One of my best friends wanted to see the movie ‘American Sniper’ and he asked me to join him. I would not have done so on my own, but I realized that it could be quite unsettling for him - and he might need my help. We are both Vietnam Veterans, but he was an infantryman and I was on an ammunition ship. His experience was so gruesome, that he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The fact that he can function as a normal person amazes me. If I had those images jangling around in my memory vault, I would probably be living under a bridge somewhere.
Twice during the film, the emotional intensity was so overpowering that he had to leave the theatre and catch his breath out in the lobby. Although we had planned a hearty meal for afterwards, his system was so disabled, that he could only handle a bowl of soup and a beer. But he made it home safely and when I checked on him this morning he was okay.
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