011: Healing the Wounds of War

 

Today we speak in remembrance of those who have fallen in battle to serve their country and we discuss healing the painful wounds of war.

 

My father Jack Gutman, one of the last surviving veterans of the Invasion of Normandy, joins us today to share the story of his 66 year-long battle with PTSD and how he got the help he so desperately needed to regain control of his life.

 

We Discuss:

• Facts about Memorial Day that you may have never heard before
• What happens to many survivors that don’t fall in battle
• What PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) looks like
• How PTSD can affect anyone who’s experienced a significant traumatic event
• Some of the symptoms of someone suffering from PTSD
• Addictive habits and self-medicating methods that often develop from trauma
• Different types of treatment available today for PTSD
• The events of D-Day and the Battle of Okinawa that changed Jack Gutman’s life forever
• Why many people are afraid to talk about PTSD or may be unaware that they’re suffering

 

“We didn’t have the words PTSD. I did not know what it was. They called it “battle fatigue,” and said you just have to live with it.”  –  Jack Gutman

 

About Jack:

Jack Gutman was born in San Francisco in 1925 and grew up in a tough neighborhood of New York where survival meant belonging to a gang.

At 17 years old, he wanted desperately to serve his country and convinced his father to sign papers so that he could go into the military service early.

Jack enlisted in the Navy and trained for months as a Medical Corpsman. His first active duty took him to England to prepare a hospital for the aftermath of D-Day.

On D-Day, he landed between Utah and Omaha beaches in the Invasion of Normandy, having the very difficult task of caring for those wounded and killed during the attack.

Jack later served the same function in the Invasion of Okinawa. When released from the Navy and active duty he spent the next 66 years dealing with a traumatic journey of PTSD.

He secretly kept his post-traumatic stress disorder to himself for these 66 years, and this trauma almost destroyed his marriage and sabotaged various jobs throughout his life.

Jack finally came to the conclusion that alcohol and poor decisions were not the answer, and went to the veterans for help. He resisted in the beginning but continued with the treatment for over three years.

Jack’s book, One Veteran’s Journey to Heal the Wounds of War, explains his hardships along the way.

Today he shares his amazing story about how much his life has changed. His reason for writing this book is to get our brave men back to a happy and productive life.

 

 

Resources Mentioned:

• One Veteran’s Journey to Heal the Wounds of War
• Contact Jack Gutman at jojac777g@aol.com or (714)-525-4954
• Paula’s EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) for healing
• CheriBlair.com
• Contact Cheri Blair at cblair@luciafinancial.com or call: 619-997-0416
• Listen to Paula’s former show, Transition Radio

Stay tuned for the release of Paula’s new book, Saying the Right Thing: When You Don’t Know What To Say