Unfit for fighting –
Battle crackups aren’t yellow; they’ve endured beyond limits
Relatively simple cure is rest, sleep and removal from combat strains
By Marjorie Van de Water
The man who cracks up in combat is not yellow. He is no more a weakling than a man who receives a bullet wound or who develops malaria.
Every man has his limit, mentally and physically. Modern combat puts a maximum strain on the fighters, so that if a man is in the fighting long enough, even the strongest may reach the limit of his endurance.
Fortunately, the cure for such cases is relatively simple. The principal needs are for rest, sleep and to be away from he strains of combat.
Shell shock incorrect
These cases were called “shell shock” in the last war. The term is no longer in use, because it was so loosely used and misused that it lost all real meaning. “Shell shock” was originally intended to describe the condition resulting from the nearby explosion of a shell. The force of the explosion sometimes will injure the body issue and may cause brain concussion. This true shell shock now is called “blast concussion.”
The nervous condition of men who have had more of war than their nervous systems can tolerate has gained new names in this war. The men now speak of combat fatigue, flying fatigue, gangplank jitters, destroyer stomach, war nerves and other such descriptive names. Medical officers prefer not to use any of these names. To do so would imply it is a new disease not known in peace; actually, it is not. It is the natural consequence of too much strain.
NPs don’t act wild
So, the medical officers lump all such conditions under the broad term neuropsychiatric disability, abbreviated as NP, which means simply the disability is a mental or nervous condition. As a label, it tells no more about the nature of the disability than would the term physical disability if that were applied to all wounds and physical illnesses.
You needn’t expect the NP to act wild. Too often, in fact, it is not noticeable that anything is wrong with him, so that he may be distressed needlessly by stupid strangers who ask “Why aren’t you in uniform?”
The first sign you have that he has been under terrible strain may be when he starts to light a cigarette. You may notice then how his fingers tremble. It is difficult, too, for him to control his emotions at times. If painful subjects are brought up, he may leave the room abruptly or possibly even burst into tears. It is well to be careful about questioning him on how he won his decorations. Too often they recall to him the horrors of friends killed and mangled – the awful sights and odors of the battlefields.
Battle nightmares
A chief difficulty that may persist for months is the torture of “battle dreams” in which the soldier relives the terrible experiences of combat over and over again. Sleepless nights and dream-filled slumber may deprive him of rest, so that when morning arrives, he is worn out to start the day.
He may drink in the hope that alcohol will put him to sleep or make him forget the things it is so painful to remember. He may take drug sedatives for the same reason.
Another conspicuous symptom is an oversensitiveness to noise. The dropping of a pan, the banging of a door, or even a sudden noisy movement may make the soldier leap from his chair and set him trembling.
Sympathy and understanding
When he first comes home, he feels like an utter stranger. He realizes no one around him has any conception of the meaning of what he has gone through. He feels it is useless to speak of what has happened to him, because none of these people could possibly understand. He may resent the fact that the folks at home are not suffering as he has suffered, that they are gay and apparently lighthearted. He feels cut off from friends and family.
He needs sympathy and understanding, but no oversentimental pity. Above all, he needs the feeling that he can still contribute in an important way toward winning the war. This he is well-fitted to do, for no one knows more than he the importance and urgency of war plant work.
NEXT: Home, not battlefield, may cause breakdown.
