Let’s Not Play the PTSD Card in the Navy Yard Shooting
By
Bob Brewin
My friends handle their grief with tears, talk and therapy – not automatic weapons.
Various media outlets, including USA Today, have reported that Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis suffered from PTSD due to his rescue work in New York City after 9/11.
USA Today quoted Alexis’ father saying his son “had anger-management problems associated with PTSD, and that he had been an active participant in rescue attempts on 9/11.”
I’m waiting for the follow-up article that details the rescue work Alexis performed in New York.
I have friends who worked in both the Pentagon and the World Trade Center on 9/11, and they handle their grief with tears, heartfelt talk with close friends and family and therapy – not automatic weapons and pistols.
Stress after searing events is real, as I well know. But let’s not play the PTSD card every time a whacko engages in a rampage with guns. Among other things, it scares off potential employers of combat veterans.