Combat Trauma

James D. Johnson is a retired Army Chaplain (Lt. Col.) and was a counselor/therapist in Fayetteville, NC for over fifteen years. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff college and completed four units of specialized training in Clinical Pastoral Education. He spent a year in Vietnam as an infantry battalion chaplain in the Mekong Delta. He was awarded several Bronze Stars (two with valor), the Air Medal, and nine other American and Vietnamese awards. He also was awarded five Meritorious Service medals and two Army Commendation medals. He is author of Combat Chaplain: A Thirty-Year Vietnam Battle. He has written or been written about in many publication including Vet Extra, Vietnam Magazine, Front Porch, the Fayetteville Observer and others.

James Johnson's Combat Trauma offers a searing account of the impacts of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as told from the perspective of sixteen combat veterans who have suffered, endured, and gained valuable insight from their experiences. Anyone seeking to understand the effects of combat stress and the men who suffer from it should read this book.

• 1 1. Then and Now2 2. We Sixteen - Who We Are3 I. GOING TO THE HELL OF COMBAT4 3. Our Trauma5 4. Broken Bodies, Minds and Brotherhood6 II. HOME (BITTER) SWEET HOME7 5. On The Home Front8 6. Ignored by the Government, Society and the Public9 III. LIVING WITH OUR TRAUMA - SYMPTOMS10 7. Sleep Problems and Nightmares11 8. Flashbacks12 9. Triggers13 10. Withdrawal, Numbness and Depression14 11. Fear and Anger15 12. Hyper Vigilance, Startle and Concentration16 13. Guilt, Trust, Denial17 14. Memories and Re-experiencing Combat Trauma18 15. Work and Career19 16. Family, Faith and Morality20 17. Physical Problems and Combat Trauma21 18. Wannabees, Liars and Pretenders22 IV. HOPE AND HELP - Care and Treatment23 19. Re-establishment of the Brotherhood24 20. Treating Ourselves25 21. The Veterans Administration26 22. Veterans Helping Veterans27 23. Then and Now - Again28 24. In Memoriam - Mitch Perdue