![]() Soon after, while dozing off during a fishing trip, Pannell had a vivid dream about catching fish with the sniper's face - the first of many nightmares about his fallen foe. He was hunting with his cousins when his war instincts took over, and he nearly turned the rifle on his family. Pannell suffered his first flashback shortly after returning home. Without a clear understanding of what was wrong, he battled alcoholism, had a hair-trigger temper and suffered random bouts of loneliness. Although his symptoms surfaced as soon as he returned from the war, he was not diagnosed with PTSD until 1998. Many veterans remain undiagnosed, without help.įor three decades, Pannell was one of those men who suffered in silence. ![]() In 1988, a government-contracted study found that 15 percent of Vietnam veterans had PTSD, and another 11 percent had less intense "partial PTSD." The Department of Veterans Affairs now estimates that 31 percent of all Vietnam veterans, or about 900,000, came back from the war with the disorder. The condition can emerge much later, too, so although the war ended decades ago, Vietnam veterans are still being diagnosed. Vietnam veterans exhibit PTSD in larger numbers, and at a more common rate, than other veteran groups. Since then, the disorder has been diagnosed in veterans from all wars, but no other conflict has produced as many PTSD cases as the Vietnam War. PTSD was officially recognized in 1980, as Vietnam veterans struggled with their return to civilian life. Many of the strategies used to treat PTSD patients today were developed after decades of research on Vietnam veterans, who taught researchers valuable lessons about over-medication and under-diagnosis. Thousands of those troops have passed through the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms and the veteran's hospital in Loma Linda. At least 286,000 service members have been treated for PTSD symptoms since 2001, when the military invaded Afghanistan. Today, nearly 40 years later, the military faces a new generation of PTSD patients. The disorder also raises the risk of alcohol abuse, drug addiction and suicide. PTSD is a lifelong condition that causes nightmares, flashbacks, depression and erratic behavior. Today, Pannell is one of about 3,100 Coachella Valley Vietnam War veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. One of the sniper's arms hung limp, but the other clung to his rifle, pointing it straight at Pannell. 45-caliber pistol, and hid it under his leg.Ī moment later, a Viet Cong soldier walked into view, weak and bloodied, his eyes locked on the American. He fell to the ground, his weapon worthless, and crawled into tall grass to hide. Pannell felt his rifle break in his hands, shattered by a bullet meant for his chest. The two sharpshooters traded fire, took new positions, then fired again and vanished again, dueling in the thick brush. Pannell was sent on a one-man mission for revenge. The sniper had peppered the camp for days, eventually killing a young lieutenant, Randy. It was just after dawn, November 1966, outside an American camp in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam. Monsoonal rain muted the sound of their movements. He was hunting a sniper and, somewhere in the jungle, a sniper was hunting him. Ted Pannell, 26, crawled through the mud, alone and outgunned.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |