PTSD Real Life Examples

Written By G. Roy

References from The Veterans History Project (A Project of American Folklife Center of The Library of Congress)

Wars have affected many directly or indirectly. We have heard many stories of the affected soldiers. At the same time, many such voices have gotten lost with time. The psychological impact of wars on American soldiers has been explained through statistics since the civil war. However, the statistical information does not show the real influence of loss of personal lives and severe mental agony caused by war.

To understand the severity of how the war impacted the soldiers, we need to go through their stories to understand just how the wars affected their lives. Since the American Civil War, the soldiers who fought in the wars were not only some random numbers, but they were one among us.

Letters Written from the Heart!

A Page from the Life of George Doll

The United States was involved in World War I for just a little over a year. However, the war had an astounding impact on the entire history of the 20th century. The war also profoundly affected the lives of the individuals that took part in the war.

One such individual was Corporal George Doll. He was a native of Indiana, stationed in France. He was a part of the Army Transportation Corps and was one of the individuals whose life was deeply impacted by WWI. He had exchanged almost 400 letters with his wife Blanch throughout the war and into the beginning of the 1920s. His wartime letters expressed his feelings for his wife, whom he described as “Dearest Honey Bunch” in his letters. His letters were full of wit and pure love for his beloved wife.

George wrote to his wife in 1919 that he was waiting for his discharge from the service, and he noted that he would have to stay in New York for a few more days, but he had nothing to do there. Doll stated that he would be on his way to Indianapolis as soon as he received his discharge papers. Once there, he would get “all dolled up” and get a room for both of them.

The happy-go-lucky Schultz turned into a somber and melancholic person. He and his girlfriend married in December 1945, soon after she experienced his nightmares.

All is Well?

Many would have believed that they “lived happily ever after” if their letters would have ended there. However, through correspondence in 1926, George Doll lived in Los Angeles, California, while being all alone and feeling sorry for himself. He lamented that he could not get his mind back to normal and has been “hardly right since the war.”

No One to Lend Me an Ear!

Story of Arthur Bernard “Dutch” Schultz

Carol Schultz’s WWII veteran father told her that people did not want to know how it was like being a part of the war.

How it all Began?

During the war, Dutch Schultz was dropped away from his intended landing zone, but he soon contacted other wandering soldiers. After walking for some distance, they came under heavy mortar fire. They also had to witness the mercy killing of a wounded American soldier who was gravely wounded.

Later on, during the evening, Schultz and his peer soldiers were engaged in a fierce battle for taking control over a bridge located near the small town of Sainte-MèreÉglise. They were able to secure the bridge after the German forces withdrew from there after four days of battle.

In September 1944, Schultz was in the Netherlands. He was frantically praying with his rosary at the time when his company commander died in front of him. That winter, Schultz contracted pneumonia and was treated for it in a hospital for over two weeks. Half of his regiment was killed during the Battle of the Bulge while he was in the hospital. Soon after, he was horrified by what he saw during the liberation of the Wöbbelin concentration camp. Later on, he commented on what he saw during the liberation. He said that it was tough to distinguish between the dead and the living.

War’s Over! Will the Suffering End?

After WWII ended, Schultz returned to the US. However, the man who returned home wasn’t the pre-WWII Dutch Schultz. His experiences during the war had changed him. The happy-go-lucky Schultz turned into a somber and melancholic person. He and his girlfriend married in December 1945, soon after she experienced his nightmares. Schultz shouted frantically in his sleep and used to try climbing out of the window. Schultz’s nightmares remained with him for the rest of his life.

The Will of the Warrior

Schultz persuaded the Department of Veterans Affairs to recognize the mental trauma he suffered because of the war and won this battle just two years before his death. He was 80 years old at the time.