Discovering Invisible Wounds: Discovering and Comparing PTSD in Civil War Veterans and Vietnam Veterans

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Campus where you would like to present

Ellensburg

Event Website

https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source

Start Date

15-5-2019

End Date

15-5-2019

Abstract

Civil War veterans were the first to be recognized as having a mental disruption post war. Men were placed in asylums or used alcohol and other sedatives to numb themselves from the flashbacks and inner turmoil left from their memories of the battle field. Yet it was not until during the Vietnam War when veterans began coming home in the 1960’s that the larger population opened its eyes to the issues these men were facing. Though both groups of men fought very different wars and in very different circumstances, the actions and social changes would affect these veterans and their mental health post-war. The establishment of asylums and other sanctuaries following the civil war, opened a door to the future research and recognition of the mental effects of war. The definition of PTSD and the research into treatment for this mental disorder began with Vietnam veteran and carried on the conversation into both the past and the present. Through transcription of the letters written by Cassius Hibbard, a Union soldier who fought in battles across Tennessee and the anecdotes of Gerald Minters, a Vietnam veteran who struggles with his memories of war, I analyze the hints at the presents of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Research into PTSD helps the population understand the impacts of war, past and present, and address the residual effects to better understand our veterans.

Faculty Mentor(s)

Daniel Herman

Department/Program

History

Hibbard Presentation VM.pptx (1299 kB)
Slides for SOURCE 2019 presentation McMullen

Additional Files

Hibbard Presentation VM.pptx (1299 kB)
Slides for SOURCE 2019 presentation McMullen

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May 15th, 12:00 AM May 15th, 12:00 AM

Discovering Invisible Wounds: Discovering and Comparing PTSD in Civil War Veterans and Vietnam Veterans

Ellensburg

Civil War veterans were the first to be recognized as having a mental disruption post war. Men were placed in asylums or used alcohol and other sedatives to numb themselves from the flashbacks and inner turmoil left from their memories of the battle field. Yet it was not until during the Vietnam War when veterans began coming home in the 1960’s that the larger population opened its eyes to the issues these men were facing. Though both groups of men fought very different wars and in very different circumstances, the actions and social changes would affect these veterans and their mental health post-war. The establishment of asylums and other sanctuaries following the civil war, opened a door to the future research and recognition of the mental effects of war. The definition of PTSD and the research into treatment for this mental disorder began with Vietnam veteran and carried on the conversation into both the past and the present. Through transcription of the letters written by Cassius Hibbard, a Union soldier who fought in battles across Tennessee and the anecdotes of Gerald Minters, a Vietnam veteran who struggles with his memories of war, I analyze the hints at the presents of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Research into PTSD helps the population understand the impacts of war, past and present, and address the residual effects to better understand our veterans.

https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2019/Oralpres/92