[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Do fireworks really trigger PTSD? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 2/6/2017 1:28:55 PM EDT
| So obviously I live in the greatest sports town of all. Someone in my town got a little happy and celebrated the pats win with some fireworks. People ( the liberals ) on my towns social media page are going bananas about how the fire works that late at night could "trigger a vet's PTSD" and how unneighbor like it was. |
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Not for all, but certainly for some. I can't stand to be surprised by them. If I know they are going to be going off, then it's game on. After an extended period it can get exhausting but I like to watch the show. I would never tell someone they can't enjoy the fireworks just because I don't care for them anymore. |
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We were rocketed and mortared daily. Watched a rocket go through a IDF bunker that myself and a few others were running too. From there on out I stopped even going to them or "taking cover". Would just go on about my life like normal. If was my time to go, then it was my time to go. The closest a mortar got from me was directly on the other side of a 16 foot T wall I was leaning against.. was covered in dust and pretty sure that is what gave me hearing damage.
So I have absolutely no issue with gunfire , explosions or fireworks. But a bunch of people I deployed with seem to have issues with them and like to post about it on social media around the 4th of July. |
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They can for some, if it bothers you stay inside and wear ear muffs.
I love screaming and freaking out while fireworks go off, even better when we are bump firing the RPK with the 75rd drums while launcing mortars. Best part was the short fire mortar that fell in the box of unfired mortars and exploded 4 ft from us. There was explosions everywhere and my Ranger buddy and I was in the middle of it all, we propane torches in one hand and a beer in the other 
It was fucking awesome, we just looked at each and said see...we cant fucking die!!! BBBBHHHHAAAA!!!!!!! Wife was pissed as one of the exploding mortars took a chunk out of the window of our then 7 month old house
LOL I still havent fixed the window yet
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I've heard the claim from several Vets, no idea if it's true or if they're snowflakin'. I get freaked out, and when I do I just start drinking
Drinking is always the answer, just no guns once the heavy drinking begins. |
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Not for all, but certainly for some. My uncle was a Vietnam vet. I remember one New Years sitting at a table talking with him. One of the neighbors set off a commercial grade firework. *FizzzzzzBoom!* The next thing I know my uncle is under the table taking cover. He very sheepishly crawled out, shrugged his shoulders and finished his drink. |
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We were rocketed and mortared daily. Watched a rocket go through a IDF bunker that myself and a few others were running too. From there on out I stopped even going to them or "taking cover". Would just go on about my life like normal. If was my time to go, then it was my time to go. The closest a mortar got from me was directly on the other side of a 16 foot T wall I was leaning against.. was covered in dust and pretty sure that is what gave me hearing damage. So I have absolutely no issue with gunfire , explosions or fireworks. But a bunch of people I deployed with seem to have issues with them and like to post about it on social media around the 4th of July. Same here although not daily, it was pretty frequent and I just stopped caring about getting to cover as fast as I could. I treated many more injuries that were caused by the mad dash to the bunker than the actual explosion. Just one casualty that I remember from the explosion and they never knew what hit them. |
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Probably bitching and wringing their precious little hands about their dags being freaked out and hiding under the bed too. Quoted:
Probably bitching and wringing their precious little hands about their dags being freaked out and hiding under the bed too. Nailed it. See, i've got something I am very excited about and want to celebrate but it's very late and I would hate to put out my neighbors since we live in a neighborhood where other people live. I would also really hate to terrorize anyone's animals with my celebration. I feel like if I did this and one of my neighbor's came over, knocked on my door and punched me right in my mouth, I would totally deserve it. |
I know a lot who have no issue with them, but that doesn't mean everyone is cool with them. On the other hand I know a girl who said fireworks triggered her PTSD from an armed robbery when the guy shot at me while she was hiding under a table. I was told I couldn't understand unless I had been in a situation like that. 
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Quoted:
We were rocketed and mortared daily. Watched a rocket go through a IDF bunker that myself and a few others were running too. From there on out I stopped even going to them or "taking cover". Would just go on about my life like normal. If was my time to go, then it was my time to go. The closest a mortar got from me was directly on the other side of a 16 foot T wall I was leaning against.. was covered in dust and pretty sure that is what gave me hearing damage. So I have absolutely no issue with gunfire , explosions or fireworks. But a bunch of people I deployed with seem to have issues with them and like to post about it on social media around the 4th of July. I would never let one of my problems ruin someone else's fun. You never saw WW2, Korea or Vietnam vets bitch about fireworks. My problems are not your problems. |
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I can't stand to be surprised by them. If I know they are going to be going off, then it's game on. After an extended period it can get exhausting but I like to watch the show. I would never tell someone they can't enjoy the fireworks just because I don't care for them anymore. Yup. |
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Quoted:
They can for some, if it bothers you stay inside and wear ear muffs. I love screaming and freaking out while fireworks go off, even better when we are bump firing the RPK with the 75rd drums while launcing mortars. Best part was the short fire mortar that fell in the box of unfired mortars and exploded 4 ft from us. There was explosions everywhere and my Ranger buddy and I was in the middle of it all, we propane torches in one hand and a beer in the other
It was fucking awesome, we just looked at each and said see...we cant fucking die!!! BBBBHHHHAAAA!!!!!!! Wife was pissed as one of the exploding mortars took a chunk out of the window of our then 7 month old house
LOL I still havent fixed the window yet 
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| I really can't say; but I can tell you when I was a teenager I had a cousin who just came back from a tour of duty on a Swift Boat patrolling the Mekong River who would react. Being the teenage asshole I was, I thought it would be funny to pop a balloon behind his chair at the dinner table. He flew under the table so fast I couldn't believe it. I also couldn't believe how fast my Dad's belt cleared the belt loops. |
| I'm not a Vet but I had a pretty bad accident when I was 19 that started with a loud bang so being surprised by them is no fun at all. If I'm the one setting them off or I know it's going to happen, no issues. I imagine it is different from person to person though |
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I really can't say; but I can tell you when I was a teenager I had a cousin who just came back from a tour of duty on a Swift Boat patrolling the Mekong River who would react. Being the teenage asshole I was, I thought it would be funny to pop a balloon behind his chair at the dinner table. He flew under the table so fast I couldn't believe it. I also couldn't believe how fast my Dad's belt cleared the belt loops. Your dad was awesome. |
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If I'm not watching them, and they're big and concussive I will get pretty irritable and quiet / withdraw from socializing. Not sure if call it PTSD. There are many levels of PTSD. And people often learn to adjust and overcome a lot of it.
Eta: never even thought of asking anyone to not play with fireworks unless it's a work night and it's after like 11:30 or something. |
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Yea I understand the issue, just keep that shit to yourself. I would never let one of my problems ruin someone else's fun. You never saw WW2, Korea or Vietnam vets bitch about fireworks. My problems are not your problems. Exactly. My problem. You keep doing what you do, I'll deal with it. |
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My uncle was a Vietnam vet. I remember one New Years sitting at a table talking with him. One of the neighbors set off a commercial grade firework. *FizzzzzzBoom!* The next thing I know my uncle is under the table taking cover. He very sheepishly crawled out, shrugged his shoulders and finished his drink. Quoted:
Quoted:
Not for all, but certainly for some. My uncle was a Vietnam vet. I remember one New Years sitting at a table talking with him. One of the neighbors set off a commercial grade firework. *FizzzzzzBoom!* The next thing I know my uncle is under the table taking cover. He very sheepishly crawled out, shrugged his shoulders and finished his drink. My SGM in Germany flew under a deuce and a half when someone fired unexpectedly on a live fire range. In his defense, he had 9 overseas service bars on his uniform for his 4 1/2 years in Vietnam and his entire upper torso was scar tissue from skin grafts and the six Purple Hearts he earned, so he was allowed some leeway. He still had nightmares too, I heard him screaming a couple of times at night in the field. His driver was my roommate, told me he yelled in his sleep things like "Kill the bitch. She killed Frank" and other things he was obviously holding onto from Vietnam. |
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I have a neighbor with such issues,
My solution is to let him know ahead of time if we are going to have a loud party, event, or the potential of any fireworks. He is thankful for the heads up (No unexpected loud noises) and I go on about my business. It is less about worrying about his issues and more about being neighborly. If the heads up keeps him from being "triggered" than all the better. I can not stop my festivities on his account and I wouldn't (It's the fucking 4th of July deal with it) but I can still be concerned about his welfare and give him a heads up so he can put in the earplugs or hide in the basement. Same goes for the neighbor that has a dog that goes off the rails when fireworks, car horns, doorbell, etc happen If I let her know she can keep the dog out of trouble by locking it up for the night. |
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Your dad was awesome. Quoted:
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I really can't say; but I can tell you when I was a teenager I had a cousin who just came back from a tour of duty on a Swift Boat patrolling the Mekong River who would react. Being the teenage asshole I was, I thought it would be funny to pop a balloon behind his chair at the dinner table. He flew under the table so fast I couldn't believe it. I also couldn't believe how fast my Dad's belt cleared the belt loops. Your dad was awesome. No shit. Sorry about your cousin, but I LOL'ED at your last sentence. Good for dad. |
| The guy I know who claims to have the worse PTSD never left the wire . He was a radio repairman and once fixed the radio for a guy who got killed . This is what he claims gave him the PTSD . He claims all of this stuff affects him( fireworks , gunfire , loud doors slamming ) His loud Harley seems to not effect him at all . |
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I wouldn't think fireworks would normally (it's just a hypothesis, and I realize anything could trigger someone) trigger PTSD for those who have been shot at a lot, because it almost never has the steady rat-tat-tat-tat of automatic weapons. Firecrackers sound like...firecrackers usually. While they might be shocked for a second I suspect it wouldn't normally cause a full on PTSD episode. I could be totally wrong, but it seems like they'd figure it out pretty quick.
But big fireworks are actually called mortars and launched the same as indirect fire, and go boom very loud in (what I imagine) is a very similar way. I've never been in anything close to a firefight or taken incoming, but every time I watch fireworks I get emotional because it is very much a simulation of cannons/artillery and rockets. Indirect artillery/mortar fire is supposedly the most traumatic because you can't see the enemy and never know when it's coming--and the results of a hit are just awful. So I'd absolutely understand someone experiencing PTSD if they were pinned down under indirect fire before, and especially if they got shell shocked or had to carry body parts out. Anyways, I pray for all the men and women who had to see war first hand. I am sure life will never be the same for them again, and we can never fully understand how traumatic it can be. |
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Probably bitching and wringing their precious little hands about their dags being freaked out and hiding under the bed too. This is my neighbor. Any time he hears a fireworks he gets on the neighborhood's FB page a whines about how inconsiderate it is because his little doggie is scared of it, meanwhile anytime im outside his yappy little Chihuahua is outside yapping non-stop. And now that he has "retired" the dog is always outside yapping. It gets old after 6 years. Hes weird so I try not to say much to him but this summer we may have a talk or little yappy dog will be soaking wet every time it goes back in the doggy door. I was just outside trying to fix a piece of the privacy fence yappy dog has managed to knock loose from charging it and I cant even do that without it trying to bite me through the fence. |
| My father inlaw went ashore just after D-day and fought all through France then to Belgium and the battle of the bulge then on to Germany. He lost his hearing to the constant shelling. Yes, he was there during all of the shelling in the Ardennes. I think it's safe to say that he saw the worst of war yet he loved fireworks. |
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Yes.
When I went to Army Band school to reclass a few years ago, one of my fellow reclassers said that any sudden loud noises made him panic, and fireworks were terrible. He said that he once brought his daughter to a fireworks display, and was in a cold sweat the whole time. |
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its how the vet handles it.. case by case basis.
take two dudes that experienced the exact same shit through out their tours.. one guy can be debilitated and the other be totally fine. they used to bother me real bad... not so much anymore but i still get tingly and ramped up from time to time |
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Maybe for some, but I've decided that 99% of the people who complain about the noise...just hate the noise, and are shamelessly attempting to pull on your heart strings and using veterans to that end. It's virtue signaling, and it's used to cover up the real issue - they just don't want to hear the noise. Any reason given beyond that is bullshit and unnecessary. "My kids have to go to school tomorrow" is more than sufficient. "Think of our veterans" is a cheap shot.
And while I'm not a veteran, I'd think I'd find it a bit insulting to have some housewife take it upon herself to protect me from big bad meanies with their loud noises. Who the fuck asked her? |
| I was visiting my in-laws in Iowa once when I was on leave from Iraq. Their little town has a huge fireworks show a block away from the house. That year the fireworks really bothered me and I had to go back to the motel to get away from the noise. Since then, no issues. |
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I was at the Fort Hood firewooks accident in the 1970's...the fireworks were bad enough, but the medivac Huey flying over the stands at 50 feet on their way to the victims was just the topping on the cake.
I was freaking terrified out of my wits of fireworks shows for almost 15 years after that. Take it for what it's worth. |
 Some Veterans On The 4th Of July 1966 Vs 2016  Disappointing Army Moments #GettingPutOnBlast |
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I've heard the claim from several Vets, no idea if it's true or if they're snowflakin'. There were nights in Afghanistan that literally looked like a fireworks show! White phosphorous burning the mountain side while tracers zip out from M4s and 240s, the sound of outgoing 120 mortars, sparkling impacts of M2 rounds, flashes of light and the thump, thump, thump, thump thump of the MK 19 rounds spreading glorious death to our enemies, all while hearing that popcorn like sound from incoming rounds and the slap of said rounds on rocks and earth all around us and the eerie sound of incoming RPGs. That being said, I love 4th of July and never avoid the opportunity to watch fireworks or participate in the shenanigans of a roman candle fight. Does it bother some? They say they do, but who am I to question them?
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First video... that DD214 blanket... 
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There were nights in Afghanistan that literally looked like a fireworks show! White phosphorous burning the mountain side while tracers zip out from M4s and 240s, the sound of outgoing 120 mortars, sparkling impacts of M2 rounds, flashes of light and the thump, thump, thump, thump thump of the MK 19 rounds spreading glorious death to our enemies, all while hearing that popcorn like sound from incoming rounds and the slap of said rounds on rocks and earth all around us and the eerie sound of incoming RPGs. I'll be in my bunk... |
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So obviously I live in the greatest sports town of all. Someone in my town got a little happy and celebrated the pats win with some fireworks. People ( the liberals ) on my towns social media page are going bananas about how the fire works that late at night could "trigger a vet's PTSD" and how unneighbor like it was. I disliked them for several years after I got out of the Marines, but it didn't fucking "trigger" me. |