Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Vietnam Veterans

I am up all night. I will never be the same though, never, never, never. If I have to go into battle again, if I am not killed, I will come out insane. I cannot see and go through it again. I know I can't. The friends I lost and the many bodies I carried back to the helicopters to be lifted out, I will never forget. (1)
The above excerpt was taken from a letter written by Kenneth Bagbey to his parents just after the battle at Ia-Dang Valley in 1965. Kenneth's feelings ring true for countless veterans of the Vietnam War. However, it was not until the 1980's that a significant effort was made to help Vietnam veterans with the numerous psychological problems that they faced after the war. It is not surprising that war veterans, exposed to the brutalities of battle, have difficulties dealing with their actions or what they have witnessed in war. Yet, some critics argue that Vietnam veterans are receiving too much attention for their psychological disorders. The studies conducted during the 1980's of the effects of war on veterans has led to a relatively new concept of post-war problems know as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). …