Matthew: Thank-you. I have just sent this to Dean Yates (2023 The Line in the Sand) in Tasmania - whose explorations of PTSD and MI (Moral Injury) got underway in Ward 17 in Melbourne (a place of healing for First Responders, Police, et al - he was Reuters Chief in Baghdad when two of his men were murdered by the Apache Gunship shooting of 2007. "Collateral Murder" the video released by WikiLeaks - received from Bradley/Chelsea Manning.
Jim, it's great to hear from you! And thank you for making the connection to Dean's work. Believe it or not, Dean and I are friends -- I worked with him for a few months in Baghdad in 2004, and we reconnected some years back as he was working his way through Ward 17. thank for you bringing this story to his attention! There are some striking parallels with Dean's process in Part III of this essay!
Thanks, Matthew. As I read further into this essay I found clear resonance to things spoken of just a couple of days ago in Hobart in a brief address Dean made at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. He spoke of his group of university mates - they gather every year - walking, talking - looking after each other as events overwhelm them in various ways. As you spoke about/wrote about - I should say. I have engaged in some back-and-forth with Dean - unsurprised to find you are old friends/colleagues. This seems to be the tipping point of a world-wide growing understanding of the whole damage done to people witnessing horrific events, taking part in horrific events (war) - or like me - a childhood assault - suffering a horrific event. My wife and I were just recently eight weeks travelling across North America - Arlington National Cemetery was one place - the National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian) - in Philadelphia a Museum to African Americans - elswhere flags fluttering - or in Canada especially a focus on First Peoples - reading Tanya Talaga - Seven Broken Feathers - or Richard Wagamese - One Story, One Song. Evidence of trauma at every hand. Not forgetting my own birth country here - Australia - the First Peoples - the Frontier Wars and dispossession. You are touching on all these things for me - and how valuable your writing. Thank-you. Matthew. In my early teaching years - (1973) I taught alongside a chap from the US who had been in Viet Nam during (what in Viet Nam in May/June this year) I found is called The American War. He was a very tall and in retrospect - intimidating fellow - as if tightly coiled - he never acted it - but it was a part of his persona - of his presence. He wrote a collection of Tales I found on-line a few years back - he lives in Tennessee (?) - but there was clearly evidence of some trauma in his writing - not quite getting in touch with his experiences - very surface - some anger. Anyway - again, thank-you. Jim
Exceptional and deft writing in framing and integrating across time mind heart.
Matthew: Thank-you. I have just sent this to Dean Yates (2023 The Line in the Sand) in Tasmania - whose explorations of PTSD and MI (Moral Injury) got underway in Ward 17 in Melbourne (a place of healing for First Responders, Police, et al - he was Reuters Chief in Baghdad when two of his men were murdered by the Apache Gunship shooting of 2007. "Collateral Murder" the video released by WikiLeaks - received from Bradley/Chelsea Manning.
Jim, it's great to hear from you! And thank you for making the connection to Dean's work. Believe it or not, Dean and I are friends -- I worked with him for a few months in Baghdad in 2004, and we reconnected some years back as he was working his way through Ward 17. thank for you bringing this story to his attention! There are some striking parallels with Dean's process in Part III of this essay!
Thanks, Matthew. As I read further into this essay I found clear resonance to things spoken of just a couple of days ago in Hobart in a brief address Dean made at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. He spoke of his group of university mates - they gather every year - walking, talking - looking after each other as events overwhelm them in various ways. As you spoke about/wrote about - I should say. I have engaged in some back-and-forth with Dean - unsurprised to find you are old friends/colleagues. This seems to be the tipping point of a world-wide growing understanding of the whole damage done to people witnessing horrific events, taking part in horrific events (war) - or like me - a childhood assault - suffering a horrific event. My wife and I were just recently eight weeks travelling across North America - Arlington National Cemetery was one place - the National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian) - in Philadelphia a Museum to African Americans - elswhere flags fluttering - or in Canada especially a focus on First Peoples - reading Tanya Talaga - Seven Broken Feathers - or Richard Wagamese - One Story, One Song. Evidence of trauma at every hand. Not forgetting my own birth country here - Australia - the First Peoples - the Frontier Wars and dispossession. You are touching on all these things for me - and how valuable your writing. Thank-you. Matthew. In my early teaching years - (1973) I taught alongside a chap from the US who had been in Viet Nam during (what in Viet Nam in May/June this year) I found is called The American War. He was a very tall and in retrospect - intimidating fellow - as if tightly coiled - he never acted it - but it was a part of his persona - of his presence. He wrote a collection of Tales I found on-line a few years back - he lives in Tennessee (?) - but there was clearly evidence of some trauma in his writing - not quite getting in touch with his experiences - very surface - some anger. Anyway - again, thank-you. Jim