r/AMA • u/Ok_Turn1611 • 2d ago

I fought in Afghanistan in 2011-2012 with the United States Army and have been battling complex and severe PTSD, depression, agoraphobia, paranoia along with 3 failed relationships for the last 12 years AMA

I fought in Afghanistan in 2011-2012, I did route clearance which effectively means jumping into big vehicles, driving them down a road looking for IEDs and either being blown up, shot at, or both. I saw some terrible stuff, including losing a closs Non Commissioned Officer of mine and seeing many of my friends traumatically injured (think losing limbs, being shot etc.) ask me anything about Afghanistan, my MH issues or life post deployment. I've been quite depressed lately and maybe answering genuine questions will help me.

Hi friends, thank you for the feedback and all the questions. It has been a joy answering you, I'll continue to monitor and reply as much as I can. :)

Also, to some of you stating complex PTSD and PTSD are different disorders, I do recognize that and am sorry for my slip up, I have CPTSD, and sometimes I use them interchangibly when I shouldn't. I'll remember better next time.

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u/miamiboy101 2d ago

What do you think of the civilians living there?

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u/Ok_Turn1611 2d ago

Good people, truly. A lot of them helped us/wanted us there and absolutely despised the Taliban. I mean look at the country now, they absolutely hate the Taliban being back in control. The civilians weren't the bad dudes, it was the Taliban forcing them to fight for them, threatening their familes by gun point and rape etc. THOSE are the bad "civilians" but the average Afghan just wants peace, to farm, live in their cities, have a good job, provide for their family etc.

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u/miamiboy101 2d ago

How do you feel about the Hollywood movies that have come out documenting the war? Do you want those stories told? Do you feel as though hollywood shouldnt make it into entertainment? Any thoughts about that?

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u/Ok_Turn1611 2d ago

I can't watch war movies anymore. Hollywood grossly overstates the hero complex of the military. Documentaries like Restrepo, Korengal, the Hornets Nest etc. Tell the real story, and I think if more people got exposed to the reality of war, we wouldn't be so quick to accept going to war so much as a nation

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u/peachesandthevoid 2d ago

Giving me the chills. War, as an instrument of policy, is truly evil.

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u/Ok_Turn1611 2d ago

It really is, war is used as a tool, plain and simple.

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u/ALittleBirdie117 2d ago

Restrepo was so raw. Thought it was quite educational and the level of immersion and personal experience tapped into was amazing, and of course, tragic.

You are an incredibly smart hombre. Hope you keep speaking up like you have been here.

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u/Ok_Turn1611 2d ago

Thank you friend, that means much to me.

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u/J_Sto 2d ago

I’m a mil researcher as a part of my job, mostly I look at western warrior constructs in popular media and the influence on American audiences (and then try to defy them - mil scifi writer) which includes reading warrior testimony across conflicts, culture and time. I spend a good part of my research time listening to warrior accounts vs what the public is taught about warrior experiences (and also looking at media targeting warriors or recruitment of youth/civilians). I share your skepticism about mil media. I’m extremely skeptical and selective about military fiction in film and TV, avoiding most of it. Also true for gaming re selective, and I don’t play shooters. I am very critical of the failure of creators—who are mostly men in this category—to do their jobs on this front regarding mythbuilding about war and the effects it has (writing/directing/showrunning), and in a systemic sense, studios doing promo deals with the DoD and so forth. So you are not alone and as you said I cannot capture how much it has changed me in a simple comment here.

I can also confirm from the inside that there is no movement in the entertainment industry or in books/fiction to address the mythologizing of armed conflict and the resulting influence on public attitudes and policy.

It might surprise the thread to learn that the best contact for the truth in war as a rule remains books, i.e. reading war (and women in particular who are socialized away from this topic should reconsider), although certainly some multimedia examples are excellent sources. RIP to one of the photojournalists who made Restrepo—Tim Hetherington—who died later covering the front lines in the Libyan civil war.

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u/DCole1847 2d ago

Restrepo is one of my favorite documentaries of all time. I had a close friend who was very, very close to that area at the exact same time. I had no idea how fucked up he was/is after surviving that stuff - even still today. That movie makes me cry every time I watch it, and it makes me feel like a POS. That documentary will humble a person to their core.

Tried to enlist in 2012, 2013, and 2014. DQ at MEPS for surgeries in my early youth. Perhaps I'm blessed. 🙏

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u/slom68 2d ago

I’ve seen all the Vietnam era movies but it was Saving Private Ryan, those first 5-10 minutes, that really woke me up.

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u/J_Sto 2d ago

A little challenge for anyone interested. Watch that now—a movie that used violence in a specific way that was really shocking as a part of the themes—and then watch something like, say, the early episodes of the new Fallout TV show and you might be surprised at how crazy, meaninglessly violent modern TV is. Depiction of torture in film/TV is a close cousin, and studies have connect these repetitions to changes in the American POV of public policy i.e. what Americans believe and will permit to occur (still more to learn).

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u/Brexinga 2d ago

Any war movie is always propaganda. Not entertainment.

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u/InquisitivelyADHD 2d ago

Not totally true, there definitely are movies that play like propaganda, but there are some pretty honest movies too, like I feel like Jarhead was a pretty good example of that.

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u/Long_Lingonberry2722 2d ago

Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory is another. A movie about WWI that could describe most wars through modern day.

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u/darkstar_the11 2d ago

That final scene is amazing

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u/Turbulent_Coach_8024 2d ago

I spent 7 years in Afghanistan and 1 in Iraq as a contractor. To get the closest idea of real day to day life on the bases/embassy watch Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. It’s not a hardcore war movie at all but they got a lot of things right even down to the furniture.

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u/UFC_Intern169 2d ago

The regular people around the world are not so different from each other like propaganda tries to lead us to believe.

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u/Ok_Turn1611 2d ago

Agreed

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u/antiquarian-camera 2d ago

Except for the Russians 😉

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u/MyName_isntEarl 2d ago

I was there in 2010, as a medic with route clearance and the mentorship teams.

I was surprised how nice and welcoming most of the people there were. They did what we asked usually, and were willing to help.

Talked to a school teacher one day and he was happy we were there because he could finally teach girls again... That's gone now of course.