1. Psychological Effects of War on a Soldier’s Life Explored in Frontline: The Soldier’s Heart
Understanding the effects of war on a soldier’s life has never been explained better than in the
Frontline TV Series documentary that was aired on 10th May 2005 as American public television’s
(PBS) flagship public affairs series. Frontline has been hailed for being the best broadcast
documentary for over 23 years and it was reaffirmed with The Soldier’s Heart. In this episode, the
horrors of war are revealed when soldier’s come back from the Iraq War unharmed, but mentally
vanquished. Through interviews with mental health experts who attend upon the soldiers as well
U.S. Marines based in Camp Pendleton, San Diego, The Soldier’s Heart accesses the deeper recesses
of the mind of a soldier and draws out the conclusion that the U.S. government and the military
need to do a lot more to treat soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
In this episode several scenes are shown that leaves a deep question about whose war is it? When
U.S. Marine Rob Sarra opens fire on a black burqa clad Iraqi woman who was only trying to wave a
flag, he becomes extremely sad and carries the burden of this incident when he comes back home.
PTSD research conducted at U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) showed that almost 6 percent
of soldiers suffer from PTSD and 62 percent required mental treatment on returning home. In
another story, Lucey suffers from panic attacks, isolates himself and turn to alcohol as he had to
continuously be a witness to several deaths that kept replaying in Iraq. This clearly shows signs of
PTSD as VA reports have also indicated that almost 27 percent veteran soldiers turn to alcohol.
While at war, the soldiers keep reassuring themselves by saying that their life is over and reports
reveal that on any given day there are more psychological casualties. Jim Dooley states that once the
soldiers reach home the war carnage begins to resonate in their mind and they suffer from mental
problems. War veterans of Vietnam had suffered from post-Vietnam Syndrome which later came to
be known as PTSD. The Soldier’s Heart revealed that most military trainings focused on the physical
aspect and did not pay heed to the mental health of the soldier. Veterans Affairs reveal that most
soldiers who undergo resilience treatment are again sent back to war and military asserts that
fighting is their job, regardless of mental health and PTSD symptoms. However, since January 2005,
the Defense Department has tried to pay heed to the mental treatment required by war veterans
suffering from PTSD though the solutions are far from making any real impact. Colonel Thomas
Burke, director of health at the Defense Department admits that most war veterans cannot remain
the unchanged after coming from war. Stigma of the war is another important factor that leads
soldiers to PTSD. In The Soldier’s Heart, some soldiers are shown trying to avoid thoughts and people
while others remain anxious, indicating that soldiers are constantly suffering from PTSD.
(497 words)