THIRTY DAYS WITH MY FATHER Finding Peace from Wartime PTSD Christal Presley , HCI Books , Deerfield Beach , Florida , 2012 , 264 pages
Posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) is no longer the hot topic that it was just a few years ago . Our society tends to focus intently on a crisis for only a relatively short moment , and then it moves on to something else . That is truly a shame , because PTSD is not a here-today , gone-tomorrow type of challenge . Those who have been afflicted can learn to cope , but there is no erasing intense experiences and devastating memories . Some cope well , some not so well , and the difference is not necessarily the intensity of the experience . Much of coping resilience depends on what existed before the experience , what was built into the fabric of a person ’ s personality . The wounds are also not limited to the individual with the direct experience ; they can extend to family members — to spouses and children .
This is a story of a woman who suffered from what one might call “ generational PTSD .” Her father , a Vietnam War veteran , was one of those whose experiences in Vietnam left him not only scarred but also debilitated for life . That debilitation affected his wife and daughter , and his ability to maintain relationships with others beyond his family . Upon his return from war , he was not only rejected but also vilified by many citizens of the nation he served . We all know the horror stories of returning veterans being spat upon and referred to as “ baby killers ” or “ war criminals ” by their contemporaries . What most of us do not know about is the apparent duplicity of the very agency created to assist veterans returning from war , the Veteran ’ s Administration ( now the Department of Veteran ’ s Affairs ). Vietnam veterans were treated but were the lowest priority , and they often had to fight for
the attention they received from an agency that apparently wished they would simply go away .
While Dr . Christal Presley ’ s father figures prominently in the narrative , the central story is how she finally learned to cope with her own experiences as the child of a veteran with unresolved PTSD . While reading her narrative , it was natural to reflect on what are near-universal experiences of growing up : the highs and lows of a maturing process , including disappointments and genuine heartaches . Maturing from child to adult is hard enough , but when one mixes in the chaos and unpredictability of a parent who is not functioning well , the challenge can become overwhelming and can lead to dysfunctional behavior . PTSD does inflict generational wounds . Of course , PTSD is not the only potential source of such dysfunction ; the side effects of parental addictions such as alcohol or drugs can lead to similar challenges . Dysfunctional parents tend to raise dysfunctional offspring , although that is a tendency , not an inevitability . Presley ’ s narrative of her personal journey is one worth studying . It provides evidence not only that PTSD is generally treatable but also that the generational impacts of PTSD are treatable as well . Hers is a story of frustration , anger , bitterness , and resentment — transformed by an effort to understand , to let go of anger , to forgive , and to love . Thirty Days with My Father is a narrative worth reading , especially for those who have experienced PTSD personally . Thomas E . Ward II , PhD , Fort Leavenworth , Kansas
21ST CENTURY SIMS Innovation , Education , and Leadership for the Modern Era
Edited by Benjamin F . Armstrong , Naval Institute Press , Annapolis , Maryland , 2015 , 176 pages
Given recent Department of Defense efforts to stimulate and foster innovation , 21st Century Sims is both timely and useful . Adm . Williams Sims is well known in Navy circles as “ The Gun Doctor ” for his work on improving U . S . naval gunnery practices and technology . Sims , however , did much more , and he should be remembered as an early twentieth-century innovator . Like author Benjamin F . Armstrong ’ s previous book on
128 November-December 2016
MILITARY REVIEW