometimes the symptoms take quite awhile to appear.
The symptoms were slow to develop, but fully develop they did, and for a brief time I was incapacitated in many ways. I became preoccupied with thinking about the war and what I did back then. I would flashback quite often. It was not the type of flashback you read about where one becomes completely disoriented. I always was fully aware of where I was and what was going on. The flashbacks I had were very vivid memories of the less than pleasant experiences I had in Viet Nam. I also, from time to time, would feel the need to cry. Many times I would push back, and not let myself do that. Often I would think that I was a man, and I should be able to deal with those memories. Besides, it was so long ago. But other times, mostly when I was alone, I would go ahead and cry.

The wicked trick of PTSD.
I like to think of myself as a very masculine guy. As I said in an earlier blog entry, crying isn't something that I do easily. I'm just not made up that way. That's the wicked trick of PTSD, particularly when it strikes those in the military. Those in the military pride themselves on being strong and able to handle any situation. So when PTSD comes along, it is looked upon by the victim as a sign of weakness. The first reaction is always, "I should be able to handle this." The cold, hard fact is that it's usually not possible for one to effectively deal with PTSD all alone. I believe that without professional help there will be significant, unnecessary suffering.

For me, the symptoms continued to get worse. I started having those thoughts or flashbacks more often, and I really started to lose it. The "straw that broke the camel's back" happened one evening when I took my wife to see a movie. I don't remember what the movie was about — only that it wasn't related to Viet Nam or the military in any way. I sat there through most of the movie and cried quietly with tears streaming down my face. That's when I knew I couldn't handle it by myself. I needed professional help.

How I learned to manage PTSD.
I was fortunate enough to locate a psychologist who was also a retired Navy Ensign. His specialty way back then — he was a man ahead of his time — was PTSD. I visited with this psychologist (try as I might, I can no longer remember his name) for a few months, and I quickly got better. In fact, after the first session, there was a noticeable improvement. It felt so good to talk with someone who understood (and somehow knew) what I was going through. Overtime, I told him everything. With his assistance, I developed four truths that I needed to get through my head in order to deal with PTSD. Those four truths, which I remind myself of to this very day, are:

1. Life is not fair.
2. What happened back then means nothing today.
3. Nobody owes me anything because of what I went through in Viet Nam.
4. Nobody cares about what happened to me back in Viet Nam.

I realize that the above truths are pretty cold and hard. But PTSD is a cold and hard disease. I have no idea how PTSD is treated today, but those four truths as I came to know them, sure worked for me. I'm not sure if those truths — which helped me deal with PTSD — will work for those who are serving in our armed forces during the current conflict. But they were necessary for me.

Subsequent to my visits with the psychologist, I took some time off and put down on paper what I remembered about the war. I mostly wrote about my first night in the bush, and my last. Plenty happened during those two nights. Although this writing was only 20 or so pages, it took me several days to complete it. After I was finished, I gave a copy to each of my children and to my wife at the time. Each of them told me the same thing after reading it — "I had no idea."

Writing about what happened was a healing experience for me. It allowed me to unload what I experienced, and to stand back and look at it. I was able to see it outside of — and not part of — myself. I realized that I did experience and deal with quite a bit, and there was no wonder that it came back to trouble me.

After visiting with the psychologist and writing about my Viet Nam experiences, PTSD (for the most part) became manageable for me. It has never gone completely away, but I now know how to deal with it. It's no longer the problem it once was for me.

It was particularly difficult for those returning from the Viet Nam war.
Those of us who returned from Viet Nam came back to a very different situation than those who are returning now. For reasons I've never been able to understand, we were not appreciated; instead, we were reviled. And of course, we were the only troops who served in any war for this country who were never welcomed home. So for us returning from Viet Nam, returning home was a brutal wake up indeed. I think that's why I needed to deal with PTSD in the way that I did. As an aside, to this day, when I meet a brother or sister who served in Viet Nam, I always say the same thing to them: "Welcome home, brother" (or sister, as the case may be). Quite often, it's a mutual exchange.

PTSD can affect anyone near a combat situation.
It's also important to know that one does not need to be in a combat role (although these troops will undoubtedly suffer the most) in order to come down with PTSD. Troops (and others) just need to be around the stressful events. So even those individuals that have rear area jobs, far from the combat action, will often have to deal with PTSD.

PTSD is not limited to the military.
I should also point out that one doesn't have to be associated with military combat to be a victim of PTSD. PTSD can strike anyone who has experienced a particularly stressful event. This can be anyone who was a victim of a violent crime, such as rape or robbery. And, many of those who experienced the recent tsunami disaster will no doubt be affected by PTSD.

If you know someone who served in or around a combat zone (or, for that matter, who has had any sort of very traumatic experience), and who starts showing symptoms of PTSD, please encourage them to seek professional help.

Some symptoms of PTSD.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, some of the symptoms of PTSD are:

• Vivid memories accompanied by painful emotions that take over the victim's attention. These memories (or flashbacks) may be so strong, the victim may actually feel like he/she is experiencing the trauma again.
  
• Closing of emotional ties with family and friends. A feeling of numbness and diminished emotions.
  
• Avoidance of situations or activities that are reminders of the original traumatic event. This doesn't have to be directly associated with the military. For example: it is still difficult for me, to this very day, to watch fireworks on the 4th of July.
  
• Depression.
  
• A feeling of guilt (often called "survivor's guilt" because the victim survived while others did not).
  
• Acting as if constantly threatened by the trauma that caused the illness. Individuals can become suddenly irritable or explosive, even when not provoked.
  
• Abuse of alcohol and other drugs in an attempt to "self-medicate" and rid themselves of the pain.
  
• Poor control of impulses. It's important to know that a person afflicted by PTSD may be at risk for suicide.
  

Today, the mental health profession has good success in treating the very real and painful effects of PTSD. A variety of treatment methods are used to help people with PTSD work through the trauma and pain.

Seeking help is not a sign of weakness.
Seeking help for PTSD is the smart move; it is definitely not a sign of weakness.

Is it necessary to be so personal?
Upon first reading this entry, my staff expressed concern that maybe I was being too open about my experience with PTSD; that perhaps it would be better if I did not give away this much about my personal life. Quite frankly, I think they made a good point. However, to reach out to those who may be dealing with the very real affliction of PTSD, I think it is necessary to let them know how it affected me and how I dealt with it. I know that many of those who have served (and are currently serving) in Afghanistan and Iraq (and any other military conflict), will have to deal with it. The only thing — in my opinion — that will help anyone in this regard, is to pull PTSD out into the open. And that requires being completely open, honest, and personal.

Special comment concerning those in law enforcement.
Since I posted this article, I've been both personally touched and amazed by the comments posted here by various readers. It seems that the incidence of PTSD is far and away more common than I had thought, impacting those inside and outside of the military. What follows is a comment sent to me by a good friend who is a practicing psychologist in Ohio. Dr. Marzella treats many men and women involved in law enforcement in the Ohio area. The following is included with his permission:

Comments from a psychologist (Dr. J. Nick Marzella) who treats PTSD.
"I read your comments on PTSD. For the past 20 plus years I've treated a lot of folks with PTSD, mostly law enforcement personnel. All you wrote about in terms of symptoms and emotions is operational with cops. Most of these guys have some commonalities with regard to dealing with it. For instance, I debrief officers for several major LE agencies, and this is a mandatory meeting, thereby taking away any stigma of having to see the local shrink. Over the years, the "stigma" has all but disappeared, and now when an officer is involved in a shooting/critical incident, they will mostly call on their own. These critical incidents are cumulative in nature, that is, the more often one is exposed to these things, the more likely they are to suffer acute and chronic symptoms of PTSD. One of the most common differences I notice between law enforcement and military personnel, is that LE tends to develop more anger (or maybe it is expressed differently) toward others than do military personnel involved in combat. Though they both remain pretty angry, the expectation in combat is that you will be involved and expect it, whereas cops think everyone should do what they say, and "can't believe that anyone would actually shoot at me". They then tend to develop a singular emotional response for virtually all situations, and that of course, is anger. So, whether their wife asks them to take out the trash, or the problem individuals they deal with on a daily basis tells them to "f*** off"...they respond with high levels of anger. Another thing I've noticed is a reduced tolerance for the mundane. All of a sudden, everything is potentially threatening, and there is little time for enjoyment or playfulness."

"I agree with you in regards to the low estimate of returning troops experiencing PTSD. I don't think the military wants to recognize this issue as they think it will open the floodgates of "service connected disabilities." I currently see one police officer in therapy who recently returned from Iraq. He has some pretty severe symptoms, and also has some physical problems of a much lesser degree. When considering him for redeployment, the Army nixed him due to his physical problems and did not want to go near his PTSD."

"With regard to your four basic beliefs that helped get you through some tough times, I think they are very rational. Life isn't fair, and no one ever guaranteed it would be fair, yet most people think it should be fair. Most people also think other people should act right, and that the world owes them something...i.e., respect...honesty...etc."

"I would add a corollary to these beliefs; the first being, "it always takes twice as long," and another suggesting, "it always costs more than you think." I also think writing about PTSD experiences, as well as debriefing and short term counseling, can be most helpful."

"Just one more thing; I don't agree with you that no one cares about what happened to you in VN. Some do."

Footnotes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-traumatic_stress_disorder